Jason Fried: Give It Five Minutes

Jason Fried with some sound advice about snapping to judgments:

A few years ago I used to be a hothead. Whenever anyone said anything, I’d think of a way to disagree. I’d push back hard if something didn’t fit my world-view.

It’s like I had to be first with an opinion – as if being first meant something. But what it really meant was that I wasn’t thinking hard enough about the problem…

Continue reading at Signal v Noise

Related quote: “I learned long ago that asking someone what they meant before I reacted saved me all kinds of conflict. You might want to look into that strategy.” —Marc MacYoung

Melody Lauer: Discussion on Repeating Classes

Melody Lauer of Central Iowa Defensive Training asked an interesting question on FB:

Something I think is under-rated in this industry is the usefulness of taking a class again… and again… and again.

So many people take a class and think that is it and either look to go further or take something else.

There is real knowledge and skill to be gleaned from taking the same class more than once.

There are classes I intend to take again…. what are yours?

Head over and join the conversation

Randy King: Instructors and Victim Blaming

Randy King of KPC Self Defense:

“If somebody comes to you and they are very vulnerable and something bad happened to them, the last thing they need to hear is ‘oh, if you would have took my system three weeks ago, you wouldn’t have got attacked like that’…”

For a practical, deep dive on not making things worse for students who’ve been through some stuff, check out Trauma-Aware Self-Defense Instruction: How Instructors Can Help Maximize the Benefits and Minimize the Risks of Self-Defense Training for Survivors of Violence and Trauma by Anna Valdiserri. As far as we know, it’s the only resource out there on the subject. (Disclosure: IDJ publisher Nick Grossman helped Valdiserri develop this book.)

Greg Ellifritz: Coaching the Struggling Shooter

Greg Ellifritz of Active Response Training:

I’ve known for a long time that the words we use when coaching a shooting student can affect how quickly that student grasps a certain concept.

One important concept I’ve used over the years is to express all of my coaching cues as positive statements.  If you use negative statements, the brain doesn’t process them well and will often focus on the very habit you are trying to eliminate.  An example of this is when a coach says “Don’t jerk the trigger.”  The brain tends to focus on the last part of that statement (“jerk the trigger”) and negate the negative.  The student is programmed to think about jerking the trigger and the problem gets worse…

Continue reading at Active Response Training

 

Caleb Causey: Get Your Trauma Priorities Straight: Mindset, Education, Then Tools

Caleb Causey of Lone Star Medics:

If you have to ask, “What items should I keep in my Medical Kit?” or “Which IFAK is the best?” The answer is “EDUCATION!” Yes, I’m yelling. When you ask me these questions you’re telling me two things. First off, you don’t have a clue what you’re doing. Second, you probably don’t have a clue how to use a med kit even if you had one.

I’m not saying that you couldn’t figure it out eventually, but let’s be really clear about things. Waiting until a family member is lying in the ditch with a car flipped upside-down on the side of the highway is not the time to start trying to figure out how to use your med kit. Waiting until your fellow Officer is bleeding out in an alley is not the time to start trying to “figure it out.” I commend you on your efforts and the mere fact that you at least have med gear. However, your priorities are flawed. Let’s focus on three things and remember them in this order: Mindset, Education and Tools.

Having the correct mindset creates the foundation for accomplishing a task…

Continue reading at ITS Tactical

Rory Miller: Teaching on the Fly

Rory Miller of Chiron Training:

I didn’t always know how many people would be there, the backgrounds of the students (how many force professionals versus experienced martial artists versus beginners, etc.) what the facility was like or what equipment was available. Traveling, I can rarely carry the amount or type of equipment that I like, so I’m dependent on what can be provided.

Teaching on the fly is a challenge, and I enjoy it.

Some tips…

Continue reading at the Chiron Blog…

Torin Hill: OODA Oops: Col Boyd’s Idea Isn’t What You’ve Heard

Torin Hill of the TORIS Organization explores and clarifies another one of the most catastrophically misunderstood concepts in personal defense training, Col. John Boyd’s OODA loop.

Note that the “orient” phase is orders of magnitude more complex that most of us have been led to believe.

Annette Evans: How To Handle A Medical Emergency At The Range

Annette Evans of Beauty Behind the Blast:

Accidents and injuries happen on shooting ranges, though fortunately they are normally minor or no different than you might see in any other outdoor setting.

Most often, people get hurt in ways that can be fixed by a “boo boo kit” or a quick trip to an urgent care facility or regular doctor’s office. Whether it’s a cut from a staple or a target stand, a mild burn from hot brass, or a rolled ankle from uneven ground, a little common sense and basic first aid are all that are needed for these types of common outdoor activity injuries.

However, more serious medical emergencies can also occur, including weather-related illnesses such as dehydration, heatstroke, hypothermia, and frostbite; individual crises such as anaphylactic shock, blood sugar problems, and heart attacks; and the most feared for many of us, a gunshot wound…

Continue reading at Gun Carrier