By John Hearne
A few years ago, inspired by a drill I learned from retired Delta Force operator and U.S. Army Sgt. Major Paul Howe, owner of CSAT Training in Nacogdoches, TX, I stumbled upon a training method that dramatically improved the quality of my firearms classes. I tested the concept in my classes, where it was repeatedly validated. Since then, I’ve conducted research and can now more clearly explain the technique and why other firearms instructors should be using it.
The details of contextualization
The concept — contextualization — can help resolve many long-standing, frustrating problems we encounter with students. Contextualization involves teaching skills by placing them within the circumstances, or context, in which they will be used.
Researchers Stephanie Kalchik and Kathleen Oertle describe contextualization as an approach that offers “instructional strategies designed to seamlessly link the learning of foundational skills … by focusing on concrete applications in a real-life context.” Beyond connecting instruction to reality, contextualization can significantly accelerate students’ learning.
Typical training progression and challenges
The interrelated topics I aimed to address were the use of the manual safety on the AR-15, the importance of a range of ready positions, and the ability to safely move around others with the rifle.
When this material is typically taught, instructors appeal to students on an intellectual level, emphasizing the importance of the manual safety. They may reference instances where using or neglecting the manual safety led to positive or negative outcomes. Over time, after multiple live-fire sessions on a square range, students begin to explore different ready positions. In “advanced” classes, they practice moving around one another with loaded firearms. Some instructors even incorporate live-fire drills, such as the snake drill detailed below, where students fire in close proximity to one another — but only after several days of advanced training.
From what I’ve observed, students often struggle to apply what they’ve learned to the real world after spending hours in a controlled environment with a perfectly safe, three-foot-wide lane between them and their target. Because training conditions limit their focus to this narrow space, students develop little awareness of their surroundings. As a result, they may see no need to engage the manual safety or maintain strict muzzle discipline.
Putting rifle training into context
When prioritizing what students need to learn, I place safe gun handling at the top of the list. I liken it to the medical principle of “first, do no harm.” No matter how bad the situation is or how desperate the fight for survival becomes, there is no excuse for endangering or harming innocent, uninvolved people. While much of the focus tends to be on marksmanship and quickly neutralizing a threat, preventing harm to innocent individuals through proper use of the manual safety, trigger discipline, and muzzle control is even more critical.
So, how do I contextualize and prioritize the use of the manual safety, the need for a variety of ready positions, and the ability to safely move around others? When I teach a carbine block, the first range drill I run — after introductory comments and a review of acceptable ready positions — is effectively a snake drill with cleared rifles. In larger classes, I may divide students into two relays, but the setup remains the same: students stand in a line, leaving at least two arm’s lengths of space between themselves and those on either side.
The student at one end of the line begins by weaving in a serpentine fashion through the other students, treating them like traffic cones while carrying an unloaded rifle. Once they reach the end of the line, the next student follows, repeating the process until the entire group has moved and the first student is back in their original position.
While a student is moving, I follow along to observe muzzle positioning, check trigger finger placement, and ensure their thumb remains on top of the safety. I then repeat the drill, gradually decreasing the space between students, forcing them to maneuver in tighter quarters.
By the end of the drill, students naturally determine which ready positions are best suited to different situations. After navigating around others while holding a rifle, the importance of engaging the safety and keeping the trigger finger in register becomes self-evident.
Repeated drilling reinforces safety concepts
Hopefully, the reader recognizes that the skills I wanted to teach have been placed within a context that closely mirrors real-world application. Safety is ensured by running the drills with unloaded rifles. Rather than simply reciting firearms safety rules and having students repeat them from memory, this approach forces them to actively figure out how those rules apply in practical situations.
This method also tends to elicit an emotional response as students experience muzzles moving near them and realize their vested interest in ensuring their peers keep their trigger fingers in register and their safeties engaged. This heightened awareness leads to better retention and a deeper understanding of the material. Since this is the first drill in the class, it also reinforces that these safety skills are the highest priority.
Two teaching mistakes
Speaking generally, the firearms training community makes two major mistakes. The first is accepting performance standards that fail to reflect the realities of armed conflict. The second is failing to contextualize the skills we teach — or doing so too late in the learning process.
Lecturing is a notoriously inefficient teaching method, yet we often rely on it for critical topics like gun handling and safety, presenting them in a cold, disengaging manner. When we do contextualize skills, it usually happens too late, competing with other material for priority.
The next time you teach a skill you consider critical, find a way to contextualize it early in the learning process.
About the author
John Hearne is a retired federal law enforcement officer with a public safety career that spanned over thirty-five years.He retired as a field supervisor and was an agency and academy instructor for a variety of topics including firearms, use of force, legal updates, tactics and active shooter response.He has over 2,000 documented training hours and firearms training certifications from FLETC, NRA-LEAD, FBI, CSAT, Rangemaster and others. He has also taught in the private sector since 2001 and is a staff instructor with Rangemaster. In 2021, he founded his own training company, Two Pillars Training, where he offers instruction in advanced firearms skills, human performance and historical gunfights.
|NEXT: Transition with speed and accuracy: A quick drill for target precision
