I am providing a forum for voicing your opinions.  I claim no 
responsibility for any opinions expressed here.

HOW GOOD IS GOOD ENOUGH?



I have done a considerable amount of training the last five years. I have class 
certificates for around 600 hours of Officer Survival, Tactical, and shooting 
classes. That is not to mention other classes for drugs, investigations, or 
the personal training and matches in which I have competed.
 
Is all of this really necessary? Of course not. But I have given a lot of thought 
recently to what IS enough. How much skill does the average officer or citizen 
need to save themselves, their partners or families from a violent confrontation 
and how much training does it take to get there?
 
It is not as simple as saying a person needs to know "X-Y-Z" and they will prevail. 
Compare driving to defensive training. You drive in all weather conditions and have 
gotten pretty good at most of it. Do you train in all weather conditions? If you are
supposed to attend a match or training class do you cancel if the weather will be 
less than perfect? 
 
If you are driving along a car suddenly stops in front of you do you just hope for 
the best or do you apply steady pressure to the brakes and carefully steer your 
vehicle towards safety? You do it SO FAST you have gone past the danger before you 
realize it. With your level of driving skill it was almost like you went into a
type of "auto-pilot".
 
That is the level you need to attain with your defensive skills also. It will take 
different people various amounts of dedication to get to that level. It should be 
at least one formal training class a year followed up with a monthly trip to the 
range, preferably an IDPA or IPSC match. If you don't follow up you wasted your 
time and money taking the class.
 
If you are not willing to invest that much time or effort you probably should not 
carry a gun. I know that sounds incredibly harsh but the reality is that a gun is 
not a magical charm that will ward off criminals. When you draw it the bad guy will 
not cower down like a Vampire being exposed to a cross. 
 
There are various shooting tests that will give you a title such as Master or Expert 
but they merely test certain aspects of shooting and in no way can encompass everything 
that might happen in a confrontation. For instance I cannot think of one that has the 
participant draw and NOT shoot. Most of us know that is a real possibility.
 
What do I think is ideal? Two classes a year with IDPA matches once a month. It doesn't 
have to be two pistol classes it can be long guns, hand to hand, or almost anything. 
Just keep defense on the front of your mind and you will keep more of ALL that you learn. 

James Yeager
Chief Instructor OPS Southeast
http://www.OptionsForPersonalSecurity.com
Cutting Edge Training Across the U.S.A.