How To Train Video

[John Hearne]

This link was forwarded to me by a SME in the field. Interesting ideas on block versus random practice and ensuring long term retention:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_5nWKyRzKM

[Lomshek]

So in the firearm world this translates to do a number of different "mini-stages" which stress the skills you want to learn rather than 20 reps of draw and fire a shot then 20 reps of two rounds - reload - two rounds (or whatever single skill breakdown).

I wonder if this applies equally to a brand new skill vs. reinforcement of an existing skill.

i.e. - Introduce a safe draw stroke to the newbie, let them try it 20 times then do the same with a speed reload THEN have them begin immediately putting those two (and other skills) together in a multi-target string vs. give them 5 minutes of prep then have them "figure out" the draw and reload as they go. Safety concerns would be my big worry in trying the latter approach.

I know as a coach of cycling skills if I throw too many variables at a student at once they end up not learning much and wrecking a lot because of overloading their processor. They have to do a lot of reps of using the front brake for a small nose wheelie before they can incorporate maneuvering a downhill switchback on the front wheel because the turn is too tight for the rear wheel to clear it if the rear wheel stays on the ground.

[Paladin]

Very interesting thanks for posting!

Rick

[JustOneGun]

Good video. Thanks for posting it.

Do you think there is a place for block practice when learning a new skill? If so I what would be the criteria to switch to random?

[JustOneGun]

So in the firearm world this translates to do a number of different "mini-stages" which stress the skills you want to learn rather than 20 reps of draw and fire a shot then 20 reps of two rounds - reload - two rounds (or whatever single skill breakdown).

I wonder if this applies equally to a brand new skill vs. reinforcement of an existing skill.

i.e. - Introduce a safe draw stroke to the newbie, let them try it 20 times then do the same with a speed reload THEN have them begin immediately putting those two (and other skills) together in a multi-target string vs. give them 5 minutes of prep then have them "figure out" the draw and reload as they go. Safety concerns would be my big worry in trying the latter approach.

I know as a coach of cycling skills if I throw too many variables at a student at once they end up not learning much and wrecking a lot because of overloading their processor. They have to do a lot of reps of using the front brake for a small nose wheelie before they can incorporate maneuvering a downhill switchback on the front wheel because the turn is too tight for the rear wheel to clear it if the rear wheel stays on the ground.

I had the same question but you beat me to it... (: I'm guessing that there needs to be some consistency in each component before introducing random. But random could be seen as many different things.

The biggest thing that jumped out at me was the comment on missing the planning phase. Many shooters lack shoot/don't shoot practice thus making it a static drill. Or they don't know the legal triggers that would tell them to shoot, so their great draw and accuracy is voided by the lack of knowledge.

I found working on accuracy from greater and greater distance then moving to speed shooting, closer in with dummy rounds for malfunctions and reloads between mags. I'm not sure if that fits into block/random, just something that seemed to help lessen the reaction time to those events versus knowing I was about to reload or tap/rack.

It would be an interesting outside perspective to see what someone outside the shooting industry would define random and block. How creative they would get.

Another question that comes to mind is how to mix the random and block. Given the studies showing shorter, more frequent practice is better than longer less frequent practice I wonder if it is better to separate block training for the newer skill and then introduce random in a separate session?

[Surf]

I could write an entire thesis or article on this topic. When I get the opportunity to get behind a keyboard and have some time I will give the cliffsnotes version of my own take on this.

[ToddG]

Read, Plan, Do sounds a lot like Observe, Orient, Decide, Act to me. The examples he uses in that segment aren't really discrete skill executions ("draw") but more grand picture actions (see what's happening, figure out if/when to draw, then draw).

The extent of his "random" is analogous to shooting drawing on different size/distance targets and firing different numbers of shots with each draw rather than doing a lot of "draw and hit six inch circle twice" kinds of drills. Some of that could be managed in just about any live fire environment but better target systems would allow greater randomization.

For years SLG and I did plenty of AMRAP drills using a turning target, sometimes without the shooter even knowing how long the target would be available before disappearing. I think he'd agree that it was very useful as a skill-builder compared simply to shooting a pre-specified number of rounds. It's hard to do such drills all by yourself with a static target but it's actually very easy to accomplish if you have a training partner. In classes, I'd simply blow a whistle to start and then again to stop an iteration of a drill. The amount of time students had to draw and fire was unknown to them and they just shot as many as they could until the second whistle. It also allows students of different skill levels to work at their own pace and provides a greater level of stress because there is a desire to shoot faster to get in more shots. If you're fast enough on the whistle you can even create instances where they begin the action but don't reach a point where they fire. It's not quite the same as a traditional shoot/no-shoot drill but it does reinforce the idea that not every draw has to result in shots fired.

