jmaccauley

In light of recent training related scams that are being uncovered in this industry, a reprint of a previous article might be in order.

How Do You Spend Your Training Dollars?

By Jerry MacCauley
Sexton Executive Security

Let’s face it, everyone needs to stay current in their career arena. Most, if not all, employers expect their people to be well versed in the latest techniques, laws, technology, etc. and show proof of this education. To that end, a great deal of money is spent on training and certification. By the way, certification is merely evidence that you attended the class and maybe passed a test. Your proficiency cannot be guaranteed after the class ends.
Training does not always involve the investment of cash, but there is always the investment of time and energy. Amazingly enough, just showing up at a briefing will transfer a certain amount of knowledge to the attendee. For the sake of this blog, I will divide training into three types (although there may be others that I have not thought of). These are lectures, workshops and seminars.
Lectures
These are the most common and, in my opinion, the probably the least likely to leave a lasting impression on the audience. We have all attended these types of training classes. The lecturer/instructor has a podium full of notes or, god forbid, a power point presentation. Even the most dynamic speaker can only hold your attention for a limited amount of time. It has been said that you will forget 60% of what you heard within a few days, or sooner. Within a month, you can expect to forget half of whats left. Even having good notes doesn’t help you recall the important points that the instructor wanted to pass along. It is just too “one dimensional.” In order for an adult to learn, experts insist that they must first see a need for the information then actively participate in the educational experience, known as experiential learning.
Workshops
These are usually multi-media events and a balanced combination of lecture, hands on training and, an opportunity to demonstrate a new skill. The best part of workshops is the ability to interact directly with the course provider while absorbing the information. Questions can be brought up and addressed immediately. This has been proven to keep the student engaged and subsequently have a longer lasting impression than merely listening to a lecture. When the workshop allows sufficient time to practice a new skill, the foundation is laid for future reference. This makes recall easier and a quick review of notes will help place these skills into longer term memory.
Seminars
Seminars usually involve several different topics being addressed in various formats. Short lectures, hands on workshops and instruction as well as time to practice, are the hallmarks of a good seminar.
There is a common myth that states a new physical skill set needs hundreds, or even thousands, of repetitions in order to develop “muscle memory.” I call it a myth, because I don’t believe that muscles actually “remember” what to do on their own. Of course I believe that their is a mind/body connection. I also understand that muscles can be conditioned to bend, stretch, flex, etc. in order to perform a certain way. What I mean is that the brain has to learn how to send the appropriate commands to the nerves, which signal the muscles to move.
Without crossing into physiological areas that I am totally unqualified to explore, I will say that I have seen how muscle memory can be derailed. Think about what happens to the unfortunate criminal (or student) who finds themselves on the business end of a TASER. The most well coordinated athlete cannot make their muscles obey their commands. The memory didn’t fade but the ability to respond to the mental command was severed.
I am a strong proponent of learning by watching, doing, then teaching.
Surgeons often learn new techniques by these simple training prinicples. It is referred to as: See one, Do one , Teach one. Short, sweet and to the point. No mental overload.
The beauty of this is that it covers all of the adult learning principles in a fraction of the time of a lecture, a workshop or high repetitions.
When you find yourself in need of refresher training, certification or just plain desire to learn something new, consider a training program that employs multiple methods of instruction delivery. Do not base your choice strictly on hours or the reputation of the instructor. Training dollars are scarce these days. Getting the most “bang” for your buck should guide your choices. Unless it’s a mandatory refresher class that requires a set number of hours, you probably will get more out of some type of experiential based training. Get your hands dirty and pass your knowledge on to someone else. Your new skills will last longer if you do.

Stay informed, stay current and stay safe!

Jerry

hippy

Very good post and couldn't agree more with statement about 'lectures'.... Lucky if I can remeber the speakers name by the end, let alone anything important!

however, regarding 'muscle memory'... It is more a term used to explain the repetitions needed for a reaction/action to become a 'gross motor skill' rather than a 'fine motor skill'...

