I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life, the life of toil and effort, of labor and strife; to preach that highest form of success which comes, not to the man who desires mere easy peace, but to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship, or from bitter toil, and who out of these wins the splendid ultimate triumph.
Welcome to the marksman challenges. These are your opportunity to take action and practice the things that we talk about here at The Everyday Marksman. At the end of the day, you can read a lot about marksmanship, survival, mindset, and gear, but knowing isn’t the same thing as doing.
Each marksman challenge focuses on a single topic area. The completion criteria for each challenge is different, and there are varying levels of proof requird to complete the challenge. Additionally, each challenge has multiple levels of difficulty. If you complete a challenge, then you earn the associated badge, which appears on your profile within the community forum.
You can complete any challenge at any time, unless it says otherwise. Think of this a bit like Boy Scout merit badges. The more you complete and the more skills you master, the more capable a citizen you become.
I suggest starting off with the Go-Getter challenge, which focuses on goal setting and then start working your way through.
/// Challenges
The Devil’s Mile Sandbag Challenge
This marksman challenge is about grit. It’s about pushing through pain, discomfort, and exhaustion to reach a goal. Our tool of choice? The humble sandbag and a pair of shoes.
The Paper Plate Pistolero Challenge
I’m reposting this challenge with a few updates. In light of recent events, I think it’s an important reminder that you should regularly train with your handgun out to 50 yards. Most people are content with 7-10 yards because it’s fun, “go-fast,” and the close range often hides errors in marksmanship fundamentals. At 50 yards, though, it becomes a different proposition and you never know when you just might need to take that shot.
Rifle Marksmanship Standards for Everyday Marksmen
Today we’re defining the Everyday Marksman minimum rifle standards. This is a two-part test of both speed and marksmanship fundamentals. I want to outline the test itself, why I defined this requirements, but also what I left out.
Minimum Capable Handgun Skills Challenge
During last week’s live stream with USPSA Grand Master Josh Shaw, I broached the topic of standards that every capable citizen should aspire to. He provided two simple tests, and now I’m turning them into a challenge for you.
The MEC Marksman Challenge: Better Think Fast
This marksman challenge is something I’m calling the “Make Effective Choices” challenge. Like the pistol shooting drills that inspired it, you must balance speed against precision and decision making. Let’s dig in.
Tackle the Kettlebell Mile Challenge
This Marksman Challenge is a test of strength and endurance. Like rucking, but with an added twist. The short version: pick up a kettlebell and carry it one handed for a mile. The devil is in the details.
The 12-Mile Ruck Challenge
If you’ve been around The Everyday Marksman for long, you know I’m a fan of rucking. It’s a foundational skill of light infantry work as well as a fantastic builder of strength and endurance. I thought it was time to have another challenge about it. As I write this, we are still amidst the COVID-19 struggles. It’s difficult to get together in groups, either indoors or outdoors, and ammo is hard to come by due to the panic.
So let’s do something that requires no ammunition, range time, or social contact.
Overnight Outdoor Challenge
This marksman challenge is about spending a night in the wilderness. What good are all of the knot tying, fire-making, and other outdoors skills if we don’t put them to use. Take this chance to get out there and enjoy a bit of nature.
The Everyday Knot Tying Challenge
This Marksman Challenge is all about the art of tying knots. I’ve long observed that experienced outdoorsmen learn to tie a few reliable knots extremely well, and use them for just about everything. Knowing knots also means you can carry less stuff. So let’s get on to the challenge.
Amateur Radio License Challenge
This challenge is deceptively simple: get your ham radio ticket. I’ve been saying over and over that the time to start learning about radio is well before there’s an actual emergency situation where it becomes required. So what better way to encourage you to get started than offering a challenge?
