Originally Posted by
Cory
I taught a fair amount of M9 shooting while I was in the service. I was the "SME" on the M9 during a few unit's train ups prior to deployments, and at my own unit's go-to remedial teacher when we qualed my last couple years in.
I can only recall 2 shooters who were "untrainable" and it was during different quals years apart. It had nothing to do whatsoever with there ability to perform the action required to shoot a pistol, and everything to do with their attitude. Both had failed to qualify twice in a row, hitting less than 2 targets on an M9 pop up range. Both were smaller E4 females who were lamenting that "I tried that and it didn't work" regardless of whatever solution I offered. One was particularly egregious, crying and yelling at me, the E5 who had been ordered to make sure she qual'd. I didn't find it productive to jump her ass about it, she was worked up and we were going to be on the line with live ammo in another 30 minutes. It was the ranges fault, the gun's fault, my fault, and the fault of the United States Army. No fault whatsoever could be placed on her for lack of effort or implementation of feedback. Despite talking to her about how to hold the gun, that she may find it easier to cock the hammer (which is ludacris), that she should rest her arms between targets, or the absolute basics of sight picture, and to be ginger with the trigger she failed to hit a single target.
I was instructed to shoot an extra qual on the lane next to her, with heavy magazines and make sure I missed into a few of her targets so that our unit could pass qual. I did what any good NCO would do. I said "Yes, sir" and shot the lane next to her. Apparently my skill wasn't great enough... she still failed with only a single hit. When taken to task about it by a butter bar I feigned helplessness and apologized that were out of time and the range was going cold.
Point is anyone who WANTS to improve can. The only people who are untrainable are those who don't want to improve, or already know it all.