The history of how firearms training has evolved has yet to be written. However, certain elements are obvious to everyone, such as the influence of men like Rex Applegate, Col. Jeff Cooper, Jim Cirillo and a host of others.
We stand on the shoulders of giants, but we aren’t standing pat. The world we live in is changing, with new technologies which facilitate new methods of instruction being introduced. Our society is changing, and therefore the dangers we may face are changing as well.
To get an idea of where firearms training is headed, I reached out to three people on the front lines of the firearms training world to get their opinion on where firearms training was headed. How much of it will be online? Will virtual reality play a significant role? Will the nature of the threats we face change? Here are their answers.
John Correia
John runs Active Self Protection, a very popular YouTube channel specializing in analyzing defensive encounters. John is also a firearms trainer and bases his content on the events in the videos he shares online.
How much of firearms training will be online?
We’re seeing more and more students show up to their first class who are highly competent technical shooters, thanks to dry fire training devices and online videos. Online communities can provide feedback to individuals, so it’s not just one person and their phone doing drills in isolation. One student with no formal training did a 2.5 second Bill Drill on the line, which is an advanced-level score for that drill.
How much of it will be done in virtual reality?
VR is great for working on visual processing, dot acquisition and the other skills you need to acquire after you learn the fundamentals. The visual systems, like Virtua, are also great, but they tend to be too linear and focus on law enforcement scenarios. AI, however, is very close to providing that real-time immersive environment.
Will it still be focused on training individuals, or will we see more team-focused training as people feel the need to protect more than just themselves?
We’re starting to do a lot of “force on paper” classes that are scenario-based for both individuals and groups. We’re seeing a decrease in criminal violence, which is great, but it’s very uneven, and we’re seeing a lot of outliers, where violence happens in places it normally shouldn’t. What I am also seeing is a lot of random interpersonal social violence, which I think stems from a degradation in social decor, so our training needs to adjust to fit this new threat.
Ken Campbell
Ken Campbell is the CEO of Gunsite, the world’s oldest private firearms training school. He is also a current Gunsite instructor and a former Indiana Sheriff. While Gunsite is the oldest school in the world, Ken works hard to ensure the school’s training is up to date.
How much of firearms training will be online?
We’re looking at sending our class textbook to students electronically before a class so they can get up to speed before the class. However, it’s very difficult to get the same amount of cognitive loading and adrenaline dump that you get with actual trigger time on the range with experienced instructors or in the type of person-on-person shootoffs we do.
How much of it will be done in virtual reality?
We’ve looked at a couple of the systems out there and are evaluating how they can work in conjunction with our curriculum. It’s a useful tool, but what you learn in virtual reality needs to be validated in actual reality.
Will it still be focused on training individuals, or will we see more team-focused training as people feel the need to protect more than just themselves?
“Team” is a very generic word. It could mean just your spouse, or your family or maybe your friends. We have the church defense, three- and five-day team tactics classes and a variety of active shooter response classes, so it’s always been a part of what we offer. We’re definitely having more demand for team-based classes and have some classes such as executive protection rolling out in the near future to help fulfill this need. I’m a seeing an increase in incidents which require a team response, whether it’s home invasions or civil unrest or an incident at a public event, so training needs to adjust to this fact.
Brian Hill
A former Fulton County Deputy Sheriff and competitive mixed martial artist, Brian and his wife Shelley run The Complete Combatant, a firearms training company focused on integrating the lessons learned from martial arts into the American martial art of concealed carry.
How much of firearms training will be online?
It’s a very useful tool for building technical skills, but it lacks cognitive loading and stress-testing needed to perform well under pressure. I think, however, that a significant amount of the fundamentals of firearms training will move online. It’s important to have a coach of some sort to correct your mistakes, and the access to a coach is greater online than it is in-person.
How much of it will be done in virtual reality?
The best part of VR is the buy-in. It gets people to practice more because it’s done inside their homes. However, there are some visual compromises with a VR system, as everything how happens on one focal plane. We’re setting students, though, with a million (virtual) rounds of dry fire practice before they take a class, which improves their skills on the firing line. There’s also the social element, with friends around the country competing with each other, which also makes them practice more.
Will it still be focused on training individuals, or will we see more team-focused training as people feel the need to protect more than just themselves?
I think we’ll still see it as more individual-focused, but there’s definitely a need for couples-based training. There are different emotions which come under stress than in a normal environment. The key is well-defined roles: Who takes lead? Who manages medical care? Who takes care of the kids? These need to be defined before an incident happens, because it won’t suddenly appear when needed.