Let’s discuss some of the unrealistic expectations that folks have in their training and preparations, shall we?
First, let’s talk about the costs of training. Negotiating a lower price seems to be something folks are trying more and more and let me tell you why that is a non-starter and completely unfair to the trainers. Training may be a hobby and a luxury purchase to YOU, but to US TRAINERS, it’s how we pay the bills and support our families. It is our full time job. We have countless hours invested in curriculum development and testing, course set up and then course tear down after. You wouldn’t try to negotiate prices with your doctor, would you? By the way, there is some Tactical Wisdom on this:
For Scripture says…. “The worker deserves his wages.”
1 Timothy 5:18
Some folks enter training with wildly unrealistic expectations. For example, I recently had a couple (who also pushed for a reduced a rate) ask to take Fieldcraft, but only wanted to do the land navigation part and only if I gave them a two for one price. About 5 hours in, they complained that it was running longer than they had planned. I explained it was ONE DAY of a THREE DAY course. While out in the field learning, it turns out that they were expecting to learn escape and evasion, field movement, shelter building, and land navigation, and all in 4 hours. I explained that those things all were parts of the full course and can’t be done in under 3 days. I also explained that one 4 hour course cannot transform you into Jason Bourne (see photo above).
There are a lot of people who think this is how it works. I’ve taken NC Scout’s Scout and Recce courses countless times (and lent a hand teaching) and still learn things every session. Same with his RTO and SIGINT courses. It’s the nature of being a professional.
Let’s address that too. Real trainers are stil professional soldiers. Just because they aren’t in the service of a nation-state doesn’t make them less of a professional soldier. We study our craft, we stay current, we train, we maintain our gear. We pass those skills on to you.
Enter training with the realistic expectation that even after a few days of learning new skills, you’re still going to be a novice. It takes practice, training, and more repetitions to master these skills. You aren’t going to be Jason Bourne or John Wick in a weekend. The flip side of this is that you will also need to set your ego aside when coming to training. We aren’t “playing army” or running an airsoft game (although my Lodge building is STILL full of airsoft pellets after K’s CQB course – Thanks, K) – we are training you to survive on a real battlefield. Take it seriously. It may be a hobby to you, but everyone else wants to learn.
Another piece to unrealistic expectations is people’s loadouts. Guys come to class on day one with a ton of gear on and by the end of the class they’ve dumped most of it. Twitter and Instagram are great places to build community, but they also breed silly ideas. You need to understand the true role of the guerilla fighter, partisan, or local defense force. You aren’t part of BIG ARMY or a nation-state force that is going to seize a stronghold. You are light fighters who will fighting entirely one-sided engagements and only under the best of conditions.
Why do I say this? Because more and more guys are posting photos of their “kit” including 10-15 magazines. Listen, as an armed civilian, and even as a resistance fighter, that is WAY too much. You will not be storming the Palace at Chapultepec, you’ll be launching an ambush, firing one or two mags, and then RUNNING. Even running an Entry Control Point (ECP) or other static defense won’t require that much ammo. If you expend 5-6 magazines, even in the defense, without artillery or air assets, you need to be MOVING. You can’t do that quickly bogged down with ammo. Be realistic.
Develop a realistic training plan with real (and measurable) goals. I can list off several guys I’ve seen develop from absolute zero in skill to being a fairly skilled light fighter, but it always takes YEARS, not a course or two. Take opportunities to serve as OPFOR at courses after you’ve done it. I guarantee you that the OPFOR is learning as well. It’s getting in more reps of the skills while helping the instructor and helping others learn. Several guys (myself included) have lost serious weight over a couple of years of training and realizing they needed to change something. Take it seriously, rather than doing it just for fun. Don’t get me wrong, training is indeed FUN and you can absolutely enjoy it, but remember to learn.
A great progression is something NC Scout and I hve started offering together and shoudl be your local group’s baseline training standard. We run 9 days of training that can be done in set. I run my Fieldcraft, which is very basic movement, camouflage, stalking, navigation, shelter building, and thermal mitigation skills, for the first 3 days. The next 3 are NC Scout’s Scout course, covering basic small unit tactics, light infantry skills, patrolling, and scouting. The final 3 are his Recce course, where you learn more advanced light infantry skills, conducting more advanced recon work, and assaulting an objective. Lots of night movement and training happens. These 9 days get you started right.
After getting those under you belt, I recommend some type of medical course, like a Stop The Bleed or TCCC course. Mech Medic, as well as Project 223 Preparedness run these types of courses. Next, RADIO. Everyone on your team should at least take NC Scout’s RTO Course or my Comms for Preparedness.
My Combatives Courses or some other type of hand-to-hand skills will be needed. In my weekend long course, you learn unarmed self defense, ground fighting, stick fighting, knife tactics, and cold firearm combatives (yes, including the bayonet). Get some type of skill in this area.
Most importantly, train with a purpose. Don’t go just to “hang out”. Go to become a serious student of light infantry skill and to become a more capable, and thus more dangerous, opponent in the days ahead. We need you, and we need you at your best.
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