Project Appleseed & Natural Point of Aim: Lessons Learned

Project Appleseed is an exciting program that teaches “Skilled Marksmanship: An American Tradition”. Covered in the rifle marksmanship program are three positions: prone, sitting/kneeling, and standing.

Their concept of shooting is directly tied to the Natural Point of Aim and history, our history. I recently participated in Project Appleseed and took away critical components of marksmanship that will last a lifetime.

Part of what we learn in training are events that unfolded on April 15, 1775, and what marksmanship meant to the Colonials. People were willing to fight to defend their homes, their families, and livelihoods. The very foundation of our Second Amendment?

The most significant teaching aspect of Project Appleseed is the “Natural Point of Aim” (NPOA). This concept is the basis of marksmanship and how your body determines where your shot will go. Throughout the day, you’ll hear, “Check your NPOA.” Or “Make sure your body moves; your arm movement to the target is not good enough.” And that is repeated repeatedly; it’s a concept that is easier for some and more difficult for others.

As Americans, we look to the past for answers. History, if we are willing to do the work, has a lot to teach us. What happened that caused the colonies to become “radicals” or “separatists” or “extreme”? Those are all words that we hear today; they are nothing new. Men and women fought hard to start this country, and many still fight to keep it or make it great again.

As Americans, our Natural Point of Aim is to do what is necessary to keep people free. Free to worship, speak, publish, assemble, or petition. We are free to bear arms, free to have a jury of our peers, free from cruel and unusual punishment, etc. We may not like how someone chooses to do those things because they are different from us, but as Americans, we are all free to do as we can.

Our Natural Point of Aim, one might say, is the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. We have what no other nation has: this “Great Experiment” and the Natural Point of Aim to keep us all free to be the best version of ourselves as we can, enshrined in documents created by our forefathers to do so.

Project Appleseed teaches marksmanship if you pay attention and listen to the instructions and stories. Project Appleseed program teaches well beyond the firing line, and I, for one, cannot recommend it enough.

Travis Wolfe has been the instructor in my area for three years now. He runs a safe, great program. I do not only encourage you to take a Project Appleseed course, but I would encourage you to take your sons and/or daughters. This program is taught by volunteers, and from what I’ve seen they work very hard and travel a great distance to make one heck of an event.

There is a lot involved in this program, and I encourage you to look into the program at https://appleseedinfo.org/. ~ Luke

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Luke Capria
Born in southern tier of upstate NY (4 hours from New York City). Luke didn’t get into firearms until his early 20’s as he came into hunting with family. He works in the construction field and has interests in the Constitution of the United State and the Bill of Rights.

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