(it's also why I wanted to do that "random" steel target... )

For reload drills, a simple way to achieve the same type of thing is to load magazines randomly instead of having specific 1R2 type drills. If you put 4-6 rounds in each magazine and fire 2-3 shots on each draw, you never know if or when you'll need to reload. You learn to react to the gun telling you it's empty rather than reloading when you know it's about to be empty. One huge difference I see between people who've shot the F.A.S.T. a lot and those who haven't is the speed at which they react to the gun going dry after the two head shots. If you watch the Sevigny video he's literally starting his reload as the second bullet is leaving the barrel of the gun. Someone who brings the gun back down from reload "wastes" a lot of time; the people who actually get a sight picture with their empty guns "waste" an eternity. It's definitely the part of the test that is easiest to game.

To me, the more variable drills benefit the "thinking on your feet" part of the equation. But it seems like even the studies showed that block practice increases base skill levels much faster. In my experience, using both -- blocks to build technique, random to learn how to apply the technique on demand rather than pre-determined -- seems to be the best way to reach as far as you can in a traditional live fire environment. The "never do the same thing twice" line at the end of the video seems like it's drawing far too broad a conclusion especially since much of the OODA/Read-Plan-Do stuff that matters in self-defense isn't easily replicated in a live fire practice environment. Yet it's quite clear that getting in a lot of reps in that environment has definite benefits in terms of execution under stress. Even the video stresses the importance of getting in a lot of reps.

From a performance tracking standpoint, I think the video make a very good argument -- again no surprise -- that measuring cold performance is far more important than measuring performance once you're warmed up. One thing it made me think about is whether varying cold drills would provide some benefit over using one established drill each time.

At the end of the day, the video basically just says "the more your practice is like the real thing, the better your practice will be." I doubt many here would argue with that as a general concept. But at the same time, there's a movement toward breaking techniques down to even smaller more discrete steps (like Gabe's recent DotWs about getting just a grip on your gun or your magazine at the belt) to get the actual hard technique better programmed. I don't know if one's golf stroke changes depending on the put. I know that a reload, e.g., doesn't really change depending on much other than possibly a compromised position. So getting lots of programming on what will always be essentially the same movement regardless of the Read-Plan phases might make more sense. Again, I think a combination of the two approaches probably delivers the best result in terms of our specific goal.

[miller_man]

Good video, good thread. This forum is fantastic.

Outside of SD practice/drills. I can see a lot of value to this for competition practice as well.

[roblund]

That was a neat video, thanks for sharing. I've always hesitated to measure my performance right out of the gate (no idea why). I'm absolutely going to start doing that.

Adding randomness to practice has been something I've been trying to do for a little while. The Lucky Charms style drill is decent. I actually ended up making a simple little electronic target system (full write up here) that has helped me.

There was one thing that wasn't mentioned in the video. At least for me, random practice is much more fun. Whether for team sports or individual sports, I've always enjoyed random drills or scrimmage scenarios more than the block style practice. Burnout can be a problem in any practice. If it becomes uninteresting, I'm less likely to practice.

[Dagga Boy]

Being I spend more time in the Volleyball world than anywhere else these days, I get a lot of this. The worlds are very similar. The key to that world like ours is where the failure occurs when you do not "win". "Wins" on a play are also a lot like ours, where some are total domination, some are hard fought and won barely by being a little better, some are because the other side made a mistake, and some are a simple case of who sucks less......and then there is luck.
When I see a fail in Volleyball, they do break down to what is discussed in the video. Failure to read is a simple situational awareness issue to get positioned properly (keep in mind, Volleyball is both offensive and defensive) for the task. Plan failure is often simply a case of being late, or failure to get moved into the right position. With us...that is like a poor execution of tactics. In the end, a ton of failures in both is simply a case of inability to execute the basic fundamentals under stress.
Often, the fundamentals need to be ANCHORED in the sub conscious so that focus can go to the rest. If you lack the ability to bump, set, and hit on offense, or to block, dig, and serve receive to a pass on defense, the rest doesn't really matter. Our world is similar in that if you can't execute fundamental marksmanship skills under stress, it is all for naught.
Personally, I like block training for anchoring and maintaining the fundamental skills, and random stuff for maintenance.

Really good stuff, and I will be looking at all of the stuff as it has multiple applications in my house.