Prerequisites

[BillP]

I've encountered the same sort of reaction when using the slide stop over the years. I've been told to not use it because under the stress of a defensive encounter, my fine motor skills would degrade to such a point that actuating / depressing this lever would be impossible. Those same people cannot articulate how I can effectively manipulate a trigger or get rounds on target without fine motor skills.

Then there are those of us who are left-handed. The lever usually doesn't work for us (consistently).

[MikeyC]

I've encountered the same sort of reaction when using the slide stop over the years. I've been told to not use it because under the stress of a defensive encounter, my fine motor skills would degrade to such a point that actuating / depressing this lever would be impossible. Those same people cannot articulate how I can effectively manipulate a trigger or get rounds on target without fine motor skills.

I actually had an instructor go as far as to tell me that the Glock manual stated that using the slide stop was bad for the gun. I must have missed that tidbit in my armorers class, but he was the one being paid to teach, so I wasn't going to argue.

[jlw]

I actually had an instructor go as far as to tell me that the Glock manual stated that using the slide stop was bad for the gun. I must have missed that tidbit in my armorers class, but he was the one being paid to teach, so I wasn't going to argue.

I haven't read that in any manual, but the Glock instructors and sales reps very much push the overhand method rather than using the slide stop.

[ToddG]

And it is, in fact, true that Glock began advocating the rack over the slide catch because of damage to slides in early production guns.

[Will_M]

It's not the job of an instructor to act as a private investigator. It is the instructor's job to provide clear prerequisites in several categories so that the student can self-vet.

So if you as an instructor do not have an established method of vetting your "prerequisites" the you actually have recommendations and not prerequisites. Recommendations imply optional and optional is not a requirement. So I really don't see how this can turn into a 5 page thread on prerequisites.

Have you considered changing the thread title to "Recommendations"?

[MDS]

So if you as an instructor do not have an established method of vetting your "prerequisites" the you actually have recommendations and not prerequisites. Recommendations imply optional and optional is not a requirement. So I really don't see how this can turn into a 5 page thread on prerequisites.

Have you considered changing the thread title to "Recommendations"?

If the Forum Rules had a prerequisite section that said "don't turn a substantive discussion into a semantic argument" - would that be merely a recommendation? I would hope so, because I do love a good semantic argument. To whit: prerequisite as in "these requirements must be met before taking this course in order to get the full value of the training."

[Clyde from Carolina]

And it is, in fact, true that Glock began advocating the rack over the slide catch because of damage to slides in early production guns.

Interesting. Maybe I need to be racking my Gen 1 Glock 17?

[ToddG]

Have you considered changing the thread title to "Recommendations"?

Have you considered that everyone else in the discussion understands what is meant by "prerequisite?" That the conversation lasted a week without any confusion or disagreement on the term? And that joining the forum just to open a month-old thread and make a snarky semantic argument might not go over well?

Welcome to the forum. Please don't be a kitten.

[Will_M]

Have you considered that everyone else in the discussion understands what is meant by "prerequisite?" That the conversation lasted a week without any confusion or disagreement on the term? And that joining the forum just to open a month-old thread and make a snarky semantic argument might not go over well?

Welcome to the forum. Please don't be a kitten.

WillM is taking a 90 day break from this forum.

[Jay Cunningham]

So three years down the road, after numerous iterations... I've wound up with extremely liberal "prerequisites" listed in my class descriptions (which themselves have been reduced down to "sound bites" due to the nature of the Current Year Attention Span).

Here are some examples of "prerequisites" I'm currently using:

While not appropriate for the complete novice, trained shooters at all performance levels will enjoy these challenging drills!

You must have solid fundamentals... otherwise all skill levels are welcome!

This two-and-a-half day class is for experienced students, and will challenge both your skills and your mindset!

Sensational? Vague?

Kinda. I gave up on going on and on in the course descriptions. I *do* list very specific gear, and whether or not you need to bring lunch. Beyond that people don't pay attention.

One thing which has changed for me personally is my willingness to pull people from the line and sit them out. In the past, I've devoted far too much time and energy attempting to salvage poorly performing shooters. Now I get to a cut off point in relatively short order if it's obvious they're in over their head. But I am now adamant about it because I am unwilling to short-change the rest of the class.

In a recent 16 person Pistol 1 class I decided to pull four shooters from the line 2/3 of the way through class. All four of them were relieved and thanked me.

It used to be an ego thing for me I think... there are no bad students, only bad instructors. Well that's not true.

Some people just aren't cut out for it. It doesn't make them bad people. Some people just have a bad day. Some people have literally decades of bad habits. Some are physically weak and frail.

It doesn't mean throw them overboard... but an instructor needs to be able to tell a student "you're not ready to move on."