- Nov 11, 2009
- 31,000
I just read the transcript of a podcast from CCWSafe, and the trainer in question made some very interesting points. Older students don't have the time, stamina or maybe money to take a 16 hr two day class in real-world CCW training. However, that market would be well served by taking the elements of such a class, breaking them into 4-hr chunks, paying as you go.
I'll paste a relevant passage, and try to provide a link for the whole article:
Karl Rehn:
I get a lot of students that are 65 plus and that’s one of the things, as he and I talked, I said the thing for him is he’s not going to be doing Brazilian jujitsu in the parking lot with some dude. He’s not going to outrun some 18-year-old that’s trying to stab him with a screwdriver to get his wallet or his car keys. And it does affect tactics and it affects, I think, the timing of even when you pull the gun, when you put your hand on your gun, when you let somebody know that you have a gun. Because if you know that your draw time is two seconds and not the Instagram one second, whip it out and get the one perfect take to claim the record second draw. If you know your real-world draw is two seconds, that’s going to change how you act in situations.
And luckily, disparity of force is a concept that’s certainly respected here in Texas. And older people that have less physical skills, absolutely it should encourage them to carry more often and to train, particularly with accuracy, you may not have the fastest draw, but you still need to get the best hit first as best you can. Mainly I just get disappointed because I have all my old records from 30 years ago and I can say, “I used to be able to run this drill at this time, and now the best I can do is this much.” And part of it is practice time, to be honest, to really get to that level, you have to pretty much be obsessed and practice every day, dry fire every day and shoot multiple times a week, and shoot a thousand rounds a month or 2000 rounds a month or a thousand rounds per practice session, like I used to do, and money and time and all those things.
Life stacks up and that’s one of the things that affected the way I run my training business is realizing over time the whole training business model in the US, for the most part, is built on this idea that young men, mostly with some young women that are all maybe in the 30 to 50 year old age range with disposable money and time have $500 to $800 that they can devote to a two day all weekend, all-encompassing course. And the lack of shorter courses offered at a similar level is a very big impediment. Going back to the reason I’m here, why don’t a lot of people train? People have jobs, they have kids, they have hobbies, they have other things they have to get done on a weekend and a lot of people don’t have $3,500 or they don’t have $800 to go to a two or three-day road class.
They got a hundred bucks and four hours and if there’s nothing there that fits that time and budget, they’re not going to do it. And that’s going back to your question Don, older people do not have the endurance, physical endurance to get through some two or three-day classes. My 80-year-old student, bless his heart, after five hours of our six-hour course, he didn’t pass the final shooting test. And when I offered him a reshoot, he said, “No, I’ll come back another day when I’m fresh and I’m rested and I’ve done some practice and I know I can pass your test, but I can’t pass your test today being tired and worn out like I am now.” And I said, “Great.” He’s going to come back when he’s rested and ready and well-prepared. And I have no doubt that he would pass that test. But he also had the good sense to say, “I’m done for today. I’m worn out.”
ccwsafe.com
I for one would welcome such a setup, done locally.
I'll paste a relevant passage, and try to provide a link for the whole article:
Karl Rehn:
I get a lot of students that are 65 plus and that’s one of the things, as he and I talked, I said the thing for him is he’s not going to be doing Brazilian jujitsu in the parking lot with some dude. He’s not going to outrun some 18-year-old that’s trying to stab him with a screwdriver to get his wallet or his car keys. And it does affect tactics and it affects, I think, the timing of even when you pull the gun, when you put your hand on your gun, when you let somebody know that you have a gun. Because if you know that your draw time is two seconds and not the Instagram one second, whip it out and get the one perfect take to claim the record second draw. If you know your real-world draw is two seconds, that’s going to change how you act in situations.
And luckily, disparity of force is a concept that’s certainly respected here in Texas. And older people that have less physical skills, absolutely it should encourage them to carry more often and to train, particularly with accuracy, you may not have the fastest draw, but you still need to get the best hit first as best you can. Mainly I just get disappointed because I have all my old records from 30 years ago and I can say, “I used to be able to run this drill at this time, and now the best I can do is this much.” And part of it is practice time, to be honest, to really get to that level, you have to pretty much be obsessed and practice every day, dry fire every day and shoot multiple times a week, and shoot a thousand rounds a month or 2000 rounds a month or a thousand rounds per practice session, like I used to do, and money and time and all those things.
Life stacks up and that’s one of the things that affected the way I run my training business is realizing over time the whole training business model in the US, for the most part, is built on this idea that young men, mostly with some young women that are all maybe in the 30 to 50 year old age range with disposable money and time have $500 to $800 that they can devote to a two day all weekend, all-encompassing course. And the lack of shorter courses offered at a similar level is a very big impediment. Going back to the reason I’m here, why don’t a lot of people train? People have jobs, they have kids, they have hobbies, they have other things they have to get done on a weekend and a lot of people don’t have $3,500 or they don’t have $800 to go to a two or three-day road class.
They got a hundred bucks and four hours and if there’s nothing there that fits that time and budget, they’re not going to do it. And that’s going back to your question Don, older people do not have the endurance, physical endurance to get through some two or three-day classes. My 80-year-old student, bless his heart, after five hours of our six-hour course, he didn’t pass the final shooting test. And when I offered him a reshoot, he said, “No, I’ll come back another day when I’m fresh and I’m rested and I’ve done some practice and I know I can pass your test, but I can’t pass your test today being tired and worn out like I am now.” And I said, “Great.” He’s going to come back when he’s rested and ready and well-prepared. And I have no doubt that he would pass that test. But he also had the good sense to say, “I’m done for today. I’m worn out.”
In Self-Defense Podcast 110: Karl Rehn Pt. 1 - CCW Safe
Karl Rehn, the founder of KR Training, joins Don, Steve, and Shawn to talk about the need for training beyond the requirements for obtaining a concealed carry permit.
ccwsafe.com
I for one would welcome such a setup, done locally.
