Are You Effectively Training?

I am ending a great week of writing training material to train within an organization and to put in my next book.  I also was able to take a group out and do some live fire tactical training.  When I can train or assist someone in developing a variety of skills to better communicate, defend themselves both physically and with a firearm, it just makes my week. 

Every week a good friend of mine, Carl Chinn, writes a blog for his website called “Think About It”.  If you have not read it, I would encourage you to read it each week and to check out the other information that is on his website at www.carlchinn.com.  This last week he touched on a subject that is a bit of an irritant to me and that was the subject of open carry.  I agree with him in that when I see someone who is open carrying I look at them as a target for a bad guy to give me more time to respond appropriately. 

---

You might be wondering where I am going with this?  Some of my friends who see an open carry individual will try to get a picture of it and then discuss what we see as far as the equipment that they are using.  This can often tell a lot about the ability of the person who is carrying and how much they train with their equipment.  This is why I love to take people out to train in a live fire activity.  It is very eye opening for many and they have a better idea of how their equipment is really going to work and what they need to do to fix either faulty equipment, faulty tactics, or poor skills.  There is only so much that can be done in a dry fire training environment.  It isn’t until they are put through some challenges in a live fire exercise that they realize I was right in sending them home with exercises they can do to develop the necessary fine motor skills.  I just got a new holster this last week that has a retention component to it.  In order for me to get ready for training others, I would repeatedly draw my unloaded gun to practice the new motor skills necessary to draw from this new holster as I worked around my office.  We all need practice.

So, let’s get back to the original question of are you effectively training?  In order to answer this, honestly ask yourself:  Are you practicing the vital communication skills necessary to de-escalate a situation?  Are you keeping in shape and practicing the defensive tactics necessary to defend yourself?  And on the unlikely odds that you will have to draw your weapon, are you prepared to do so both mentally and physically?  Or are you one of those people who mistakenly believe that you will know what to do when the time comes? 

I love the quote that I get to hear regularly as I travel with Lt. Col. Dave Grossman.  “You don’t rise to the occasion; you sink to the level of your training.”  That in itself is motivation for me to continue to train to keep honing my own skills.  This should also be motivation for you to want to gain the necessary skills or to improve on the ones that you have.  If you find that you need some help in developing the necessary skills to both serve your ministry and to be better equipped to protect the sheep around you, please contact us for additional church security and training opportunities.