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Issue 47
Training Outside Of Your Comfort Zone
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Back
in the early 1970's, I spent some time on my uncle's land up in Redding, California. One of the most memorable
things I did was to learn how to drive a car with a clutch.
He gave me a 5-minute explanation and demonstration,
then tossed me the keys to an old, beat up VW Bug and let me go at it. I was doing donuts in the flats on his property
in a few hours, and was very proficient in driving (at least in my eyes!) by the end of the week.
I didn't
drive a clutch again for probably a year. In the meantime, I had received my drivers license by driving an automatic
transmission, and didn't need to use a clutch until I bought my first car.
It was horrible! I bounced
and jerked and stalled. On top of simply forgetting how to properly use the clutch, I was now "constrained"
by having to stay in my own lane as I drove!
My clutch transmission skills had evaporated by not using them.
Virtually all skills are perishable. If you take a class
on knitting, and don't knit, you forget.
You may take an Emergency Preparedness class and learn how
to make fire without a Bic lighter, or how to purify water, or tie certain knots needed for survival. If you don't
practice those skills, you lose them.
For instance, to keep my Emergency Prep skills sharp, I have a reminder
on my calendar that pops up every month. I have a half dozen knots that I spend 20 minutes practicing. I review
our emergency plans and stored supplies and equipment once each month. All of this helps me to "stay on top"
of a potential emergency.
People will generally seek to expand their personal safety education because of a real
or potential need. They may have had their home broken into, or know someone that has had this happen. They may
have an estranged relationship where the other party doesn't understand that, "No means No". They may
have a job that regularly puts them in one-on-one contact with individuals they don't know very well. Jobs like
real estate agents, government social workers or delivery service personnel.
They take the class, and
figure they are all set. Like the Emergency Preparedness students, they get comfortable. Since they haven't
had to use the skills they learned in the class, the sense of urgency that propelled them
to take the class has waned. Instead of going to the range once a month, or practicing with their pepper spray,
or re-evaluating their home security plans, they let their skills degrade.
Having your Personal Safety skills
degrade has a much more significant "down side" than letting your knitting skills slip.
So what can
you do?
Practice your skills once each month - every month. This is so critical and takes so little time.
An hour at the firing range each month. Rotating, replacing and testing your pepper spray canisters. Doing a
mental "walk through" of a threatening scenario and considering your options and responses.
Then, Enhance Your Skills. You can take an advanced or specialized class. Take a
CPR class from the Red Cross. Take our Practical Defensive Pistol class to learn advanced shooting techniques.
Join a martial arts studio.
Then practice some more!
Get
out of your Comfort Zone. Don't let complacency take the place of competence.
Refuse To Be A Victim Group Workshops
Pepper Spray/Stun Gun Group Workshops
Defense Of The Home Consultation
Pistol Orientation Training
Practical Defensive Pistol Training
Next issue: Practicing With A Partner
Bison Risk Management Associates is a Northern California-based company providing Personal Safety and Emergency Preparedness training, workshops and consulting
for individuals, businesses and organizations.
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