'Over learning' philosophy sharpens skills

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Mark McLean
  • 76th Airlift Squadron commander
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AFPN) --  Whenever we approach another wing exercise or warrior day folks inevitably ask, “Why do we practice bleeding? Haven’t we done this enough?”

For those who feel that way, let me describe another viewpoint. I would like to suggest that for the next exercise, we practice until we are perfect and employ the philosophy of “over learning.” This is the term Don Shula, the famous football coach, uses to describe his method of practice. And it is a great idea for warriors.

“Over learning,” Shula explains, “means that the players are so prepared for a game that they have the skill and confidence needed to make a big play.”

His style of practice is to limit the number of goals and moves his players work on, to cut down on practice errors, to make players absolutely master their assignments, and then seek continuous improvement. Bottom line: he insists on practice perfection.

I have found this style of training to be effective, particularly for war-fighting tasks. I always strive to practice until perfection every time. And no, I don’t achieve perfection, but I do drive myself hard to get to a level of perfection that by my definition is nearly impossible to attain. And often it means I have to do a task over and over again, rather than simply debrief the minor errors.

For example, in flying we have “boldface procedures.” These are emergency procedures so critical they are written in boldface type and must be memorized perfectly, down to the letter, comma or hyphen. A pilot must be able to recite them without defect. This process ensures the crewmember has them memorized correctly and can recall them during an emergency.

The procedures are practiced on every training flight, and must be written down once each month. Crewmembers know these procedures cold. We keep practicing so we can do the task with confidence and proficiency when it counts.

When I was stationed at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., I worked with special operations alert crews. They had the same requirements for chemical warfare operations, but they practiced them much more in depth.

Rather than a simple suit up, they flew missions with the gear on, worked with night vision goggles on hot steamy nights while fully dressed out, and they conducted full decontamination procedures at the end of the day. They were good, and it showed! They had confidence in the gear and were ready to use it for real.

Often I see folks going through the motions to fill out a square. Just how close to perfection did you try to get during your last suit up in chem gear? Did you get it down to the last snap, bootlace, tape location, or was it all “close enough?” And this isn’t just about chem warfare. It applies to every task: self-aid and buddy care, pallet build up, deployment line processing, unit control center checklists, etc. Work hard to make all your actions perfect.

Why should everyone strive for practice perfection? For one thing, it makes it more challenging. For another, it drives home the training so you can operate instinctively, quickly and with fewer mistakes when it really matters.

Another benefit to “over learning” is that by learning your assignment or task inside and out, you are ready for the inevitable “audibles," to use the football analogy, that are called out just before the snap. You are prepared to make on-the-fly adjustments at the last moment. Your flexibility is increased, and you are more likely to have a successful outcome -- the winning edge.

So, for your next warrior day, exercise or training event, dig deep and give it your all. Try to achieve realism and perfection. In Shula’s words, “You play at the level you practice, so practice hard.” (Courtesy of U.S. Forces in Europe News Service)