How many classes have you taken that had the word ‘coach’ in them? It is rare in the firearm industry to have such coursework. We are due for a makeover. It isn’t just the firearm industry that suffers from this. There are very few classes in almost every specialty that demonstrate how to teach/instruct/coach. Most are really developed to demonstrate curriculum and make sure a student knows the topics to be presented and passed on to represent the brand and messaging. Many of the teaching methods also are not built upon solid methods that have been used for decades for some and centuries for others. Not much of the firearm training industry is based upon what we have learned in our sports physiology, neuroscience nor body mechanics, neither. That is where Brian Hill of The Complete Combatant fills a large portion of both of those voids.
The Deliberate Coach is a three-day class. My wife wasn’t able to take it with me so I took it without all of her inspiration and energy.
It is a shooting course that focus on all that is important to shooting. Brian explained the various fundamentals that you have probably worked on through the years. The difference is that he brings over 40 years of coaching expertise to dive deeper into those areas. I could say that as soon as class began, Brian dived deep into what it means to analyze your students. Which is true. The very first conversations were oriented towards this framework. Even more so, every interaction even before class began had the same purpose. We should do the same.
We had forecasts of high winds and lots of rain, so Brian adapted the lessons order and how we did them so we all could benefit from the learning experience and not be hampered from the weather. There were some teaching portions that allowed us some flexibility. Most of the class time is set up with a focused topic, practice of that topic individually, then with a coach and finally a shooting test. There were four shooting tests and each have a point value. Those were added together to give a cumulative score. Out of the four, there is one truly humbling test. As long as you met the minimum score requirements, you passed. These are emailed beforehand along with the ppt to help prepare.
To be honest, I didn’t look at the shooting tests before class or even until we prepped to shoot them. My personal shooting time has decreased the last few years due to lots of issues. I have come to accept how that has impacted me. So, there are quite a few basic skills that I am trying to redevelop and even that time is limited. This class was not only a great way to help me do that but also so much more than expected with having such a large amount of feedback during our time together.
The class is intentionally setup as a smaller class size to allow for more time to have not only one-on-one time with Brian, but one-on-one time learning from each other as well. Coaching is in the title, but that really is the true benefit of the class.
If you are an instructor. This class needs to be on your short list to take. You owe it to your students, and we owe it to society. We are trying to make people better. Training with Brian has been a goal for awhile for me and I really wish I could have made it happen sooner.
Many times, I overheard students saying things like,
“I wish more classes were like this.”
“All shooting classes should be done like this.”
“This is better than just doing shooting drills.”
That is the feeling you want to leave your students with as well.
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