What is your Investment Worth? The professional training industry is becoming more and more filled with "subject matter" experts along with the "inventors of life saving skills" all with attending someone else's program. Does that make you a viable trainer / instructor? No, not at all and dispute if you wish but look at your body of work. What have you done, who have you taught and what have you created to inspire others to appreciate the value of the training they received. In recent links, articles of re-direct blogs I have read, it is scary to hear to the whining and complaining of actual "great" training company spokespersons go on tirades of how "cyberbullying" by self defense instructors is a constant thing and one does not understand why. Bullying and "cyberbullying" for me does not bode well in the world of "self defense", fitness, tactical training, you get the drift. I guess it has been a while for me as I don't get too many disputing emails, messages or anger mails knocking my training concepts, philosophies, and tactics. Why? Well perhaps in what I teach, what I educate, I actually LIVE the experience, study in, mold it, then re-create the system to help prepare others to be better at what they do. If there is a dispute or a contradictory remark, its talked about and then we and the others disputing parties move on with no comments or perhaps a better working relationship. Everyone deserves a fighting chance and if there is something to help another save a person's life then I support that training 100% as long as it does not compromise true education integrity. Hell, the MMA world seems to be the most intense category of the so called "bullying" with constant MMA cat fighting going on between one "coach" to another "coach" simply for business. Or perhaps it is just certain programs that create the anger or resentment in the industry. I highly respect and train with some amazing MMA trainers who teach me a ton but I would never step into their world trying to show them something they already taught me. We are always learning...remember that. Then there are the fitness czars, the Tacfits, the Crossfits, the MMA Fits, and so on. Video fitness, "the best ever" or if you don't perform a certain type of fitness then you are not "elite." People, there are so many issues going on right now in the world that we need to look at our lives as the most valuable thing on the planet. With family, it is the equivalent mindset. I see in our industry for example: Law Enforcement trainers who are given a title and suddenly they are an expert at teaching a tactical unit "land of make believe" scenarios and it is always the same mundane training. I see in our industry fitness guru's who profess that their system "works" all the time so use it. Nothing works all the time which is why you should seek out in the many menu's of tactical training and tactical fitness training, the ones that provide "options, not absolutes." Many people come out of the woodwork selling their backgrounds whether former cop, former military, former fitness champion etc. Yet, does a military operator know the law enforcement rules of engagement during use of force critical situations? Most of the time not; unless they are an active officer who is in a reserve unit. Otherwise, law enforcement may not be able to teach certain military tactics, as a fitness guru could not tell certain tactiticians how to move and shoot if they have never experienced it. Caveat the PRO-Fessional Trainer: We are in a business of good services to the public. Recent articles showing training attacks on trainers such as Tony Blauer teaching CrossFit Defense. I attended a few of his courses back in the day. Great instructor, knows his stuff. Yet the MMA world in certain small groups decided to jump on him and his course for whatever reason. Should it affect him or anyone aligned with him? No, but unforuntately that is what happens and the question remains: Why entertain it? This is just one example of many talented trainers who slow their time in trying to gain support and acceptance instead of even better and stronger products. If you are doing great, why bring it to the attention of others? I bring up this case simply for the fact that it shows some bridge of tactics thinking and fitness, bridging the small gap of tactical training. I say move on with your great stuff and let the masses support the great effort and inspiration we as trainers provide. There are many who are trying to grab your business. It is a free market to advertise, produce, create, in hope to generate more clients. The fact of the matter is if you let them get to you and / or your training system, what have you really taught your clients? I believe that the experiences you have gone through, the awesome product you have created as a professional trainer regardless of the fiels, will serve YOUR community of students, trainers, colleagues, family very well if you stay the course. You as the student looking for the higher education of fitness or tactics or both, do your homework. You owe it to yourself to get a "variety of great training" not just one way of training.
