Understanding the various components of training will help you get from A to B faster. It’ll also increases the efficiency in your desired area.
Let’s talk about closed vs open skills.
A closed skill is something the performer does which is not affected by the environment. Examples would include shooting a basketball free throw, bowling, throwing darts or shooting a qualification etc. I.E. these skills are not affected by the environment.
In contrast examples of open skills would be driving (with other vehicles on the roadway present), force on force, most team sports, certain drills that require problem solving & most aggressive or defensive situations etc.
One (by default) is not more important (or easier) than the other; and there are many instances where performers will ebb between both in the same setting.
So why does it matter?
Specifically related to training, identifying closed and open skills will help a “performer” (you) balance (or interleave vs block train) the appropriate amount of time between the two. There’s a relation between training & outcome (which is called “transferability”). The obvious goal is to get the highest level of transferability from our training to performance.
Studies have shown that performers with an extremely high focus on closed skills have low transferability in changing environments.
Should I shoot b8s or other static drills?! Absolutely! But if all you do is closed skill training don’t expect to be a rock star when it comes to CQB or applied open / opposed environments. Conversely, open skills often neglect the nuances of what we in lay terms would describe as a mastery of the fundamentals.
Efficiency is the name of the game. How can I get the highest return on investment in the shortest amount of time with the lowest $ amount spent.
Deconstruct what you envision is a perfect performance and then reverse engineer that setting (which will most likely be a mix between closed and open, but from an applied firearms standpoint very heavy on open).
I hope this helps. This is the very extreme tip of the iceberg when we start to look at the science of human performance and increasing our training ROI.
