Image Based Decisional Drills Instruction Booklet

Before you get started I would like to ask one favor. Please do NOT share this page with anyone. The information provided on this page is intended for YOU, our customers/clients. Each one of you have received an Image Based Decisional Drills Instruction Booklet along with your order. Obviously, the information on those pages will not magically update so this page is the next best thing PLUS you can access it ANYWHERE!

The purpose of this "secret squirrel" page is so our wonderful clients can have information (NEW or otherwise) at your fingertips. As I have mentioned in several videos and in print, the subject matter may not vary much but the "options and decisions" may grow as our industry finds new and better ways to deal with threats and make better decisions. UPDATES will be HERE!

Please understand that this is not to be shared to "instruct" in any professional manner. If you are a "professional" in the firearms industry/community and want to share this knowledge to guide others then we encourage you to become an Image Based Decisional Drill Certified Instructor. THEN YOU WILL HAVE OUR FULL SUPPORT AND EVEN DISCOUNTS FOR YOU AND YOUR STUDENTS!

NEVER stop practicing decisions!
Brian & Shelley Hill

Definition of Success:
To quickly make ONE good FIRST decision based on visual stimuli and instantly act on it. Be confident, decisive, efficient, & explosive.

People carry a lot of gear but gear does not solve the problem….you do. We even go as far to say that decisions are more important than techniques.
 
Image Based Decisional Drills is a well thought out dry practice or live fire exercise with a deck of 21 Image Cards (with and without additional "tools") that provide IMAGES that will help you to recognize danger and to make smart decisions ahead of time.

Recognition -prime decision (RPD) is a model of how people make quick, effective decisions when faced with complex situations. In this model, the decison maker is assumed to generate a possible course of action, compare it to the constraints imposed by the situation, and select the first course of action that is not rejected. RPD has been described in diverse groups including trauma nurses, fireground commanders, chess players, and stock market traders. It functions well in conditions of time pressure, and in which information is partial and goals poorly defined. The limitations of RPD include the need for extensive experience among decision-makers (in order to correctly recognize the salient features of a problem and model solutions) and the problem of the failure of recognition and modeling in unusual or misidentified circumstances. It appears, as discussed by Gary A. Klein in Sources of Power,[1] to be a valid model for how human decision-makers make decisions.

Image Based Decisional Drills will help teach you to you access the situation using a mental simulation for a plausible course of action, allowing you to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the strategies in the content of the scenario.
 
If you are your first responder, then you are responsible for a wide array of skill sets. Seeing, recognizing, and believing danger is the first task. Having a plan for avoidance, deselection, and escalation are next.  The first time you have to use verbal commands, put an object between you and another person, deal with a nuisance, identify a possible threat in the dark, or use non lethal or lethal force should NOT be when your safety is on the line. You MUST practice all of these skills ahead of time.

There are very few home training, self protection training for professionals or students, dry practice or live fire range exercises for the private citizen that focus on making lethal, less than lethal and non lethal decisions quickly. Our Image Based Decisional Drills are intended to fill in the gap in learning how to make decisions using images to provoke a response, decide which TOOL to use, and then ACT on that decision. From the time that a bad guy chooses you, you will have a very limited amount of time to make a decision. THEY choose how and when. Your actions need to be confident, quick and decisive.
 
In all scenarios the image is happening to YOU, in front of YOU, beside YOU or behind YOU. YOU are your first responder and decisions need to be made quickly.
 
Please like/follow IBDD Instagram and Facebook for IBDD updates, current events, discussions, photos and MORE!

Visit our Image Based Decisional Drills website for HELPFUL RESOURCES, REVIEWS, EXPANSION PACKS, IBDD INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION, IBDD CLASS SCHEDULE ACROSS THE COUNTRY, DOWNLOADABLES, AND MORE.
 
Want more training? We recommend The Complete Combatant in Dahlonega, Georgia. The Complete Combatant is also HOSTED across the country, you never know, they may be teaching in your area. Visit thecompletecombatant.com to see learning options and course locations. They can be found on social media plus they have an outstanding YOUTUBE channel.
Please consider SMART CHOICES IMAGE CARDS for your children. Smart Choices is a well thought out deck of 84 Image Cards that focuses on IMAGES that will help parents/teachers/educators teach children to recognize danger and to make smart choices ahead of time. Smart Choices will aid in having a plan for the whole family so you AND your child will know what to do when presented with some difficult decisions.
There’s a reason your child’s storybooks are filled with colorful pictures and images.  Visuals are proven to help increase learning retention for kids, adds context and makes it easier for kids to follow along and interpret the context of your conversations.

