Building Shooters is not just another book about firearms training; it applies the principles of cutting-edge brain science directly to the challenges facing today’s law enforcement officers, police trainers, military and others who require clinical tactical skills in environments that demand expert level decision-making. The first book of its kind, it not only addresses training at an individual level but also considers organizational needs and priorities. Dustin Salomon outlines a groundbreaking approach to training system design that will improve performance, limit organizational liability and reduce the time, cost and resource dependence associated with developing functional tactical skillsets. "Dustin Salomon's book Building Shooters is easily one of the more important books of our time when it comes to preparing police, military and armed civilians for armed lethal combat." - Kenneth Murray Founder, Reality Based Training Association Author of Training at the Speed of Life Co-founder of Simunition "Building Shooters offers the clearest, simplest, most well-founded psychomotor training program I have seen for developing shooting skills, without the need for extensive live fire." - Dr. Bill Lewinski Executive Director, Force Science Institute "An incredibly logical and analytical look at firearms training. This book should have been written years ago, as understanding the material in it is critical to the development of anyone who wants to really learn how to shoot well. Building Shooters is an eye opening look at the problems and solution facing trainers and trainees in the area of firearms skill development. The breakdown of neural network types and the procedural memory system is worth the price of admission. Absolutely brilliant material." - Mike Seeklander Owner, Shooting Performance USPSA Grandmaster and Steel Challenge World Champion Host of The American Warrior Show Author of The Art of Instruction "The first book of its kind, Building Shooters details how to effectively and efficiently teach the art of shooting by evaluating what is understood about the brain. This book is written as a literature review which begins to connect the dots between how we train, using what is known about the fundamentals of brain function. Dustin Salomon has distilled the teaching of defensive shooting to its core elements, as he looks at alternatives to current paradigms, explaining why they may not produce optimal results, while offering alternatives that will. Given an environment of budgetary pressure on such training programs, this book answers the call to look outside the box. He seeks to maximize consolidation of procedural and declarative memory, in the most efficient way possible, using a minimum amount of resources." - Jeremy Sword Ph.D., Neuroscience "As a long time trainer, this is my first opportunity to consider how the human brain receives, retains, and categorizes information. The importance is critical for how we design training. I note that Building Shooters' advocacy for using "live" weapons for role player training is innovative and has benefits. Challenging traditional notions is how we improve training delivery, content and success on the street." - Allen Garber US Army Ranger Captain and Combat Veteran FBI Supervisory Special Agent and SWAT Team Leader (Ret.) Police Chief, Champlin, Minnesota 1993-1999 Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 1999-2002 U.S. Marshall, District of Minnesota 2002-2006 "With the goal of improving training implementation and delivery of firearm and tactical skills, Dustin Salomon presents a reasoned and science based foundation for his training system. The science of human performance is well explained and practical suggestions are made with a focus on developing better shooters who perform at higher levels and retain their skills longer. We employ many of his recommendations in our academy and improvements in our firearms program are measurable in terms of shooter success. This is essential reading for academy staff, curriculum developers and the firearms instructor." - Art Aplan Advanced Training Coordinator, Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota "Mr. Salomon's application of neuroscience, coupled with known training techniques, can be the next breakthrough in developing a training regimen that engages physical, mental, and psychological attributes to obtain a better end product." - Jim H. Professional Firearms Instructor "Science applied to the training of the next generation of law enforcement... Building Shooters outlines a method of instruction that utilizes the way our brain processes information so they have the tools to survive." - Brad Leach Captain, Burnsville, Minnesota Police Department (Ret.) and former SWAT Team Leader Former Instructor, Center for Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement, St. Paul, Minnesota Current Firearms Instructor for Retired Officers and Responsible Citizens