"...for those of you who have not yet taken the plunge into training courses, or still worry about attending them, here is a list of do's and don'ts that will make your training course better..."
September-October was a whirlwind of activity for us. We had a contract to teach in Louisiana and, since we were already on the road, we decided it would be a good opportunity for us to take some training too.
Despite previous training, I was rather apprehensive preparing for our upcoming courses....
Despite previous training, I was rather apprehensive preparing for our upcoming courses....
... It is one thing to shoot drills at the range, practice clearing the house, and study protocol and procedure for close protection when you are at home. It seems a whole 'nother ball game to take that leap to attend a course.
I know I am not the only one who has had hesitations on taking a course for fear they won't "measure up". So, for those of you who have not yet taken the plunge into training courses, or those who still worry about attending them, here is a list of do's and don'ts that will make your training course better.
1. Don't bring your ego
This one seems a no-brainer, yet it is the most commonly ignored rule for good training. Rather than refusing to ask a "stupid question", ask away. There is never harm in reaffirming in your mind what you already know and practice. There is potential harm in missing or misunderstanding a key point because you didn't want to be "that guy" and look stupid by asking a question.
1B. Don't overstate your experience
This is related to Don't #1. Don't overstate your experience or résumé at the entry of a class to gain respect or show off. I guarantee that you will make a fool, or an ass, out of yourself. I like to under promise and over deliver. It is a whole lot nicer for the instructor if you perform better than expected rather than worse. It is easier on you if you increase your standing in your instructors mind rather than have it decrease.
2. Do bring an open mind
This is one that I struggle with. Don't walk into class prepared to show the teacher why your method works as good or better than theirs. If you are a karate guy and your close protection course instructor teaches you systema moves, learn the systema moves rather than touting how much better your karate moves would work in this situation. Learn what the instructors have to offer you, then modify it to what you like and what works for you when you get home. You're paying to learn from them, not show them what you know.
3. Don't get competitive
Competition can help to improve your performance, but competition has little to no place in my mind while mastering a new technique. I LOVE competing against the clock, or against another person, but accuracy is more important than speed. Once you understand a technique and can consistently perform it with no major glitches, then is the time to challenge yourself by adding a competitive edge or increasing your speed.
4. Don't be afraid to fail
Many instructors talk about pushing to the point of failure. The reasoning is that every time you push to your speed and accuracy failure point and challenge it, you move that failure point back. We see this in working out, the harder you push yourself today increases what you are capable of in the future.
"The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war." This quote is attributed to Gen. Patton. I find it to be the most motivating quote I have ever heard. It challenges me every day to push myself harder today than yesterday, so I can be better now than I was before. Don't be afraid to push your limits. Risk failure, challenge failure. It will make you better.
5. Don't take yourself too seriously
This could also be labeled "do bring your positive attitude". When introducing new concepts and techniques you will struggle to grasp some. Everyone struggles with something. When you run into that something you have a hard time with, don't get frustrated and quit, Keep trying. The worst thing I run into, as an instructor, is someone who just shuts down and calls them-self a loser for the rest of the day because they didn't master one technique right away. I understand the desire to perform perfectly every time. I also can appreciate challenging yourself to be the best, but when you struggle, and you will, don't mope about it. Dig deeper, slow down and focus until you get it right.
Take time to "enjoy the prosperity" when you get it right too. Savor your moments of victory, don't just dwell on the moments of toil or move on to your next challenge without recognizing your accomplishments.
6. Be honest with yourself
This is a two-fold point. First, be honest with yourself about your mistakes. Instructors give us pointers to help us out, that's why we pay them. So when an instructor says "hey, knock that off." Don't justify what you are doing or make excuses to yourself for what you did. Be honest with yourself and recognize that you didn't do something right. Recognize the things you struggle with so that you can work on them. Be completely honest about how you are doing in comparison to how you want to be doing. This will help you develop a game plan to build your skill level and get you to where you want to be.
Second, be honest about what you did right. Write an evaluation of your skills at the end of your course or at the end of each training day, focus on what you did right. It is easy to get in a rut of no self confidence, this decreases our desire to train and therefore decreases our skill level. I have found that just by recognizing one improvement from my last training day, or one good thing in general, I increase my desire to keep training and at the end of the day I feel positive about training.
