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Thread: What is the most important training you've received?

  1. #1
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    What is the most important training you've received?

    What is the most important [defensive/related] training you have received? A particular course, part of a course, a specific subject matter spanning several courses, etc. What is that training which you value most, and why?

    For me, it was situational awareness (SA). Learning about SA laid the foundation for pretty much every other aspect of defensive training I've taken since. Standard military training laid the foundation, and then through several specialty courses--mil, LE, and private sector--honed it into something that is useable and quite beneficial in everyday life.

    ...so, what is that one course, subject, etc. that you would recommend above and before all else for someone else to take?
    "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke

    "It is better to be thought a fool and to remain silent, than to speak and remove all doubt." -Abraham Lincoln

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    Quote Originally Posted by echo5whiskey View Post
    ...so, what is that one course, subject, etc. that you would recommend above and before all else for someone else to take?
    I don't evaluate course so much on what they taught me, so much as what they inspire me to learn, if that makes sense.

    I've posted before that I think one of the best ways to develop situational awareness is to practice commentary driving and apply it to everyday life. I've never had a dedicated course on commentary driving, but based on a snippet presented by the guy who was training us on the use of our new driving simulators, I dived pretty deep into the subject, pretty much teaching myself.

    Likewise, Ken Murray's reality-based training course, which mirrors his book Training at the Speed of Life, prompted me to dig further into how the mind works under survival stress and techniques to get the most bang for the buck out of RBT.

    In terms of firearms training, years ago I attended a shotgun instructor course at the S&W Academy. Those guys had learned shotgunning from John Satterwhite, and either he, or they, had adapted the techniques to shooting folks, rather than clay birds. That is probably the single most beneficial firearms class I have taken, because it challenged me to change fundamentals I had already developed, into much better fundamentals.

    I would imagine if you had taken the same firearms courses I have taken you would more than likely pick a different one from the list based on your interests, etc.

    I do think most everyone would benefit from taking a course at the Rogers Shooting School, and reading Gavin DeBecker's The Gift of Fear.
    Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the President... - Theodore Roosevelt, Lincoln and Free Speech, Metropolitan Magazine, Volume 47, Number 6, May 1918.

    Every Communist must grasp the truth. Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. Our principle is that the Party commands the gun, and the gun must never be allowed to command the Party Mao Zedong, 6 November, 1938 - speech to the Communist Patry of China's sixth Central Committee

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    My most valuable training experience, personal and professional, was the 2-week Problem Based Learning course from the Police Society for Problem Based Learning (https://pspbl.org/). The course and the mentoring that has followed since permanently changed almost every aspect of the way I think, learn, and teach. It also permanently ruined many if not most other traditional training and education products. It is the hardest I have ever worked in a course, physically and mentally, and school usually comes pretty easy for me. With its methods, I get more out of training I attend, I can self educate, I teach better, and I do better for people I'm responsible for. The PBL concept might be described elsewhere as or associated with Student-Centered Learning, Individualized Learning, others. Later, I attended the emotional intelligence course from the same organization built around the same method. I credit both of these courses with a number of specific and general successes. I also credit them with preventing me from running off of a couple of cliffs.

    PBL, EI/EQ, mindfulness, etc is often dismissed as new-agey nonsense. I vehemently disagree, and others are coming around and bringing what was previously educational nerdery to the mainstream.

    Gun stuff, medical stuff, technical proficiencies on the job...all child's play when you learn how to learn and think better.
    2012 National Zumba Endurance Champion
    الدهون القاع الفتيات لك جعل العالم هزاز جولة الذهاب

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    I don't think there is any such thing as a "one-and-done" firearms training course. I think it's both the totality of your training regimen and the commitment you make toward learning from them. I've taken many firearms courses over the years, including multiple handgun, carbine, and shotgun self-defense courses, as well as bi-monthly tactical training as part of the SO's Tac Team for 15 years. No one training course stands out as being some kind of "aha!" experience. I can think of a few courses that sucked, but even those had some important learning experiences and weren't a waste of my time.

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    Scenario-based force-on-force training for a multitude of reasons. Some people are polite and will comply, some people will fight and make you use deadly force. Some murderers will be ultra-respectful and some retail theft suspects will fight like the 3rd monkey trying to get on Noah's Ark.

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    Quote Originally Posted by TheTick View Post
    Scenario-based force-on-force training for a multitude of reasons. Some people are polite and will comply, some people will fight and make you use deadly force. Some murderers will be ultra-respectful and some retail theft suspects will fight like the 3rd monkey trying to get on Noah's Ark.
    I can agree with that. I wish FOF was more emphasized for non-MIL/LE.

    Quote Originally Posted by Hmac View Post
    I don't think there is any such thing as a "one-and-done" firearms training course. I think it's both the totality of your training regimen and the commitment you make toward learning from them. I've taken many firearms courses over the years, including multiple handgun, carbine, and shotgun self-defense courses, as well as bi-monthly tactical training as part of the SO's Tac Team for 15 years. No one training course stands out as being some kind of "aha!" experience. I can think of a few courses that sucked, but even those had some important learning experiences and weren't a waste of my time.
    Fair enough. I can agree with that; but, as ST911 mentioned, is there anything that has influenced all the rest of your training? Of course, I don't think there is "the one" course that fits everything you need to know inside; but, as per my OP, situational awareness training has influenced how I look at, and perceive other courses.

