Guest Editorial:
Training is not Practice!
Dave Spaulding is a colleague in instruction
and writing. He's widely respected for his clear thinking and great
communications skills. Here he discusses training and practice. There is a
difference -- and both are critical to your success. - Rich Grassi
Practice is
required to reinforce lessons learned in training. The rimfire analog, ammo,
a shot timer and target can be used for demand drills to reinforce trigger
control and follow-through skills.
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Do not let the title fool you...I am a HUGE advocate of
training. Hell, I own and operate a training company and have been a certified
firearms instructor since 1983. I have trained, literally, tens of thousands of
people (mostly cops at the basic, in-service and advanced levels) and have been
contacted by 127 former students who have been involved in armed conflict, 12
of which were on video. I have been a life-long student of the "art"
of armed conflict, having interviewed over 300 people over the last three
decades (Go to the HANDGUNS Magazine web site and perform a search for
"What Really Happens in a Gunfight") who have been in armed conflict,
thus, I understand the importance of quality training, but it is important to keep in mind training is not practice! Practice is a component of training that many folks
seem to neglect.
During one of my recent courses, I had a private conversation with a student
who felt compelled to tell me about all of the classes and instructors he had
attended in the last year. While these people can be quite trying I have to admit
I was impressed as the list was vast. As I began to inquire about what he was
able to learn, practice and therefore anchor into his skills sets, it became
quite apparent he had anchored nothing. As a matter of fact, his performance
during live-fire training was actually lackluster. He seemed confused as to
which skills went with which school/instructor and ended up being an absolute
mess. What became readily apparent was he was certainly a student of weaponcraft, but he was not a practitioner as he had done nothing
to select particular skills learned and anchor them into a useful set of tools
to draw upon when needed. All he had done was collect a lot of information with
which he had done nothing.
Please understand I think the best way to build a proper skill set is to attend
a variety of instructors to see what will work best for you. Following the same
instructor does little to add diversity to skills and let's face it; no one
knows what they don't know. Training should be a journey of discovery. If all you do is follow the same person around, you are not a
student of personal security; you are a fan boy (or girl) or what rock bands
used to call groupies. While I go out of my way to maintain a low profile on
the training circuit, not being controversial or confrontational, I cannot help
but notice a sizeable amount of firearms training has become "flash and
panache" marketing with much of it directed at "kill them all, let
God sort it out" battlefield mayhem that is not appropriate for American
citizens. The military mentality, which is certainly appropriate for the
battlefield, will have difficulty standing up to our system of jurisprudence
where what we do must be "reasonable "under the circumstances at
hand. 100 yard pistol shots down the center aisle of the discount store or
lumber yard, even if "your family is down there" will be really tough
to justify if the wrong person is hit -- like maybe a small child . . . if it
is your family, maybe YOUR child. If you or your instructor cannot take the
stand and justify a tactic or technique as reasonable, then don't do it. Be
very selective of those tactics and techniques you do decide to anchor.
Adult learning theory is well established and trained instructors understand
the process. A skill must be explained, demonstrated and then practiced with a
solid instructor/teacher correcting same as the student performs it. This is
why I seek simplicity in my tactics and techniques. After all, simple is easier
to teach, but it is also easier to learn, master and anchor into one's skill
sets with limited time and ammunition. History has also shown that simple is
the best way to fight when pandemonium is going on all around you as you fight
to save your own life. I disagree with some of my fellow trainers in that it is
impossible to "dumb down" training . . . simplicity is the key to a
high level of performance when the bullets are in-bound.
During a two or three day course of instruction there will never be enough time
or repetition to truly anchor the skill into one's skill sets, so regular,
realistic, organized practice is essential. What am I referring to when I say
"anchor"? I am talking about being able to call upon the NEEDED skill
in a split second and use it without conscious thought to save your life or the
life of a loved one or friend . . . what some trainers call unconscious competence. It is a tall order and can only be achieved
through practice and let's face it, training school alone is NOT practice. By
all means, seek out training opportunities but understand that once the
training is over, you must leave with a solid understanding of what was taught,
learned and take it back and practice it until it becomes second nature.
"Right now someone is training so when they meet you, they beat you! Train
hard (Note: which includes MUCH practice) and stay on guard!"- Dennis
Martin
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