In the movies, the sniper has found the best location in the city or the country laid wait for a long time till the right moment to shoot the intended target. The bullet moves in slow motion and the affects are final. What is like to be the person that shoots the bullet, in the book Sniper Elite, Rob Maylor, St. Martin’s Press, NY, 2010 tells about his tales to be a Top Special Forces Marksman. Similarly to every craft in the world, there is a lots of training, the quote of it takes 10,000 hours of training to become an expert is very relevant in the book. The reason is in terms of being a sniper, Mr. Maylor believes 70% of the sniper trade is no more than basic infantry skills applied to a higher standard. The other 30% is what makes a good and great sniper. If you think about a sniper, after the first shot or two, people will determine approximately where the shot came from. Depending on the time they have, they will determine the exact spot, the sniper had to get in position, which means gone through the terrain and not be detected by the equally good people on the other side, stay in a position for a period of time, do the shooting allowing for the wind, sun, rain, whatever the weather conditions are and then leave the area safely to do the next task.

In the book, Mr. Maylor is very task oriented, the problem is ahead of you, the troops devise a strategy, either the strategy works or does not and return to base for the next task. Mr. Maylor outlines the steps to be a good sniper, but you need training to do them. The shooting and result are important but the steps up to get where you need to be and getting away safely are the key considerations, if you wish to live another day.

the steps are

Keep all movements slow, and always look before moving

Use the Shadows

Never Enter and Exit a hide by the same route

Use Natural Foliage

Only fire 1 to 2 shots from the same location – if possible move after 1st shot

Whenever possible have a deception plan – false hides, false trials, etc

Marksmanship principles

Eye on the crosshairs, target slightly blurred

Shoot past a solid object

Always have an escape route

Never sacrifice security

Linking to dividend paying stocks, the process of being a marksman is important here, the focus is taking your time, doing your research in advance, trying possibilities, do what you set out to and try not to lose money. If you were a carpenter doing home repairs, the most important thing is the set up, taking your time the board is correctly measured. In buying stocks, for the past number of years buying dividend stocks because of their capital appreciation (stocks price goes higher as the company makes more money or a higher multiple) and the continual dividend payment have made these stocks a very attractive place in the portfolio.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions