The Missing Piece in Firearms Training | Why Strength & Stability Matter | Joal Miller | Ep. 135

“It's not about doing thousands of reps—it's about doing quality reps. The moment your form starts breaking down, that’s when injuries happen.” - Joal Miller

📢 What You’ll Learn:
✅ How to prevent injuries from repetitive shooting motions
✅ The best exercises for strength & stability training
✅ Why posture & core strength are critical for accuracy 🎯
✅ How to manage shoulder, elbow, & wrist pain 🏥
✅ Heat vs. Ice: When to use each for recovery ❄️🔥
✅ Why fitness matters in real-life self-defense 🚨🏃‍♂️

In this insightful episode of Defenders LIVE, host Lora Thorson welcomes Joal Miller, an experienced physical therapist and athlete, to discuss the critical connection between physical fitness and shooting performance.

If you're a firearms enthusiast, competitive shooter, or a defender of life, this episode is packed with actionable insights on injury prevention, strength training, and movement optimization for repetitive motions like drawing and shooting.

Joal shares practical exercises, injury prevention strategies, and the importance of load management to help shooters stay strong, avoid injuries, and shoot more effectively.

Notable Quotes:

“You don’t shoot a gun with your arms and hands—you shoot with your whole body. If your core and stabilizers aren’t strong, your accuracy and endurance will suffer.”

“Shooters tend to overuse certain muscles while neglecting others, which creates imbalances. If you're not strengthening the right areas, that imbalance will eventually lead to injury.”

“Your body was designed to move. The longer you sit still, the worse your posture, joints, and muscles get. Just get up and move—it makes a world of difference.”

“In a real-life self-defense situation, your ability to move—whether running, pivoting, or bracing—could save your life. Strength and fitness aren't just about shooting better; they’re about surviving.”

📢 Resources & Links
🔗 Joal Miller’s Physical Therapy Business: https://www.santanpt.com

📹 Exercise Demo Videos from Joal:

Bird Dog: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JOxdRSzo6l8
Pallof Kneeling: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eF9WphAke6U
Elbow on Knee: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FJE5VWih29c