Man, that brings back memories. I was actually a firearms instructor before an armorer. Was for almost all 40 of my years in service. Also, a patrol rifle and tactical (SWAT) instructor, but the most rewarding was that I was an instructor trainer. One of the things that I stressed more than anything to new instructors, was to recognize how new shooters went about doing things and encourage them to keep doing it (as you say, if it isn't tactically stupid or dangerous). Train with what they are comfortable with, and as long as at the end of the day, the results are the same, keep training that way until it was innate behavior. Who cares if it was not exactly "textbook". Really detested the ones who thought they were above others because of their role, and tried to tell everyone that their way was the best/only way to do things and made anyone that didn't follow them feel stupid. Allowing folks to do things that made them feel confident and comfortable, even if it colored outside the lines a bit, made for quicker response. This dramatically reduced the "thinking" and focused on the "doing", which at the moment of truth, did not lend much time to do the former. Been through many of these situations, and seen most turn out ok because of good response training. Seen a few not go so well too because of lack of training or trying to adhere to formal procedures that didn't feel natural or instinctive.
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