Whether you’ve been handling firearms for years or you just picked up your very first weapon, there is one universal truth in marksmanship: you can never out-shoot your fundamentals.
I recently picked up a copy of How to Shoot Like a Navy SEAL: Combat Marksmanship Fundamentals by retired Navy SEAL Chief Firearms Instructor Chris Sajnog. As the man hand-selected to develop the curriculum for the US Navy SEAL Sniper training program, Sajnog commands a massive amount of respect in the weapons training community. I wanted to see how his high-level combat principles translated to the page—and I wasn’t disappointed.
What the Book is About
How to Shoot Like a Navy SEAL isn’t a collection of war stories or self-aggrandizing fluff. It is a streamlined, fact-focused instructional manual written for every level of firearms proficiency.
Sajnog’s core philosophy is that traditional range training often forces cookie-cutter methods that don’t actually adapt to individual human mechanics, and worse, they don’t hold up under real-world stress. The book strips away the bad habits most of us learned early on and breaks down combat marksmanship into what he calls the “SEAL 7” steps.
He covers everything from:
- Finding the right physical positions that maximize your unique anatomy.
- Master tricks for expanding your sight refinement and sight picture.
- The “Navy SEAL Focus” technique to rapidly boost accuracy.
- A heavy emphasis on safe, free, at-home dry-fire training and muscle memory (myelination) rather than wasting thousands of dollars at the range.
The book also includes direct links to exclusive instructional videos so you can actually watch him demonstrate the techniques.
My Personal Takeaways
For me, this book was a good combination of a refresher of the basics, and a completely new way of thinking about how to execute those basics. It forces you to pause and re-examine habits you might take for granted, like your grip, stance, or the way you track targets. It’s written in a clear, easy-to-comprehend style that makes complex neural mechanics and physical adjustments highly accessible.
I found it a genuinely nice, engaging read, and I saved a lot of highlights for future review. It’s the kind of guide you’ll want to flip back through right before you practice or head out to train.
The Verdict
For anyone interested in improving their marksmanship—whether for sport, professional law enforcement training, or home defense—this is a good read. Highly recommended.
Check out the book on Amazon here: How to Shoot Like a Navy SEAL by Chris Sajnog
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