Chapter 8.
BASIC BG TRAINING
Most individuals entering the business of bodyguarding do so because they already possess some of the necessary skills or aptitudes for the work, with fight training, competitive shooting or advanced driving being the most common. However, regardless of the individual's level of expertise in any or all of these three areas, this does not qualify him or her as a close protection specialist or bodyguard. Prospective BGs must still go through some form of basic schooling or supervised on-the-job training to learn the principles of effective personal protection and the art of working a client.
Professionals, in any field of endeavor, never stop training or learning, and this is especially true for protection specialists. Even for BGs or consultants that are ex-Secret Service with years on the presidential protection team, there are still skills to maintain and new information to review. Just as a police officer continues his studies into criminal behavior and methodology, and a soldier collects intelligence on changes in the enemy's armament and tactics, the BG must stay abreast of the types of criminals and crazies that may be stalking their clients.
To compound the need for continued training, the security business is very much linked to developments in the high technology industries. It comes in the form of computer driven security systems, new forms of radio or cellular communication, surveillance or counter-surveillance hardware, ballistic counter measures, or the cornucopia of other high tech toys offered in a dozen industry catalogs.
When it comes to actual BG training, there are as many different sources as there are subjects that need to be studied or practiced. This is true for both the seasoned professional and the aspiring rookie.
TYPES OF TRAINING
The type of training that a bodyguard requires will depend on his background, prior experience and the nature of the contracts he wishes to pursue. However, there are some commonalities in training and tactics that all BGs will require.
The bodyguard's primary mission is to supply professional close protection for an individual, giving that individual the confidence to go about his or her daily life secure in the knowledge that they have a guardian angel. This requires more than just guns and muscle. The principal needs to be able to draw confidence from the knowledge that the BG is a well trained professional who will steer them clear of danger or react appropriately when confronted.
The first type of training that a prospective BG will need is a course or program that covers all the fundamentals of bodyguarding as covered in Chapters 4, 6, 15 and 19 - 24. This is not the rough and tough action stuff like shooting and driving, but more the planning, threat recognition and movement drills that make up the foundation of personal protection.
Once the trainee has a firm grasp of the realities of BG work, the next order of business will be to improve personal fitness and enroll in some form of martial arts training (Chapters 9). Then comes a couple of days training in basic protection drills(Chapter 10), followed by a day of first aid and basic emergency medicine(Chapter 11).
Only after all of the above have been completed should the trainee invest time and money in evasive driver training (Chapter 14) and advanced combat weaponscraft (Chapters 12 & 13).
Notice how shooting comes in last. That is not to diminish the importance of proficiency with arms but to put it in perspective. It would be difficult to find many, if any, instances in the US where a bodyguard successfully shot an assailant in the act of attacking a VIP. Since the BG's first priority is to cover and evacuate, and that usually takes both hands, it is somewhat difficult for the lone bodyguard to also handle a gun effectively.
Conversely, even though the ability to recognize and avoid an ambush is more important than the ability to drive out of one; and the ability to drive out of an ambush is more important than the need to shoot one's way out of one; if the threat level warrants evasive driving and firepower, then all involved should be proficient in both.
Remember the order in which a BG approaches operations and solves problems:
Know Your Enemy
Plan Movements
Avoid Danger Zones
Identify the Threat
Cover the Principal
Evacuate the Kill Zone (or)
Aggressive Counter Force
Stabilize Injuries
Seek EMS Assistance
This is the same order in which one approaches training. The professional learns to play the game with his brain, not his brawn - but when all else fails, a little brawn (along with a 4000 pound car and a few well placed hollow-points) does have value.
After the bodyguard has absorbed all this training and gained an acceptable level of proficiency, the BG should then expand his training into the areas of anti-intrusion systems, alarm systems, surveillance systems, electronic system design, technical surveillance counter measures (TSCM), and other fields of high technology. This is not with the aim of becoming a systems engineer but simply to be able to recognize, operate and discuss intelligently the hardware with which one is sure to come in contact.
While on the subject of types of training, it is important for the bodyguard to understand the difference between instruction and training; schools and training centers; and instructors and trainers. Many rookies waste time and money when they confuse knowledge with skill, or time in the classroom with training experience.
BG schools and instructors are sources of information, techniques, tactics, methodology, and general higher learning on the subject of personal protection. Training centers and trainers, on the other hand, take that new knowledge and turn it into practical application. The primary differences between the two groups being time and sweat.
Some schools structure their programs around classroom lectures, and admittedly, a skillful teacher with field experience and good audio-visuals can make time in the classroom a worthwhile learning experience. But no matter how much one concentrates and takes notes, there is only so much that the brain can absorb in one sitting.
The better schools are training centers where the instructors use lectures as primers for hands-on training and field training exercises (FTX). Without the opportunity to immediately put theory into practice, new knowledge is soon forgotten. Without the opportunity positively reinforce newly acquired skills through many successful repetitions, those new skills will never become habit or reflex.
In a business where attacks come fast and hesitation could mean the difference between life and death, reactions must be reflexive. To hone skills to a reflexive level there is no substitute for repetition and positive reinforcement under the watchful eye of an experienced instructor/trainer. This requires time, dedication and hard work - three things that are seldom mentioned in BG school brochures.
SAMPLE TRAINING PROGRAMS
The following is a list of topics in which the bodyguard will need to receive training. The general order of progression starts with essential initial training in Individual Skills, moving on to more advanced Team Skills, and finally into the more specialized areas of study.
Initial Training
Basic BG Procedures
The Role of the BG
Responsibilities of the BG
Types of Clients
Basic Threat Assessment
Working the Residence
Corporate Security
First Aid & CPR
Terrorism Overview
Basic Explosive Identification
Defensive Tactics for Close Protection
Close Protection Foot Drills
Vehicle Selection & Modification
Precision and Performance Protective Driving
Basic Combat Weapons Training
Close Quarter Protective Shooting
Advanced Training
Advanced Weapons Training
Ambush Identification & Avoidance
Evasive & Offensive Driving
Close Protection Team Drills
Risk Management & Reduction
Counter Surveillance
Advanced Unarmed Combat & CQB
Emergency Trauma Medicine
Terrorist Method and Motivation
International Travel
Corporate Aircraft Security
Running the Advance Team
Special Event Management
Specialized Training
Electronic Counter Measures
Security System Design
Bomb Search Procedure
Maritime Security
Alpine Ski Security
Threatening Mail Interpretation
Criminal Psychology
SOURCES OF TRAINING
When reading both foreign and domestic gun or adventurer magazines, one could be lead to believe that bodyguard schools abounded and that bodyguarding was the fastest growing industry in the United States, if not the world. If the truth be known, there is not that much work out there for individuals with no more experience than a diploma from a BG school, and many of the schools that one sees advertising last no more than a year in business (except the government run programs).
Bodyguard training is available under a number of titles such as Executive Protection, CP or BG Training, Counter Terrorism, VIP Protection, etc, but it all comes from one of two sources, the government or private sector.
Government training is primarily for federal agents, military and sworn law enforcement, while private sector schools cater to the civilian bodyguards. There are times however when police and military make use of private sector schools, and select civilians are permitted to participate in government training.
GOVERNMENT
Many police departments, federal agencies, and military units have some use for close protection training. This can come in both formal programs and informal on-the-job exercises.
The best known of the federal protective teams is the US Secret Service. Like many special agents of the Department of Treasury, Secret Service personnel receive their basic training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) and then move onto their own training facility, the James J. Rowley Training Center, in Laurel, Maryland. The Rowley Center is utilized by both the Secret Service uniformed branch who guard the white house, and the more familiar special agents who move with the President, VP and first family. It is here that agents perfect driving skills, learn advanced weapons and tactics, close protection drills, CQB and water safety.
Both the Secret Service in DC and FLETC in Glencoe, Georgia, offer a number of VIP security programs for various law enforcement agencies with a need for that type of training.
This would include the major metropolitan police departments that have officers assigned to dignitary or diplomatic security units within their cities. In some cases these are fulltime dedicated teams and in others they are drawn when needed from Special Enforcement or Metro SWAT divisions. All at some time in their careers will work or train with the Secret Service.
Outside of the more formal programs offered by the Secret Service, it is not unusual for the officers from specialized police units, along with ex-Secret Service agents to offer training programs for fellow officers or other qualified individuals.
In the US military, the Military Police and counter terrorist teams of all branches of the services, run BG and CP schools for there own personnel who may be tasked with the protection of general staff officers. The same is true of foreign units like the SAS, GIGN and GSG-9 who host much sort after BG training programs for both police and military personnel.
PRIVATE SECTOR
Without prior police, government or military training in VIP protection, an individual can find it difficult to break into bodyguarding. However, there are many who learn their trade on the job, at some point given the opportunity to act as bodyguard for a celebrity and then figured the rest out as they went along. Bodybuilders and martial artists, working as bouncers in nightclubs or security for event management companies, will periodically be offered a chance to cover a model, actress, rock n'roller or similar celebrity. From there, befriending the celebrity and landing a permanent position as their bodyguard. But these types will have trouble graduating to a career in professional protection without more substantial formal training. In the private sector there are numerous sources of security related training. Some schools thinking that they can train a bodyguard from start to finish while others concentrating on only one particular skill like driving or shooting.
