Shooting - Skills and Proficiencies

    Some of us are required to shoot rifles and handguns in order to earn our monthly checks. This includes law enforcement and military. Most of us have to hit so many targets, to be a certain level of accurate and maintain qualifications to be considered standard for the job in which we are employed. Others shoot rifles or other guns for fun, at ranges or in the wild. Some gain some good meat from the hunt in their rifle usage, while others are trainers and teachers who are paid to be gun experts.

    How many U.S. citizens shoot weapons regularly, either for professional reasons or sport? Out of 340 million inhabitants, maybe 50 million? Maybe more.

    I have to shoot some weapons proficiently, which scores can and do affect my job promotions. Self-esteem, bragging rights. Historically I am that great at it. Most of the time I am not very interested in shooting weapons. Some people love it. Not so much me. But I usually pass, and move on.

    Then there is what much of my life I have enjoyed shooting. A basketball.

    How many people shoot basketballs regularly? I used to do it much more, just for practice. Now I play pick-up games more; I play for points and wins and losses more than I practice shooting. But sometimes picking up a ball and shooting from different spots on the court hits the spot. 

    Here in the United States there must be at least a million of us who shoot basketballs. It is a popular sport and hobby. Some do it for official teams, and the best make some good or great money doing it. Shooting a basketball. Competitively.

    Within the sport of basketball, some players are more known for their shooting prowess. They are simply called shooters, which implies that they are good or great at shooting from long range: 20, 25, 30 feet away from the bucket. The other types of skilled players that do not necessarily shoot well are the big men who rebound, bang, and block shots, and the speed demons who dribble, pass, and play harrowing defense with their quickness and tenacity. However, notably, some of those guys, both big and small. But, of course, basketball is built to have shooters. The more the merrier, or better.

    A team with five or ten guys who can shoot the lights out, AND rebound, AND pass, AND dribble, and block shots and steal cookies (the ball), will almost always be the best one at the end.

    Shooting is huge. The best players that most of us acknowledge as the greatest of all time were great shooters. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James Steph Curry, Larry Bird, Jerry West, Oscar Robertson. Granted, some names are missing from this list, that were more about their inside presence, or passing, and not necessarily for their pure shooting. Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson. It takes all kinds to be great in the sport, to make a team, and shooting is one aspect that is generally valued the most.

    So, there we have it.

    We now have great shooters from all over the world. They come from all corners of Europe, they are coming more and more from Asia, Africa, South America.

    Shooters. 

    Who do value the most?

    Guns using bullets, or hands plying a leather sphere hurled toward a rim with a nylon net?

    Ahh, shooting.