If you have ever heard ken Murray speak or read his excellent book Training at the Speed of Life (available at www.warriorspiritbooks.com) you are familiar with the phrase “Unintended Consequences of well intentioned training.” This term refers to training that is intended to prepare officers for the street and program the officers for success, but may actually be setting them up for failure.
Over the next two week’s I will talk about a couple of examples of training that I believe falls into this category based on both my experience and discussions with officers that have been through this training.
Boxing
Now I am not opposed to teaching boxing fundamentals such striking, power development, movement, etc. I am however, strongly opposed to boxing programs where officers are put into a ring and actually box. The intent behind this type of training is to expose officers to combat; to put them in an environment where they will experience interpersonal human aggression, where they will experience being in a fight and actually getting hit. I agree these are important elements in training however, lets examine the concerns I have with boxing.