According to Dr. Lynell Burmark, education consultant who writes and speaks about visual literacy: “…unless our words, concepts, ideas are hooked onto an image, they will go in one ear, sail through the brain, and go out the other ear. Words are processed by our short-term memory where we can only retain about seven bits of information (plus or minus 2) […]. Images, on the other hand, go directly into long-term memory where they are indelibly etched.”

Smart Choices Image Cards was designed to focus on your child processing primarily in pictures rather than words, so ideas are interconnected, and your child can see the relationship between elements (verbal discussion plus visual learning) in the whole.

Here are just a few advantages of this style of IMAGE BASED learning:
  • Pictures appeal to curious young minds
  • Respond to visual information FASTER
  • Most effective way to make sure your conversations get stored as a long-term memory
  • Communication between you and your child can be quicker and even deeper
  • Grasps concepts easily by stimulating imagination
  • Smart Choices Image Cards will help your child CONNECT your  previous conversations and our images with REAL LIFE situations. We are working as a team to set them up for success,  find the SMART CHOICE "file" that relates to the situation, act on it and get home safely.

Please visit our Smart Choices BLOG and our STATISTICS: It Is Not The Odds, But The Stakes page. 
IBDD BENEFITS:
  • Visual cueing, pre-need decision making, tool cycling, distance management, and strategy changes that can be practiced on the range.
  • You may experience “Altered Perceptions” during or after an IBDD scenario (or real life event). KNOWING THIS NOW will benefit you LATER. Most common “altered Perceptions” are embellishment, creating another narrative or storytelling, auditory exclusion, tachypsychia, color transference, stalling, and visual problems.
  • Pressure testing under realistic time constraints with feedback for improvement.
  • IBDD can be beneficial ON or OFF the range. The actual mechanics of shooting can be practiced separately while the IBDD drills will help with tool handling and selection, therefore a BLUEGUN, plastic trainer, or SIRT Training Pistol is a suitable substitute.
  • You can work with IBDD solo or with a group.  
  • IBDD comes packed up in a bag and ready to travel.
  • IBDD is very easy to set up and very easy to take down.
  • Using a BLUEGUN, plastic trainer, or SIRT Training Pistol? WE recommend the SIR Training Pistol for immediate feedback. You can also designate a small section in your house, garage, basement, etc. and leave it up.  
  • All ages are welcome to take part in IBDD. Age will change the availability of suitable tools, but will still help with the decisions concerning available strategies. Image cards that would provoke a “shoot” decision would turn into escape or run decisions. If your child would have to make personal protection decisions alone, then choose suitable cards for their environment or possible scenarios.
  • All levels of experience are welcome. The benefits are the same for everybody. The more experience you have, the more "tools", actions, and movements that can be introduced. If you have training in additional areas of self protection like “low ready”, jacks, saps, edged weapons, hand to hand, etc. then add these to your scenario. You can place the IBDD “tools” on your body as an EDC. Also, your cognitive stacking may be quicker and easier so challenge yourself!
IBDD KIT CONTENTS:
  • 1 Water resistant carry bag
  •  5 IBDD business cards to pass out to your friends
  • 1 Instruction booklet
  • URL link to our hidden ONLINE IBDD Booklet web page: imagebaseddecisionaldrills.com/ibdd-booklet
  • 1 “Options” cheat sheet
  • 21 Image Based Decisional Drill Image Cards
  • 1 Flashlight from HK USA (battery included)
  • 1 Stream INERT TRAINING OC/Pepper Spray canister from POM Industries
  • 1 “Simple Steps to Apply a Tourniquet” from Civilian Defender & The Complete Combatant
  • 1 Push button phone (prop only)​
  • 2 IBDD Challenge Cards featuring the 5X5 Drill 
 
