Paul Simer of Too Lazy to Fail just posted a fantastic guide for new shooters on his blog. Go read.

For a good long while I had (and consistently met) a personal goal of taking one newbie to the range every month. Financial and physical limitations (bad wrist) forced me to temporarily suspend that project, but just last week an old friend asked me to take her shooting. And when a pretty girl asks for help, one answers the call!

So I get to be a teacher again, and I’m excited about that. I especially like taking women to the range. Partially that’s because we need more women involved in the shooting sports, but it’s also because women tend to make better students. Guys seem to think, “Hey, I have testicles and I’ve seen a lot of action movies. I already KNOW how to shoot.” And amazingly enough, that attitude isn’t really conducive to learning. In my experience women just take instruction better and need fewer reminders of safety rules.

Anyways, Paul’s post is now part of my “recommended reading” for new shooters. If handguns are on the menu, I also strongly encourage newbies to read Ross Seyfried’s “Hitting with Handguns” article. That piece helped me improve my own handgun shooting pretty dramatically, and I still go back and re-read it now and then. The section in the middle about mastering your body’s natural wobbles and dealing with your flinch is invaluable; he comes right out and says, “Yeah, you can’t hold still and you flinch sometimes. We’re all like that. Here’s how to deal with it.” Good stuff.

And though I’m pretty sure I’ve linked to her before, Kathy Jackson’s Cornered Cat is a terrific resource for all new shooters, but particularly for women.

So, M., read through those and let’s go shootin’!