I have been trying to think of a way to best illustrate the relationship between all of the various topics we discuss here at The Everyday Marksman. As part of an introduction in the book I've been [trying to] work on since the start of the year, I needed a way to illustrate why I advocate the "basics is best" approach so much. I think I've got it, and today I want to talk about it- and maybe get your thoughts as well. First, I want to establish the why. Every once and a while I come back to the idea that far too many people spend far too much money on more gear and equipment than they should. In the grand scheme of things, your equipment is but one component of a large picture. However, it's the easiest component to build on since it only requires spending more money. On top of that, it's the only thing that gun and gear companies have to offer, so they market the hell out of it. It's their job to convince you that what you already have isn't good enough, and you need the next thing. Unlike ammunition, which is expendable supply, guns and gear are generally durable goods that last a long time. To stay in business, manufacturers require an ever-expanding customer base, or must find a way to convince you to keep coming back time and time again. While they may care about you, they also care about staying in business. It's not Just Gear This idea doesn't just apply to manufacturers, either. Many trainers try to convince you that they have special knowledge or insight that you haven't seen before, and so you must pay them to teach you the special thing and bust through your plateau. Don't take this to mean that I don't think there isn't value in an experienced coach to brush up your skills from time to time. If it's the first time you're learning a particular skill, whether it's shooting, tactics, lifting, or something else, then I absolutely believe there's good reason to seek instruction. Where I see the problem is people who keep taking courses to learn new variations of the same things over and over again rather than practicing what they've learned already to the point of mastery. The problem is, again, that there isn't much money to be made in telling you to do the hard thing and keep practicing. People want to be provided the easy path to performance, and they're willing to pay a lot of money for it. Unfortunately, there isn't one. The Pyramid of Performance That gets me to the illustration I want to talk about. I needed a way to show that success in marksman-related pursuits requires focus in more than one area at a time. Over-optimizing on one thing comes at the cost of the others, which results in lower performance. I was reading through Alexander Bromley's Base Strength: Program Design Blueprints, and he had a three-sided pyramid illustration showing the relationship between muscle mass, strength, endurance, and coordination to make his point. The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that it was applicable to you and I in many contexts if I made a couple of tweaks to it. Imagine a four-sided pyramid. The peak of the pyramid represents the maximum possible performance you should expect for whatever it is you're trying to do. Being a geometric object, the maximum height of the pyramid depends upon the size of the pyramid's base. The base has four corners, each representing an important attribute of performance: Technique, Mindset, Physical Capability, and Equipment. * Technique describes your skill level with the task at hand. It could be marksmanship fundamentals, building a fire, pressing a weight overhead, small unit tactics, or many other things * Mindset represents focus,