Agreed it isn't the best termanology for it, but its the one in use.. Not sure who coined it first... I think it may have been Kaufman

jmaccauley

Thank you Hippy. I guess my point of contention with these hypothetical terms is that they take on a life of their own over time. A good example is a firearms training drill that many of us are familiar with. It was originally called the Tueller Drill, named after a police trainer named Dennis Tueller. The drill was designed to see how much distance an assaillant could cover in the time it took the "average" police officer to draw and fire his weapon. It was a good drill and the common conclussion was that it was about 21 feet, depending on the readiness of the officer to start the drill upon a pre-determined "go" signal. It may take longer for an unprepared officer to react, but this was more of an awareness exercise than a practical one.

This evolved into the 21 foot rule, which unfortunately has become SOP in many agencies in the use of force restrictions. The unrealistic thought being that beyond that distance, a knife or club weilding assaillant is not a threat.

Back to my point, however, is the idea that muscle memory will allow you to perform a mechanical movement without thought. The holy grail of martial arts training. Instinctive and reflexive movements. Of course we can develop our reflexes and instincts. There are many things that we already do to protect ourselves without consciously thinking about it (blinking for instance). My concern is when a repetitious drill becomes a case of "when he does this, you do this." That can be disasterous if he doesn't attack you correctly, as the old Jim Carrey routine illustrates.

At any rate, this should generate some good exchanges.

Jerry

hippy

I agree jerry.. The 21 ft rule is a very good example of good investigative research being misrepresented... And that Jim Carrey clip is an excelent example...

I actualy use it in all my 1st lessons, no matter what the base skill level of the class...

And that exact "you did't atack me right" phrase is why I became involved in the SPEAR system... Using its 'instinctive reaction' as a 'bridge' to your normal style removes that element oft found in 'traditional' combat styles of ritualised training

ASE

Definition of a Lecturer:

"Someone who talks in your sleep".... lol

VICTORMACE

In Judo its said that you have to do and throw about 3000 times before it even starts to become instinctive. A weird thing happened when I was working this weekend, a mate of mine grabbed me by the wrist out of the blue and I hit him with my elbow across his chin quite hard but it was a total instinctive movement launched before I was even able to establish what was going on.

jmaccauley

The response that you have conditioned yourself to is reflexive. There are some things that I automatically do when someone grabs me from behind. I do it so sub consciously that friends are conditioned to protect their crotch when they approach me. The danger there is that I'm not doing the move thats always best for that situation. I'm doing the move that I've conditioned myself for. Like most things, if it works you're a genius. If it doesn't you get hurt. There should to be a balance.

The judo technique is a great example of a conditioned response. Even though you performed it thousands of times physically, you've created the scenario thousands of times mentally. Thats why I say that muscle memory alone is misleading.

O.K., I'm nit picking. Thats what us trainers do and why we get the big bucks. It's also why we are in such big demand as subject matter experts and can pretty much retire comfortably on our wealth of knowledge, as opposed to financial wealth.

Jerry.

mts

Look, assess, react. Muscle memory helps the react to happen as an automated movement but in no way replaces look and assess. Muscle memory is what makes the difference between winning and losing in the "fight". Anyone who has been in a real situation that their training got them through can attest to that.

People that react without these initial phases and are hurting friends should reflect if they really thought they were in danger, were wired a tad too tight or simply would like to put on the show of the wired tight, always ready security guy. Not a poke at anyone friends, I've been wired way to tight too and can relate, but in retrospect can also see just how tight i was wired and how totally useless it was/is.

It is normal to be wired tight for some time, but one must know how to move past that and this should come with maturity in the field (again, not to be understood as a poke). Keep in mind if you're wired this tight in a friendly env/sit, what wil it be like when the real crisis happens?

Stay safe all

m

jmaccauley

If you think the lecturer will keep you up nights, imagine the day that the powerpoint breaks down and the lecturer begins doing shadow puppets for your amusement! You'll wake up screaming!

Jerry

M4MED

Well put MTS. That's exactly how it should be. The key is reducing the time it takes to get 'eyes on', assess if it is a threat and then react.
If everytime there was a bang in the street and we didn't get eyes on and assess, we'd all be drawing weapons in the middle of the street, creating chaos, embarassing the client and maybe end up getting shot by other agencies.