Several months ago, I wrote this article for the Breach, Bang, Clear guys as a guest blogger..... I'm reprinting it here as a reminder to myself and suggestion to everyone else as to the way we should approach training (and just about anything else). Critical Thinking and Objectivity are vital to successfully moving forward and improving!

Also, the Best Defense Forum is now up and running to discuss these articles, episodes of the show or related topics with Bane, Janich and I as well as all of the DRTV Members.

Happy New Year.

Respectful Irreverence

When any person, idea, technique, school, piece of gear, team or tactic is put on a pedestal, we risk stopping progress.

We should all be trying to constantly improve our own ability to achieve our goals as efficiently as possible. In the defensive/tactical world, that means becoming more dangerous to our enemies and better prepared to deal with violent conflicts. If, at any point, we decide that someone or something is beyond being questioned we will limit our ability to improve.

History is full of revered truths and experts that turned out to be wrong. Acknowledging this simple fact should remind us that today’s experts and truths may be just as vulnerable to improvement.

Being open to questioning those who would be experts does not mean disrespecting them. In fact, if we look hard enough, we will probably find that our heroes themselves challenged a previously held belief or expert in order to develop their own conclusions and truths. This process is necessary for progress. I don’t think anyone in the training industry has less than outstanding intentions. As instructors, however, we are all limited by the exposure we have to ideas and our ability to process them. We are limited by the type of students we have worked with, the facilities at which we’ve taught and the systems in which we operate. It has been said that a 3rd year college physics major today knows more about the relationship between matter and energy than Albert Einstein did when he wrote the Theory of Relativity which describes it. In a perfect world, the students will always eventually outshine the instructors. I know that I have learned a lot from students and their feedback. Student questions have forced me to examine my own teachings more closely and sometimes change them for the better. Occasionally, feedback from students (including those who watch instructional DVDs or read articles like this one) can turn an idea on its ear and initiate a whole new approach to a problem or explanation for a solution.

I have spent a lot time over the last few years doing instructor development for civilian, military and law enforcement personnel. I want to take this opportunity to share with the readers of this blog some of the important tenets that I pass on during those courses that I think benefit us as students as well in our approach to training.

Success Breeds Complacency:

We learn from mistakes and improve through failure. Success breeds only complacency and pride. While we love to celebrate our victories, we need to spend much more time analyzing our losses in order to find areas to improve. Training that revolves around ego building and developing a positive mental attitude tends to become a choreographed series of feel-good-drills and simplistic scenarios.
The fact that some technique has been used successfully does not mean that it is unquestionable. History is full of examples of “best ways” that were bested through innovation, experimentation and critical thinking.

Avoid Absolutes:

Never say Never. Skepticism is an important trait in anyone seeking to improve on an existing system. Without a fair dose of skepticism, one is likely to jump on the first bandwagon that passes by. Once on-board, a failure to think critically can lead to figuratively being taken for a ride. One of the first indications of a need for questions is an absolute. If someone says “Always” or “Never”, it is your responsibility to find the exception. By identifying the exception, you will improve the system and be able to better prepare. If the exception doesn’t exist… look again, or be open to accepting it (and adjusting appropriately) if someone else finds it.

Ask (and Answer) the “Why?” Questions:

“Just another tool for your toolbox” is potentially the single most damaging phrase in the training industry. Instructors owe their students more of an explanation for investing time & effort (let alone money) in a technique, tactic or principle than to just offer that it is something that might work for them. Most instructors use this phrase not our of ignorance, they use it to avoid confrontations with Type A students who might want to argue based on previous training, they use it out of their own complacency because it has never been questioned or they might use it because they truly believe that the tactic is simply just another tool. I think the student deserves a detailed explanation as to why the instructor is teaching any given skill or concept. Intellectual Comfort with an idea is vital to efficient learning.

If the answer to the “Why?” question is “...because that’s how [we/the team/some other team/this school/etc] does it!” I really suggest a long & hard deep breath, followed by extreme skepticism throughout the rest of the course. Dogma has no place in this arena. My staff instructors operate under threat of termination if they ever use this type of answer with a student.

An instructor should always teach what they truly believe to be the best option for any given situation and be ready, willing and able to explain why.

Context dictates Curriculum:

Students should be taught things that will work in the context that they are likely to need them. Spouting content blindly without regard for the realities of the student is simply lecturing, not teaching. Picture the guy who stands in front of a power-point and reads it to the class. Unfortunately, this type of “instructor” is far too common and sometimes offers little to the student.

Any course outline needs to be open to adjustment to accommodate the student situations, questions, equipment and abilities. I always say that I know about 95% of what I’m going to teach at the start of any given course, the last 5% comes from student interactions and it is often some very important stuff!

