PMI classes are a joke. We are literally taught to shoot poorly from basic and the same mentality of "you can still shoot expert if you save your rounds on the 300m targets in case you miss closer!" exists when privates get to their units. I'm not going to lie and say that I knew this when I came in. Yes, I could shoot expert, but nowhere near as consistantly as now and I had to WORK to get it.

Secret: anybody can shoot expert if they just were taught how from basic - so I'm going to try to divulge some of these tricks the AMU taught me via this blog. Don't think very many people will read this but those that do please pass it on to your joes or your NCOs or whoever will listen.

Four basic Marksmanship Fundamentals form building blocks to allow a soldier to engage and successfully hit a target; Soldiers must have these basic fundamentals engrained to muscle memory as they serve as the basis for all marksmanship skills

Marksmanship Fundamentals include (in order) Steady Body Position; Proper Sight Alignment/Picture; Proper Breathing Control; and Proper Trigger Control

Most soldiers have been taught the Marksmanship Fundamentals; however most still have been taught them incorrectly. Many lessons taught at Basic Combat Training or passed down during unit-level training are based on improper technique or “old-wives tales”