To be upfront this is a bit of a rant.....its also posted here because i believe it generally gets applied to rifle cartridges or equipment, more than other things.
That phrase has irritated me since the first time i heard it, even though I agree with the sentiment behind it.
"The person (skills, knowledge, experience etc) is more important than the tool"
What irritates me the most is that its usually applied when someone is being critical of ANOTHER persons choice of tool, or when stating that one particular tool SHOULD be as competent and as effective in someone elses hands.
Understanding what a person is capable of is IMO the first and critical step in choosing the right tool....or if a specific job should even be attempted.
If everyone was the same, with the same experience, and same skill sets, then the phrase wouldnt exist...and we would all be able to do everything.
But were not, and choosing the correct tool for the user makes doing a good job far more likely.
Its also bloody inaccurate!
There are dozens of types of arrows and points with which one can top them.
The majority having fairly specific uses, and in many cases being completely incompatible.....
Anyway, if you got this far thanks for bearing with me lol.
I hear it constantly, mostly in relation to Trapshooting, but certainly hear it in gun and archery sports in general.
Some truisms related to it:
A good shooter will be able to shoot basic equipment better than a duffer will with top end stuff.
Top end equipment makes it
easier to get better, but only up to a certain point, and at starting out, is usually a detriment.
You can't buy better scores with better equipmemnt, you have to put in work and commitment to achieve them.
Having said this, there are some natural shooters out there, (I have a son that is) that make it look frustratingly easy.
In the above case, I think it is the Indian
and the arrow. She's using top end arrows there.
Yeah people on trapshooters forums don't like that phrase very much, but I too agree with the sentiment behind it. Guys can shoot straight 100's with their 870's just as well as guys with $15K+ custom fitted trap guns.
I also know that their are certain performance upgrades that if skilled enough, can be taken advantage of but you can't buy skill. You see that kind of attitude on IG and other places, people flex their Gucci builds and have all the tier 1 operator stuff and then rag on the guy with an M&P. A guy with 10K rounds/drills/reps through his M&P will shred the guy with 500rds through his Cobalt or KAC.
I had a guy write some stupid comment to me something to the effect of it being stupid that I had an Aimpoint and a Geissele trigger on an M&P. I didn't even have to say anything, about a half a dozen others jumped in and pulled his card. He was trying to flex his KAC and was not an experienced shooter.
Yes, it's the guys that took up Trap after retiring, bought a $10,000 Perazzi or Kolar, and still shoot an 18 average. All because they don't work on improving themselsves. I've made the comment that I can shoot any gun in the rack on the trapline all well as my Ljutic
or my 1100, and I've backed that up several times. (It's a sneaky way to get to try other guys' guys....)
Illinoisburt said right away in this thread that it's main point is you can't buy better scores. There are those that flit from new gadget or new gun to newer all the time, hoping for one more bird, one more 10-x, whatever a perfect score is. There are three stages in a shooter's progress:
- Learning the basics and fundamentals of the discipline.
- Developing a routine, learning what works for you and what doesn't. This is where you might decide to specialize your equipment more.
- Focusing on the MENTAL aspect of the sport. Once you've got the physical routine down, you need to realize that in order to progress, you must learn to yoke the conscious mind to the subconscious process you have developed. It is the simultaneously easiest and hardest aspect of the sport to master. I have occasional runs of it, and when I do, shooting at top levels just happens without seeming effort.
Learning when to concentrate more on the mental discipline in shooting and less on equipment is where most shooters have difficulty. It's not as fun to learn how to use the body and mind to maximize results in any sport, as it is to go "Squirrel!" when the next shiny new toy comes into our view.....