If you follow these four principles as often as possible, and look for instructors who do as well, you should be able to get more out of your training time and effort. Avoiding complacency and absolutes, answering the “Why?” questions and allowing context to influence curriculum whenever you can, may not be easy. It might even bruise some egos... maybe even yours. If the attitudes of those involved are properly aimed at the goal of improving without regard for personal preferences, the irreverency does not have to be disrespectful. We should all be standing on the shoulders of the giants that have come before us in the training industry, which enables us to see farther and reach higher than they did. If we instead kneel at the feet of those giants, be they people, schools or organizations, we will fail to build on what they have established and stagnate. The dictionary defines 'irreverent' as 'lacking in respect', or 'impious'. I prefer the latter definition in this case and believe that it is possible to be respectful of people while still not worshipping any one source of information. In short, the next time you think about your preferred source of tactical wisdom or technical expertise:

Honor the men, challenge the material.

-RJP

Today is the day that marks the end of a HUGE year for me and I.C.E. Training Company. It also marks the public beginning of The Best Defense TV show, which in some ways is the end of the work for those of us who put it together. Even though the rationalist side of me argues that today is just another Wednesday, the reality is that I have spent the last few days reflecting on the year that has passed and thinking about the one that is coming up.
2008 was an incredibly busy year. I.C.E. was a new company in the public eye on this day in 2007. We had just announced the end of "Valhalla Training Center" and no one really knew how the teaching of our programs on the road was going to work out. Just 12 months later, we have about a dozen Regional Representatives in 6 countries and at least 20 active Combat Focus Shooting Instructors teaching around the US and Europe.
During the 4th quarter of 2007, we had just started sending out Combat Focus Shooting DVDs through the NRA under the American Rifleman banner. To date, there have now been over 1.2 Million of those DVDs distributed! As far as we can tell there isn't another defensive firearms training DVD that has even been produced in six figure numbers, let alone seven...
The training DVD series also branched out into non-firearms topics, with lead instructors Mike Janich and Tony Blauer joining up to share their insight. In 2009, we will continue to recruit leaders in specialty areas and produce original content as the series adds at least 12 new titles during the year.
Early in the year, I had the idea to produce a Training Log Book that would allow students to keep a life- or career- long record of their training events in one hardcover journal. That project grew to include contributions in the form of training advice essays from over 30 other instructors including Clint Smith, John Farnam, John Meyer, Ken Murray, Tony Scotti, Tom Givens, Craig Douglas, Marty & Gila Hayes, Mike Janich, Mark Warren, Denny Hansen, Vaughn Baker and a collection of other top names in the industry all of whom are outstanding instructors. I am very proud of that project and having the support and contributions from over 500 combined years in the training industry! The first printing of The Training Log Book actually shipped from the printer yesterday and will be going out to customers next week. I am planning on recruiting another group of world class instructors to assist with Volume II during 2009.
I.C.E. Publishing is also working with other authors to add titles and topics to its offerings next year and I am working with Mike Janich on a book covering the topics we touched on during the first season of The Best Defense.
In 2008, I personally taught in over 35 different places. Combat Focus Shooting courses were conducted over 150 times by various instructors in both the private and public sectors. We even hard a "rock tour" T-shirt created to commemorate the Combat Focus Tour. From Reno to Iowa to Bermuda to Prauge, it was an incredible year of travel and teaching. 2009 looks even busier with even more activity from the Regional Representatives and other CFS Instructors. We will also be adding other courses to the schedule including the return of the Extreme Close Quarters Tactics course for the military and civilian students. If you can't make a full class, you might be able to catch a seminar or short session at one of the many conferences that we are planning to participate in during the new year as well!

In addition to gearing up for Season 2 of The Best Defense, 2009 will see work on at least one new project: S.W.A.T. Magazine TV. This new project, will give viewers a behind the scenes look at military, law enforcement and professional security training and see what applies, or what doesn't, to personal and home defense. You can look forward to other S.W.A.T. staff writers and leaders in training community on this exciting new program! There is also a special Combat Focus Shooting epsidoe of Shooting Gallery scheduled to air in March.

With the expansion of the I.C.E. Regional Representative Program, I will also be able to spend more time on writing responsibilities (including this blog and the Best Defense Forum) and instructor development programs. There are some incredibly talented instructors with incredible experience levels who have chosen to take the time and effort to become certified CFS Instructors. Helping put them together with students around the world is going to become a bigger and bigger part of what I.C.E. Training Company Focuses on.

As 2009 begins, I am really looking forward to it and very proud of what 2008 brought. For another look at the year in review, you can read this article at the I.C.E. Newsletter. Enjoy the day, try to catch the premier of TBD (4, 7:30 and 11pm on Outdoor Channel) and be safe. Meanwhile, tomorrow's Blog will feature my recommendation for a New Year's Resolution (at least in regard to training): a reposting of the Respectful Irreverence article....