Feedback Requested – Training Classes Scheduling
It is certainly true that the evolution of the class offerings and structure at MVT have come in part from consultations with students, as well as out own observations on how to improve what we offer.
When we added the Combat Patrol class, it was a prerequisite to have attended CRCD. Because of requests from students who had a long way to travel, and wanted to knock it all out in one go, we added the 5 day combined class, which has since become 6 days with the addition of the TC3/RMP in front.
In two posts over recent days, I have explained the new prerequisites for CRCD:
‘Changes to MVT Class Attendance Prerequisites’
‘CRCD Places Available (predictably)!’
Here is the new class prerequisite training policy:
1) RMP will remain optional but strongly encouraged prior to CRCD classes, even for alumni. We all need refresher training, as much as we can get.
2) CRM will be mandatory as a prerequisite to CRCD classes, unless:
- you can demonstrate that you have taken at least 16 hours of accepted weapons manipulation training. MVT will have the final say on what training/schools we accept. Don’t try and bluff it, you are only cheating yourself.
- those currently booked onto CRCD classes as of the date of this post will be grandfathered in and will not require CRM. However, RMP is strongly encouraged (CRM encompasses RMP, and both classes are still encouraged prior to CRCD).
3) If, despite these prerequisites, you are able to bluff your way onto a class, and the remedial training/individual attention required to get you up to speed will affect the training experience of the rest of the class to an unacceptable level, MVT reserves the right to stand you down from the class. We haven’t done it yet, but with these new policies there isn’t really any excuse. One of the main problems we have is with students who have training scars from bad schools or self-training. RMP helps with this, but CRM helps a lot more.
Predictably, there have now been calls to schedule CRM and CRCD consecutively, rather than concurrently as happens now. There are some conflicts here, and I am going to lay it out for you and see what sort of feedback we get. These options / considerations are for planning purposes for the new training schedule beyond January 2015, and won’t affect the current 2014 schedule:
1) As a rule, we schedule classes mainly on weekends, or incorporating weekends, because most people work and weekends are easier to get time off. We try to lessen the impact on your vacation days. Both Aaron and I have various commitments which means we usually schedule 2 perhaps 3 weekends a month, depending how many there are in that month, for MVT training.
2) I have the following suggestion as a possible compromise on the concurrent or consecutive scheduling of the CRM & CRCD training:
- Cancel the current 5 day combined CRCD / Combat Patrol class. Run Combat Patrol independently once per quarter. It is a 3 day class and currently the top of the progression triangle in terms of what MVT offers.
- Work on 1 concurrent CRM / CRCD training weekend a month. Saturday and Sunday for both classes, as we do right now. TC3/RMP would precede this class on the Friday, mainly as a refresher for those who completed CRM or CRCD some time ago, or who did the 16 hours of equivalency training, which probably won’t turn out to be equivalent or adequate
- Allocate the other weekend per month to a combined CRM / CRCD consecutive class. In this case, RMP will not be necessary, which gives the option for a full optional TC3 day. Something like:
- Thursday: Optional TC3 training day. 8 hours rather than 4 hours TC3 instruction.
- Friday & Saturday: CRM.
- Sunday & Monday: CRCD.
- This option would work for Aaron and I with his non-MVT commitments, and also minimize impact on your vacation days. I assume it is easier to take a Friday and Monday off than mid week? If we incorporate holidays on the Monday, that makes it easier – something I currently do with Combat Patrol, such as Memorial and Labor day. I may or may not keep those holidays for the Combat Patrol scheduling. That’s what sick days are for, right?
- If we did the 4 (5 day with TC3) combined class once a month, the priority would go to those who are taking the whole class. If there were spaces available, then they could go to those who just wanted CRM, or CRCD if they had already met the prerequisites.
- Combat Patrol, and other classes such as CHM, would be fitted in on the ‘third’ weekend as appropriate. There may also be scope, for example, for Aaron to run CRM or CHM while I am running a Patrol class.
So there you go, options. I would like to hear feedback. Please remember that we have to find middle ground that will work for most people.
Of course, we don’t have to do any of this. We could just keep it as it is and run CRM when we run CRCD. See these comments from one of the posts, discussing this issue:
Comments welcome.
Max
If CRM is by default a requirement for CRCD then I suggest that it be scheduled prior to those classes. Similar to how RMP is before CRCD weekend. Seriously, if I’m hauling my ass that far it makes sense to have continuity from the prep skills to the primary course. Besides the cost of travel and time off from work/school or whatever. I appreciate that this would require some massaging of the schedule but since the requirements have evolved so too should the schedule.
I understand. But, as already remarked, we can’t accommodate that, certainly for this training year.
We do run a 5 day for long distance students for CRCD and patrol.
Because we cannot do same with CRM, we have allowed the 16 hours equivalency training.
Please understand that MVT is a young and growing school. Aaron, for example, has other commitments.
We will get there in the end.
Understand the commitment conflict. Just chipping in that later schedules might benefit from a cycle of classes progressing from the “intros” RMP/CRM into CRCD then Patrol. Looking forward to attending all of them
Here’s the flip side no one wants to talk about. Training is just that. It’s training. Once you are shown the correct techniques and sequence of events it’s your responsibility to practice them correctly over and over often to gain proficiency. No one works out at the gym once and calls it good. Yes we can run CRM and CRCD back to back but that’s going to be just the bare minimum of training to get you up to speed. There is so much more we just do not have the time for it in a few short days. I again want to stress that with each of these classes Max and I are trying to cram years of concentrated training and experience into a few precious hours.