On SERPAs and Solutions

When I decided I wanted to make training a business my kids told me I needed to become involved in social media. My daughter said, “Dad, you have to have a web site, be on Facebook, Linkedin and write a blog”. I was familiar with these things, but had not paid them much attention. I was told these were ways to call attention to the business and “any attention was good attention”. I’m guessing this mode of thought is much like the misbehavior of many Hollywood celebrities who constantly crave attention by acting like idiots in public …”any press is good press” I have heard it said.

If this is true, I accomplished the mission with my most recent blog on the Blackhawk SERPA. Judging from the comments on line as well as the e-mails sent there were more than a few folks who read it. Some were in opposition to the holster design and they gave good reasons for their opinion(s). These readers drew attention to how the design can be “locked up” due to debris in the mechanism while others commented that since it was made of polymer, it was easy to rip from the belt. Valid concerns and I will leave it to the reader to decide if they are important factors in whether or not you want to buy a SERPA.

What is disappointing are the people who decided to make it personal. One wrote stating, “I will never attend one of your courses as your comments on the SERPA make it clear that you don’t know what you’re talking about.” Really?! I e-mailed him and asked for his reasoning for his statement but he has yet to respond. As it turns out, a friend knows him and he told me, “He is an acolyte of (a famous instructor) and he spends his time on line challenging people who do not believe what (famous instructor) believes. He has no real world LE or military experience; as a matter of fact he is an assistant manager at a bank.”

Please understand there is nothing wrong with being a bank manager (my mother was one) but knowing someone’s background does offer insight into who they are, how they think and whether their thoughts should carry any “weight”. When I attend the 2012 SHOT Show and if I see this instructor, I am going to ask him if he endorses such behavior by his followers. I will do so in private
(with due respect) and not in a public forum where it appears to be more about raising one’s profile without spending years building knowledge, experience and a (deserved) reputation.

While I was receiving anti-SERPA messages, I also received messages thanking me for the information provided. A good example is: “Dave, I want to thank you for your blog on www.downrange.tv about the SERPA holster as it gave me a solution to my problem. I bought the SERPA because I like the idea of having a holster that will hold my gun in place no matter what I am doing. After seeing the You Tube video of the guy who shot himself while drawing from it, I was concerned I had made a mistake. Even though I like the idea of a holster that allows me to release the gun with the same hand motion I use to draw I was starting to doubt my choice. Your blog explained what could possibly happen and gave me several ways to avoid this. While others may ban it, you offered ways to make it work and I appreciate this. I will be in your class in Pennsylvania and look forward to training with you. Merry Christmas! Rick H—– .”

Thankfully some understood what I was trying to do. It had nothing to do with whether or not I endorsed the SERPA, it was about offering solutions for those that do. As I have stated before, being an instructor is more than just being a purveyor of my doctrine, it’s also offering possible solutions for real world problems. It never has been nor will it ever be about me and “The Doctrine of Spaulding”, it’s about the student and preparing them for situations that could cost them their lives. Trainers should not be “dictators” that insist “my way or highway” they should be knowledgeable, experienced guides for the continuing journey that is training.

I have helped develop products I hope will help solve real world problems. The Ameriglo CAP sights were a result of decades of painting or taping front sights. High visibility, contrasting front sights do work in conflict but are nothing new. I remember putting Liquid Paper on the front sight of my S & W Model 19 revolver in the 1970’s. CAP Sights offer a contrasting sight without having to worry about solvents removing the contrasting color, but the end user must know whether they will work for them. While testing the prototypes I had a shooter confront me stating, “WTF! …These sights don’t work for me!” as if I had done him a personal wrong. I told him, “Then I wouldn’t buy them if I were you.” What is a solution for one person may not be a solution for another but that does not mean (as instructors) we should not offer suggestions. Instructors should be capable of directing you, the student, towards a possible solution… In reality, isn’t training a possible solution for a potential problem?

Dave Spaulding is the 2010 Law Officer Trainer of the Year and Law Officer’s Firearms columnist. A 28-year law enforcement veteran who retired at the rank of lieutenant, he is the founder of Handgun Compatives. He has worked in corrections, communications, patrol, evidence collection, investigations, undercover operations, training and SWAT—and has authored more than 1,000 articles for various firearms and law enforcement periodicals. He’s also the author of the best-selling books Defensive Living and Handgun Combatives. Visit his web site at www.handguncombatives.com and like him on Facebook.