To Get Good at Something, Get Good at Two Things

Pictured is a Fender Stratocaster and a Glock 26.  Obviously, I am a traditionalist. 

I have found a consistent theme among shooters who are really good; they are usually really good at a second thing too.  There is a benefit to diversity in pursuits. 

This phenomenon is not confined to shooting, a lot of top athletes are good at something else as well.  A lot of good musicians are very high level at something completely unrelated, etc…,

I never thought about this much until recently, but the truth is that I have been focused on two particular disciplines my entire adult life; besides being a handgun shooting enthusiast, I am a guitarist.  Not just a bedroom guitarist, which seems the thing these days with all the supposed musical prodigies posting videos of themselves playing….in their bedroom.  When I grew up playing, I was playing in bands.  I have been in a multitude of bands, playing live, since I was a teenager.  my assessment of bedroom players is similar to my assessment of all the supposedly amazing shooters out there; to impress me with your musicianship I need to see it done live, with a band, and to impress me with your shooting I need to see it done in a class or at a match, in front of your peers watching, not just done as the 100^th take on video in your back yard, all alone.  That is an entirely different topic….

Anyway, so many people who are good at one thing are really good at two things, and there must be something to this.  USPSA champ J. J. Ricaza spends 6 months of the year not shooting, but doing semi-pro snowboarding.  Champion shooter Todd Jarrett used to play hockey at a high level.  Well-known firearms trainer and multi-division grand master Karl Rehn is also a professional musician, playing keyboard at gigs several nights of the week.  Others cook, some do art, etc…,  Here, I share with you examples among shooters, as that is relevant to this blog, but I could also share with you numerous examples of very good musicians who, likewise, excel at some other thing not related in any way to the craft they are primarily known for.  Why?

So, it is arguable that pursuing a second craft could detract from the first IF it actually takes time away from it, but that is a big if, and I don’t think that is how it works for most people.  Back when I was a youngster I had a guitar in my hands, literally hours a day, and was also shooting several hundred rounds a week.  If I was not playing guitar, would I have been shooting even more?  I doubt it.

The undeniable advantage of doing a second thing, and doing it well, is this: It breaks your focus off the other thing, and when you come back to the other thing, you have a fresh vison and approach.  This is real.

I have done a poor job throughout my life of balancing my two things.  I tend to go through phases where I am entirely focused on one or the other, even to the point of going for quite a few years being relatively inactive with music, as once I had several young children, working full time, and in the wake of the dissolvement of my last active band, the time dedication of playing out was too much a commitment to handle at that time.  Therefore, the shooting took priority, as training, shooting some matches, taking some classes, etc…, was a more manageable pursuit.  I also started this blog, and other gun writing during those years, all the while doing little as a musician.  For some time now I am back to playing music a lot as well, and hope to maintain that, keeping a good balance of both crafts.

What I did find over the course of years is that, when I would abandon one or the other for months at a time, I would come back to it stronger, with a fresh perspective, once I knocked off the rust with some practice. 

Now, I strive to be able to do both, daily, and be able to shift focus from one to the other, seamlessly.  Sometime during most days I will do my dryfire, and some practice.  In the evening I will play the instrument.  Range trips and band practice or shows are regularly scheduled things throughout the month. 

Focusing on two things and pivoting from one to the other, even in the course of a day, is healthy.  It serves to refresh your perspective and approach to your crafts and it keeps you from rapping your own self-identity too strongly into a particular thing.  Try it.  Do a second thing, and do it well.

Oh, the down side is that you will have two things to spend way too much money on, so you have been warned.