On Training. A few Thoughts on how we train in this day and age

On Training. A few Thoughts on how we train in this day and age

I imagine if we are to be totally honest, training today has taken a turn to the ridiculous.  We have so many techniques out there swearing they are the only way to world dominance and self-preservation that it has become a virtual circus. 

 

Now don’t get me wrong this is not an instructor/technique bashing session but rather a cursory look into the methods/techniques bells and whistles that have been noticed in my studies. 

As instructors, we should always be with our heads down studying, talking to police, lawyers, mil etc as part of our personal training time. Asking important questions about what is happening with crime, new trends, old trends returning, the law etc.

 

For those wanting to instruct, they themselves should be attending classes as a student, from this one learns new techniques as well as new ideas on how to impart knowledge and from personal experience in attending a class, what not to do. I for one do not trust an instructor who claims they are the only way and never trains with other instructors. Another very important side to an instructor is the ability to openly answer questions from clients attending their classes. Being afraid to say you don’t know a client should be avoided, but rather, say “Great question, I’m not sure but let's work it out now “, or when we have some time.

 

There are rigid-range nazi firearm practitioners who get very arrogant and offensive when heaven forbid one brings up another technique even in general discussion that might challenge their self-imposed greatness. I’ve seen instructors run clients, who certainly do not have a solid base in the fundamentals, through advanced courses of fire, just so they can fill a position in a class and earn money. I have heard of an instructor who proudly says that they have been teaching the same curriculum since 1997. These people should be avoided.

 

Now on this note, one must also be very careful on what courses to attend. Just because a class is expensive doesn't mean that it is good. An instructor who dances around like a freak at a carnival is to be avoided. Also, one who clearly tells his / her student to finish off the now disarmed non-threat attacker i.e. illegal techniques.

All to often, these instructors teach their students techniques they might have learnt in the military. Let's state it here clearly most military techniques do not work in the civilian concealed carry life. Finishing off a disarmed attacker who now poses no threat to you is execution. You teach that, you belong in jail, period! cause that's where your students are going if they deploy such techniques. If you disagree, go chat with a lawyer.

 

 

An instructor has to earn their qualification and then know how to impart that knowledge to a client. This enables the client to leave the class with a sense of new knowledge that he or she must now train in their own personal training regimen. You can be the most tactical ninja out there, but if you can’t impart that knowledge to a client, you have no right to be teaching others. As instructors, we are not there to make our students feel nice but rather here to teach. We must want the best for our clients and desire for them to reach your current level of expertise. The ego has no place in the training environment. One must always respect your training partner, wanting the best for them, hence they want the best for you. This enables one to get real-time critical feedback to improve on the run and not continuously bash one's head with continuous faults. We must fix our bad techniques

 

Pat McNamara makes a great point when he says we are too focused on outcomes-based education. We are all different and learn in different ways, even in my own family my brother and I are very different. Rather, we should be absorbed in the process of performance at our pace. Not all Green Berets, SWAT officers or Navy Divers are exactly the same. Might share things in common but do things differently.

 

An instructor must never quit in their pursuit of learning; we must always find better ways to do things