    Quote Originally Posted by ST911 View Post
    My most valuable training experience, personal and professional, was the 2-week Problem Based Learning course from the Police Society for Problem Based Learning (https://pspbl.org/). The course and the mentoring that has followed since permanently changed almost every aspect of the way I think, learn, and teach. It also permanently ruined many if not most other traditional training and education products. It is the hardest I have ever worked in a course, physically and mentally, and school usually comes pretty easy for me. With its methods, I get more out of training I attend, I can self educate, I teach better, and I do better for people I'm responsible for. The PBL concept might be described elsewhere as or associated with Student-Centered Learning, Individualized Learning, others. Later, I attended the emotional intelligence course from the same organization built around the same method. I credit both of these courses with a number of specific and general successes. I also credit them with preventing me from running off of a couple of cliffs.

    PBL, EI/EQ, mindfulness, etc is often dismissed as new-agey nonsense. I vehemently disagree, and others are coming around and bringing what was previously educational nerdery to the mainstream.

    Gun stuff, medical stuff, technical proficiencies on the job...all child's play when you learn how to learn and think better.
    Interesting. I've never really looked into that. Guess I've got some reading to do.

    Quote Originally Posted by 26 Inf View Post
    I don't evaluate course so much on what they taught me, so much as what they inspire me to learn, if that makes sense.

    I've posted before that I think one of the best ways to develop situational awareness is to practice commentary driving and apply it to everyday life. I've never had a dedicated course on commentary driving, but based on a snippet presented by the guy who was training us on the use of our new driving simulators, I dived pretty deep into the subject, pretty much teaching myself.

    Likewise, Ken Murray's reality-based training course, which mirrors his book Training at the Speed of Life, prompted me to dig further into how the mind works under survival stress and techniques to get the most bang for the buck out of RBT.

    In terms of firearms training, years ago I attended a shotgun instructor course at the S&W Academy. Those guys had learned shotgunning from John Satterwhite, and either he, or they, had adapted the techniques to shooting folks, rather than clay birds. That is probably the single most beneficial firearms class I have taken, because it challenged me to change fundamentals I had already developed, into much better fundamentals.

    I would imagine if you had taken the same firearms courses I have taken you would more than likely pick a different one from the list based on your interests, etc.

    I do think most everyone would benefit from taking a course at the Rogers Shooting School, and reading Gavin DeBecker's The Gift of Fear.
    That absolutely makes sense. That's kind of what I was getting at with my OP. I remember reading that post quite a while ago, but I never followed through and read up on commentary driving. I'm a HUGE fan of RBT. I guess there's another book to read.
    "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke

    "It is better to be thought a fool and to remain silent, than to speak and remove all doubt." -Abraham Lincoln

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    Quote Originally Posted by echo5whiskey View Post
    Fair enough. I can agree with that; but, as ST911 mentioned, is there anything that has influenced all the rest of your training? Of course, I don't think there is "the one" course that fits everything you need to know inside; but, as per my OP, situational awareness training has influenced how I look at, and perceive other courses.
    Two things drive my training course selection these days in my post-SWAT life...

    • My simple rural lifestyle and the extraordinarily unlikely circumstance that I would ever need a firearm to defend my life
    • The fact that I enjoy firearms, have a several tactical rifles and pistols, and it pleases me to be competent with them even though I don’t need to be. Everyone needs a hobby, and I hate golf.

    The courses I take these days are those that are interesting or fun. I have no illusions regarding their utility in my daily life.

    YMMV depending on your lifestyle and where you live.


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    Last edited by Hmac; 11-23-19 at 18:56.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hmac View Post
    Two things drive my training course selection these days in my post-SWAT life...

    • My simple rural lifestyle and the extraordinarily unlikely circumstance that I would ever need a firearm to defend my life
    • The fact that I enjoy firearms, have a several tactical rifles and pistols, and it pleases me to be competent with them even though I don’t need to be. Everyone needs a hobby, and I hate golf.

    The courses I take these days are those that are interesting or fun. I have no illusions regarding their utility in my daily life.

    YMMV depending on your lifestyle and where you live.


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    Understood, and that makes sense. I live in a small city with big city problems, and I'm still an active LEO; so I completely get where you're coming from. Different needs require different solutions.
    "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke

    "It is better to be thought a fool and to remain silent, than to speak and remove all doubt." -Abraham Lincoln

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    If I had to point to a single training class I would say it was Larry Vicker's basic handgun class. Why? Larry is a superb instructor. He has his syllabus down to a science. And...he helped me overcome my deficiency with the Glock's trigger and instilled in me lifetime/lifelong skills I can continue to practice. I've since taken at least half-a dozen classes with Vickers and they have all been superb. The first one was the real eye-opener/light bulb moments for me. The trigger issues and his discussion of "trust the wobble" on sight picture were key for me and you can not recreate these things "virtually" via YouTube videos.

  10. #10
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    My Advanced Electrocardiography class back in 1982, when I was studying to become a Flight Paramedic.

    I probably saved more lives with what I learned, then any other training I have received before or since.

    The gun stuff is nice. But learning how to deal with hydraulic fluid problems - that is a handy thing to know.

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