I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the most skilled in body movements or kinesthetics. So when I recently had the opportunity to go mountain biking after a lapse of nearly 20 years, I was a bit hesitant. Of course, I wanted to spend time with my family. And, thanks to procedural memory, it’s often said that once you’ve learned how to ride a bike, you never forget.

Trying Something New

The problem is: I’ve just never felt one with the two-wheeled apparatus! I tend to be a little clumsy and klutzy and sometimes a bit out of control. I guess I don’t quite trust myself, the bike or myself on the bike! And that makes for some interesting mountain biking. What makes it even more interesting is the variety of strange occurrences and accidents I’ve had in the past. For one, I bottomed out on my very first outing with my brand-new mountain bike because it had not been set up properly at the bike store (and my rear shock was not working). On another adventure, my pinky finger was hanging outside the handlebar a bit, and while maneuvering between two trees, that finger got caught and almost broke right off.

Basics Can Be Challenging for Beginners 

Let’s just say that I am not the smoothest on the trails. Let’s also say that climbing back on that mountain bike the other day reminded me of what it’s like to be a beginner. And that’s something that is so vitally important for all of us in the firearms industry. Firearms instructors: Listen up! What we often forget is that the things that are so simple, so natural and so basic to us can still be the biggest challenges for newcomers!

For instance, it took me a while to remember what to do with the gears and the brakes. Also, because of an ankle injury, I did not use the clipless pedals, so my feet would fly off the pedals on occasion. Additionally, while I have been using our indoor bike trainer for about a year now, I have not had to concentrate on the balance, the coordination and the sharp eyesight that’s required to not run over cliffs, bang into trees or pedal strike loose rocks. While amateurishly breaking down root-tangled hills, doing my very best to stay on the singletrack and not fall off the bike, my brain was frenetically dealing with all the thoughts of a new (or rusty) biker. That experience can be very challenging as one’s brain tries to recall every term, every safety maneuver and every tactic for success.

So when my husband, Sean, yelled out to me “Hey, you’ll probably want to gear up at this next little section,” my brain couldn’t even figure out what that meant. “Gear up? What does that mean? Which handle is that? Which way do I press it?” I was excited and willing but also unsure and overwhelmed, and I think I might have actually replied: “DOES NOT COMPUTE!”

Tactics Can Add Up

The whole experience was very much like that of a new gun user who can’t remember every little detail about the firearm, even if you just went over it all in the firearms class. It’s the person who may be excited and willing but is also unsure and overwhelmed, constantly thinking about the noise, the recoil and the flying brass, plus all the uncomfortable experiences and feelings that may come with shooting a gun.

So, the next time we tell our students to do some of those basic tasks, such as racking the slide or dropping the mag, remember that those things are still new, and that person might be confused and distracted or completely focused on something else … like how to concentrate on the balance, the coordination and the sharp eyesight that’s required to not drop the gun, miss the bullseye or induce malfunctions with an improper grip. That experience can be very challenging as one’s brain tries to recall every term, every safety maneuver and every tactic for success.

It just might not yet compute.