You are not an operator

[esrice]

Great article by Caleb Giddings (Ahab) of Top Shot fame.

You are not an operator | Gun Nuts

It made me think of the discussions we have had on here about the idea of military and/or combat experience being a necessary prerequisite for a firearms trainer.

And then today he wrote a follow-up article.

http://www.gunnuts.net/2013/05/17/thoughts-on-training/

 

[cedartop]

I'll have to read the follow-up. The original was spot on.

 

[DungeonCrawl]

great article

 

[cedartop]

Well, its hard to say if he is backing of or clarifying in his second article. As for his list, something like that is so subjective I don't know that it is worth commenting on.

 

[Scutter01]

 

[bingley]

I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!

 

[Aaron1776]

Great article. Something I've noticed about some of my guys who were SBT operators, paratroops, etc, is that, while they're experts at running their guns and have a solid understanding of attacking an established threat.....some of their home defense or concealed carry ideas are a bit...whacky?

Operating and fighting as a team or taking down a house is sooo much different being a single entity with a handgun or long gun defending yourself on the street or defending your home.

One of the big reasons I was drawn to taking Mindset's course was because it was taught by a civilian who had been trained in civilian use of firearms....that and I knew my (very limited) previous FoF experience was basically invalid because it was all team oriented stuff. (It's a lot easier to take a guy out when your buddies lay down a wall of fire and you just flank him when he's pinned down.) I can run my gun well, but I have a lot to learn about individual tactics....as many former "operators" do to I think.

 

[KellyinAvon]

"You are not an operator", outstanding title. I spent 21+ in the USAF, never chambered a round in anger. I've met quite a few operators (PJs, Combat Controllers, TACP), they are some bad dudes.

 

[KellyinAvon]

One ringy-dingy, 2 ringy-dingies. Is this the party to whom I am speaking?

 

[the1kidd03]

I agree a great deal. I've long thought there needs to be a standardized measure of instructor qualifications to address the issues he mentions.

 

[ol' Huff]

On a bottle of Stubbs BBQ sauce it says something to the effect of, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm a cook." I tasted the BBQ sauce. Stubb may have indeed been a cook. I am not taking a precision rifle class from Stubb, primarily because I think he's dead and don't know if he was a shooter, but that doesn't mean he would be a bad precision rifle instructor.

Teaching anything is 20% (or less) content knowledge. By far the greater portion of teaching is the ability to develop a relationship (communicate, build trust, etc.) and has nothing to do with the topic. I would hazard a guess that the good classes that improve your skills are good because the person teaching them was a good teacher and able to communicate the material, not because they were a ninja in their previous life.

Ninjas flip out all the time, anyway. The Official Ninja Webpage:  REAL Ultimate Power!!!!

 

[TiminMishawaka]

But! But! I do need to learn from a guy with a beard and tattoos right?

 

[the1kidd03]

But! But! I do need to learn from a guy with a beard and tattoos right?

Hey, hey ....no need for more stereotypes..

 

[Trigger Time]

I think this is a good write up that accurately describes the current climate of things. You can teach skills but you can't ingrain a mindset or drive. There's a reason "operators" are highly effective and specifically selected and not everyone is an Operator. That's because it involves a mental drive that one either has or doesn't.
Some people run into a fire, some don't. Some run 20 miles to run into a fire

 

[KoopaKGB]

"To understand my frustration, you have to understand the problem first: we are in somewhat of a golden age of training, because right now more so than ever we have an incredibly supply of qualified, professional trainers to teach everything from Basic Marksmanship all the way up to Advanced Tactics for the Space Shuttle Door Gunner."

Seriously though, if people have the money and the inclination then theres some sort of "advanced combat shooting" tactical course out there that has class spots ready to fill. My buddy wanted me to go take some course that would have cost over $1000 plus gas and hotel. I told him I used to get PAID to do some of this stuff, theres no way I am going to PAY to do it again.

Would the training benefit me? Of course it would. Just about any additional firearms training would benefit just about everybody. As a former infantry Marine I'll stick to what I remember and some very basic principles I'm okay with that. I am not going to hinder him if he wanted to spend his time, money, and ammo getting some high speed training, to each his own. Everything I learned was in conjunction with the idea of operating as a team. Which makes doing everything as a single element so much more difficult.

Also I would like to add that FOR ME, improving my physical shape is more important then re learning fancy run and gun drills. Sliding into covered positions and rolling out from cover and all the rest are smaller priorities to me then getting rid of my beer belly.

 

[Que]

Great articles that hopefully some will see and allow the mythes fade away. The list is good, but I still believe that people can spend money at home and find great training.

I got my butt kicked at my introduction to FoF, because I still had a military mindset. I'm happy to say that is no longer the case and hopefully I can continue building on a solid foundation provided by Mindset Labs with other training that can be found around Indiana.

 

[riverman67]

Great articles that hopefully some will see and allow the mythes fade away. The list is good, but I still believe that people can spend money at home and find great training.

I got my butt kicked at my introduction to FoF, because I still had a military mindset. I'm happy to say that is no longer the case and hopefully I can continue building on a solid foundation provided by Mindset Labs with other training that can be found around Indiana.

But you have space shuttle door gunner blue gun SKILLS!!!

 

[David Rose]

I agree a great deal. I've long thought there needs to be a standardized measure of instructor qualifications to address the issues he mentions.

That's part of the problem. "Qualifications" don't make you a good teacher, and "Qualifications" don't make your subject matter relevant to the student. Some honest reflection is needed on the part of both student, and instructor.

 

[Scutter01]

I would buy the crap out of that morale patch.

 

[Que]

But you have space shuttle door gunner blue gun SKILLS!!!

And you know that!