When it comes to conducting physical skills training, a picture is worth a thousand words. Instructors can stand in front of a class and describe a tactic or technique all day, but until they demonstrate the material to students, everyone is simply guessing about how it’s done. A good demonstration shows your students what is required of them, how to do it correctly and gives them the ability to practice successful repetitions.
One of the wellness programs at my former department was to begin swing shift with an hour of yoga. We had professional yoga instructors come in and lead these sessions. With a bunch of meat-eating, crime-fighting neanderthals in the room, this had to be a difficult job. In the beginning, it was a tough sell, but eventually, these sessions were something everyone enjoyed. We realized the value of stretching, strengthening and the relaxation elements, and could not deny their benefits.
Over time, we got better at the different movements. But what really helped us learn a new pose was watching each instructor’s technique. They’d show us step-by-step how to get into the pose and would share tips on how to make small adjustments to maximize the benefits. These demonstrations were key to learning and vital to becoming comfortable performing in front of others. When the instructors told us what to do but didn’t demonstrate a new pose, I looked around the room for someone who appeared to know what they were doing so I could try to model their position.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re teaching a downward dog, warrior one, handgun reloads, escaping from a chokehold, or emergency vehicle operations, if your students don’t have the skills to do it correctly, they will need a demonstration. And they might need to see it a few times. One of the biggest obstacles some instructors face is they teach by telling students what to do when they need to be teaching by example. They need to be doing demonstrations.
Better instructors
Instructors need to be able to demonstrate the skills and drills to our students. This provides students with behavior to model. After hearing the instructor explain the skill or drill, students should be able to see it so they can attempt to replicate it to the best of their ability.
Unfortunately, here’s where some instructors forget the reason for demonstrating drills. I know some instructors, even some nationally known instructors, who refuse to do demonstrations. They give excuses such as not wanting to show up their students or take up class time. However, these excuses fall flat. When it comes to taking up class time, instructors who refuse to do demonstrations often try to verbally explain techniques or tactics and end up wasting time correcting student mistakes because students didn’t fully understand what they were being asked to perform. If the instructor demonstrated what they want their students to learn, the students can use class time to practice performing the skill correctly.
If an instructor is concerned about not wanting to embarrass or show up their students, the instructor needs to reframe in their mind why they are doing demonstrations. Demonstrations are done to improve student learning and understanding. It’s not for the instructor’s ego.
When teaching a new technique, it is essential the instructor performs the demo at a speed appropriate for the students to perform. If instructors do demos at their practiced and perfected speed, the only thing the students will try to match is the speed of the instructor. The subtleties of the technique may be lost. These classes turn into nothing more than a demonstration of the instructor’s shooting prowess. No one cares. Be a better teacher.
Demonstrate what you want because you will get what you demonstrate. One of the reasons for this is because of the mirror neurons in our brains. Mirror neurons are a type of neuron in the brain involved in observational learning and imitation. When a student observes a class demonstration, the mirror neurons are activated and form new neural pathways as if the person were performing the action. This allows people to understand the actions of others and to learn new skills through imitation.
In one of our classes, we had a group of firearm instructor candidates presenting a drill they had designed. They explained the drill correctly just like they had written it out, but when it came time for the instructor demonstration, they made a mistake. Instead of doing the demonstration again, they verbally clarified how the drill was supposed to be done then ran their classmates through the drill. Every single person performed the drill the way the demonstration was done instead of how it was described. That’s the power of mirror neurons.
WATCH: Billy Etheredge with Combative Firearms Training and the Potter County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office discusses the value of instructors conducting demonstrations.
Fear is the reason
The primary reason many instructors refuse to do demonstrations is they are afraid of failing in front of students. Many instructors fear they will make a mistake and lose credibility with the class. If a simple mistake on a demonstration causes a loss of credibility, that instructor has a deeper problem. For a student, there is great value in observing someone perform a difficult skill. It shows the student what they are going to be doing and the final performance objective for that skill. Even if a mistake is made, when the instructor owns the mistake, it can be a good learning experience by giving the class a chance to discuss the mistake, talk about how to avoid the same mistake, and helps them develop a deeper understanding of the skill.
The difference between a successful demonstration and a series of poor ones is often a result of practice and planning. If instructors don’t practice the skills they’re teaching while insisting students be able to perform those skills on demand, the instructor is the problem. In the firearms world, I refer to these instructors as nothing more than a red shirt and a Sharpie. They need to just be better.
When it comes to planning for class demonstrations, it’s usually better to do more frequent but shorter demos. These are often more effective than having students watch for an extended period. Keep it simple and don’t try to cover more than one thing at once. If the process involves multiple steps, it is better to give multiple demonstrations rather than cramming it all into one segment. Finally, give your students ample time to attempt the drill or practice the techniques.
When it comes to doing demonstrations, remember it’s not about the instructor. It’s about the students. No one cares if you are the best shooter on the range. No one cares if you’re the best field training officer in the department. As the instructor, your job is to make your students better. Demonstrations need to be for the student’s learning objectives and not for the instructor’s ego. Instructors need to be more than a red shirt and a Sharpie. Be a mentor, leader, coach and teacher who can squeeze the most performance possible out of each student.
