The Dangerous Difference Between Confidence and Competence

You can shoot regularly and still not be training. Kyle Johnston learned that firsthand. After serving in the Marine Corps, Kyle spent nearly a decade building a successful career in filmmaking and media before returning to military service and ultimately becoming a Green Beret with the 19th Special Forces Group. When he returned to structured firearms training, something surprising happened: the shooting ability he thought he had began falling apart as soon as speed, movement, timers, and pressure entered the equation. In this episode of Making Shooters Better, Kyle and Terry explore what separates purposeful training from simply putting rounds downrange. They dig into: • Why firearms skills are far more perishable than many shooters realize • The difference between shooting for enjoyment and training for improvement • Why goals, drills, timers, and measurable data matter • How pressure reveals weaknesses that static range shooting can hide • Why dry-fire and at-home training can dramatically improve consistency • The value of discovering what you're bad at instead of repeatedly practicing what you're already good at • Why tactics and techniques should remain adaptable rather than becoming doctrine • The strange difference between the shooting community online and the one you'll actually meet at the range • Why experienced shooters have a responsibility to help newcomers rather than intimidate them • How Kyle balances training, military service, family, and his work with Unit Solutions Kyle’s experience offers a useful reminder for shooters at every level: Going shooting proves you can pull the trigger. Training tells you what happens when things stop going according to plan.