There you have it, a partial guide to preparing mentally for a training course. If you have any questions or comments I'd love to hear from you. You can post them below, or send me an email at courtney@diamondbackcombatives.com.
Also, if you have any questions or topics you would like to see me "blog" about, let me know, I'm always open to new writing subjects.
C. Bertin
"The more you sweat in peace the less you bleed in war"
I know I am not the only one who has had hesitations on taking a course for fear they won't "measure up". So, for those of you who have not yet taken the plunge into training courses, or those who still worry about attending them, here is a list of do's and don'ts that will make your training course better.
1. Don't bring your ego
This one seems a no-brainer, yet it is the most commonly ignored rule for good training. Rather than refusing to ask a "stupid question", ask away. There is never harm in reaffirming in your mind what you already know and practice. There is potential harm in missing or misunderstanding a key point because you didn't want to be "that guy" and look stupid by asking a question.
1B. Don't overstate your experience
This is related to Don't #1. Don't overstate your experience or résumé at the entry of a class to gain respect or show off. I guarantee that you will make a fool, or an ass, out of yourself. I like to under promise and over deliver. It is a whole lot nicer for the instructor if you perform better than expected rather than worse. It is easier on you if you increase your standing in your instructors mind rather than have it decrease.
2. Do bring an open mind
This is one that I struggle with. Don't walk into class prepared to show the teacher why your method works as good or better than theirs. If you are a karate guy and your close protection course instructor teaches you systema moves, learn the systema moves rather than touting how much better your karate moves would work in this situation. Learn what the instructors have to offer you, then modify it to what you like and what works for you when you get home. You're paying to learn from them, not show them what you know.
3. Don't get competitive
Competition can help to improve your performance, but competition has little to no place in my mind while mastering a new technique. I LOVE competing against the clock, or against another person, but accuracy is more important than speed. Once you understand a technique and can consistently perform it with no major glitches, then is the time to challenge yourself by adding a competitive edge or increasing your speed.
4. Don't be afraid to fail
Many instructors talk about pushing to the point of failure. The reasoning is that every time you push to your speed and accuracy failure point and challenge it, you move that failure point back. We see this in working out, the harder you push yourself today increases what you are capable of in the future.
"The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war." This quote is attributed to Gen. Patton. I find it to be the most motivating quote I have ever heard. It challenges me every day to push myself harder today than yesterday, so I can be better now than I was before. Don't be afraid to push your limits. Risk failure, challenge failure. It will make you better.
5. Don't take yourself too seriously
This could also be labeled "do bring your positive attitude". When introducing new concepts and techniques you will struggle to grasp some. Everyone struggles with something. When you run into that something you have a hard time with, don't get frustrated and quit, Keep trying. The worst thing I run into, as an instructor, is someone who just shuts down and calls them-self a loser for the rest of the day because they didn't master one technique right away. I understand the desire to perform perfectly every time. I also can appreciate challenging yourself to be the best, but when you struggle, and you will, don't mope about it. Dig deeper, slow down and focus until you get it right.
Take time to "enjoy the prosperity" when you get it right too. Savor your moments of victory, don't just dwell on the moments of toil or move on to your next challenge without recognizing your accomplishments.
6. Be honest with yourself
This is a two-fold point. First, be honest with yourself about your mistakes. Instructors give us pointers to help us out, that's why we pay them. So when an instructor says "hey, knock that off." Don't justify what you are doing or make excuses to yourself for what you did. Be honest with yourself and recognize that you didn't do something right. Recognize the things you struggle with so that you can work on them. Be completely honest about how you are doing in comparison to how you want to be doing. This will help you develop a game plan to build your skill level and get you to where you want to be.
Second, be honest about what you did right. Write an evaluation of your skills at the end of your course or at the end of each training day, focus on what you did right. It is easy to get in a rut of no self confidence, this decreases our desire to train and therefore decreases our skill level. I have found that just by recognizing one improvement from my last training day, or one good thing in general, I increase my desire to keep training and at the end of the day I feel positive about training.
There you have it, a partial guide to preparing mentally for a training course. If you have any questions or comments I'd love to hear from you. You can post them below, or send me an email at courtney@diamondbackcombatives.com.
Also, if you have any questions or topics you would like to see me "blog" about, let me know, I'm always open to new writing subjects.
C. Bertin
"The more you sweat in peace the less you bleed in war"
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