How To Give An Aspirin A Headache…

James Rutland (right) instructs a student on instinctive shooting by having him shoot a BB gun at a small target tossed into the air.

If the Army tried it and recommends it for our fighting soldiers, instinctive shooting could certainly help wing-shooters.

Instinctive shooting is an improved version of the “Quick Kill” system soldiers learned and used during the Vietnam War. It allows a shooter to fire quickly and accurately at fleeting enemy targets.

James Rutland, of Box Springs, is an expert instinctive shooting trainer. James coaches shooters to focus on the target only, to never take their eyes off the target, look at a specific spot to ensure they hit the target. The “belly button” spot will result in a hit right above it, and focusing on a spot at six o’clock on a ground target will hit the target just above the spot. Through his instruction, shooters learn to trust themselves.

An Army review of the method said, “The instinct shooting course built muscle memory and caused Soldiers to trust themselves and shoot where they are looking… This training taught soldiers how to be comfortable with the concept of trusting themselves and focusing on the target to effectively engage it. This was evident as soldiers were able to effectively engage a moving aerial target with BB and shotgun rounds.”

The Army’s recommendation… “Sustain and increase this training. Our Warfighters will definitely benefit from it.”

GON wants to profile James’s instinctive shooting technique by inviting a GON member and a child to receive a free shooting lesson from James. We’ll report on the results.

To take part, you and your child will need to be able to travel to GON’s office in Madison for a day of instruction. Make sure you’re not in the witness-protection program or overly shy—you will likely be featured in GON magazine in an article about learning James’s instinctive-shooting methods.

To enter, simply send an e-mail to [email protected] with the subject line Shooting Lesson, and give us your name, address, phone number and GON subscriber number. Also include the name and age of your child. GON will select a winner through a random drawing.