For the individual wishing to avoid the big single expense of a multi-week BG school, there are several related specialty programs that will help a budding BG into the business. These courses will also help bring the rookie up to speed on individual skills, better preparing them for more advanced BG training.
Local community colleges and shooting ranges often offer a variety of security related classes at a reasonable cost. If security guards are state regulated in that state, then one can start by going through the state required guard training and firearms training. In California these programs are run at most indoor shooting ranges and provide the trainee with a state Guard Card and a Gun Card with minimal (and I do mean minimal) training in civilian powers of arrest, search, seizure and the defensive use of deadly force. For the more academically inclined, many colleges offer administration of justice programs, police science degrees and even formal security industry courses.
For classes in emergency medicine, certification in basic life support, First Aid and CPR is available through the Red Cross, American Heart Association or most community colleges.
If not already active in martial arts, the hopeful BG should enroll in a reputable dojo or gym that offers not just traditional karate, aikido or judo but applied self defense programs that are more street oriented.
For two of the more fun parts of VIP protection, driving and shooting, there are dozens of schools available offering either or both of these skills, but only a few are worth the money.
For driver training, Tony Scotti, Bob Bondurant, Direct Action and BSR all offer excellent programs in high performance and evasive driving. Some programs are generic performance driving while others are tailored more to corporate bodyguards and chauffeurs (See Chapter 14).
For basic and advanced tactical firearms training, such schools as Gunsite Training Center in Paulden, Arizona and Thunder Ranch in Kerrville, Texas offer a variety of excellent programs. Other good schools are ISI, MISS, LFI and the Chapman Academy, all being well known and well respected (See Chapter 13).
However, even with proficiency in first aid, martial arts, shooting and evasive driving, the novice bodyguard still lacks the mission specific drills, defensive tactics and protocols of a close protection specialist. Since these subjects are only superficially covered in driving and shooting schools, the BG must learned more either on the job or at a reputable executive protection school.
Professional schools like Richard Kobetz's Executive Protection Institute, in Berryville, Virginia are probably the best place for a private bodyguard to begin his training. Their program titled Providing Protective Services, takes the student through all the intricacies of planning, movement, procedures, etiquette, protocol, liability and the legal issues of BG work, to ultimately become a school certified Personal Protection Specialist (PPS).
Selecting a school is very much a case of "let the buyer beware". There are many less reputable schools that promise the world and produce very little. The total novice may be impressed by their slick brochure and bells and whistles programs, but with time and experience will realize that most was just smoke and mirrors.
In selecting a school, the BG should look first at the credentials of the instructional staff, since it is not necessarily the name of the school that will look good on a resume but rather the credibility and reputation of its instructors within the industry. These schools are not cheap and when adding travel and accommodation expenses, they can be all of a young man or woman's savings.
For those not wanting to spend the time or money on the longer one or two week programs, groups like the Executive Protection Institute run a series of two day seminars around the U.S. covering such subjects as: VIP Protection, System Design, Corporate Aircraft or Yacht Security, and Contemporary Terrorism. Tony Scotti's school also has traveling programs on Executive Security, primarily in the areas of Protective Driving, Bomb Recognition, Attack Recognition, Route Surveys and Vehicle Communications.
PERSONAL ENDEAVOR
Unlike government agents who are constantly in training, or at least have numerous schools available to them, the private bodyguard, as in most civilian professions, must constantly seek out sources of training and knowledge to help further his career.
In fact, for many bodyguards, the advanced training becomes the most interesting part of an otherwise often boring job.
The first and most available source of information is books, magazines, periodicals, case studies and academic papers. There are literally hundreds of publications on the market covering every aspect of executive protection and its many related subjects. Apart from just bodyguarding, the serious student should read up on past assassinations, attacks on executives abroad, terrorism, international politics, sub-national conflict, explosive devices, developments in security technology, etc.
To stay abreast of recent incidents, the professional can read the newspaper, watching CNN and subscribing to Time or Newsweek magazines. Another source of valuable information and training are security industry and tactical law enforcement associations. Most of these publish news letters, have conferences and host a number of excellent trade shows and training seminars each year.
Shooting skills can be maintained by frequent trips to the range while driving skills can be honed by simply becoming a more alert, smoother, safer driver. Personal fitness will benefit from a controlled diet and period trips to the gym or dojo. Add to all this an increased situational awareness and the individual is well on the way to becoming a more effective protector.
"The road to excellence is never ending
- so the search must be unrelenting"
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| Contents
| Chapter 4
| Chapter 8
| About Bodyguard
| Order
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