IBDD NO KIT CONTENTS:
  • 5 IBDD business cards to pass out to your friends
  • 1 Instruction booklet
  • URL link to our hidden ONLINE IBDD Booklet web page: imagebaseddecisionaldrills.com/ibdd-booklet
  • 1 “Options” cheat sheet
  • 21 Image Based Decisional Drill Image Cards
  • 1 “Simple Steps to Apply a Tourniquet” from Civilian Defender & The Complete Combatant
YOU WILL NEED:
  • FIRST: Make the decision if this is dry practice in a non-live fire setting or live fire on the range. Set up your “practice space” accordingly.
  • Table
  • Timer, stopwatch, etc.
  • Target: The more realistic the dimensions, and shape, are to a “human” the better.
  • We recommend using an IDPA Cardboard Torso Target (not included) for live fire on the range. Cut out the 2 circles (4 inch ocular cavity & 8 inch upper thoracic area) & now you have 2 NEGATIVE spaces in your target . Hang a regular white target back side facing you and place the IDPA Cardboard Torso Target OVER that. With this method it is very quick and easy to see the location of your misses on the IDPA Cardboard Torso Target or to see 100% accuracy because you will still have a clean IDPA Cardboard Torso Target.
  • Firearm with holster OR firearm (with mat) to be used from a “table start” OR BLUEGUN, plastic trainer, or SIRT Training Pistol that can be presented from a holster or from a “table start”.
  • WE HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend you purchase a SIRT Training Pistol to use during your practice sessions. IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK IS MOST BENEFICIAL. A BLUEGUN/REPLICA will do in a pinch. Order a SIRT  Training Pistol from Next Level Training and use our promo code to receive 10% off: TCCSIRT
  • Depending on your location: SIRT, Replica, Plastic, BlueGun, disabled firearm, or firearm for live fire on the range
  • Inert OC Spray (POM, Ind.)
  • Flashlight
  • Prop phone
  • IBDD Image Cards
  • "Simple Steps to Apply a Tourniquet"
  • "Options" Cheat Sheet

HOW TO SET UP IBDD:
  • Target set at 4 yards: WHY? 4 yards is the boundary between Public Space and Social Space in proxemics.
  • Place all items listed in GREEN on your IBDD table/bench 
  • SIRT/firearm holster of table start? Plan accordingly 
  • SHUFFLE IBDD Image cards and place on table with image side down (stacked or spread out).
IMAGE BASED DECISIONAL DRILL GUIDELINES:

REMEMBER the Definition of Success: To quickly make ONE good FIRST decision based on visual stimuli and instantly act on it.
Be confident, decisive, efficient, & explosive.
  • You are working from 4 yards so consider your scenarios at about that range.
  • Just like in real life, Visual Stimuli is the “go signal” when you flip over the image card.
  • Set TIMER at “random” start with a 5 second par time. Can use “stop watch” style as well.
  • After you flip over an Image Card, you have 5 seconds (which is VERY generous) to look at the image and make a decision.
  • Now ACT ON THAT DECISION.
  • Would you call 911 after? If so, DO IT on your prop phone.
  • If you are practicing on a live range and you would choose to walk away, side step or run away after looking at your Image card then SAY IT, DON’T DO IT, and explain your plan of action. “Movement” like “J step or side step” can be considered an “advanced” skill so if you have no experience with “movement” then we would advise against movement on a live range. If you are DRY practicing and the space is available, then movement can be introduced. SAFETY FIRST!
  • After your drill, place the card to the side and continue on.
 
Start with just ONE decision at a time and gradually build on your decisions and your actions as you get more comfortable. You may even reduce the time allotted.
  • Example of DRY practice cognitive stacking and staying in the process: Consider placing the “IBDD tools” on your person and wear your everyday carry (EDC) concealed. Let’s say that the card you flipped over is a person with a balled up fist raised above their head, angry expression, and heading your way.
  1. You consider walking away or running, but they are getting too close for that option.
  2. You put your frames/hands up and use your verbal skills. No go…they are not stopping.
  3. You deploy your POM stream INERT OC/Pepper Spray and spray them WHILE using verbal command with your support hand UP as another way to block or keep separation. You will also step to the right or the left. This will not only add a bit of space and time but you have also moved away from the last place they saw you right before you OC/Pepper sprayed them. BIG ADVANTAGE.
  4. After you spray, RUN AWAY (mock run).
  5. You get to a safe place and call 911.
  6. Description of the assailant?
  7. Now assess your drill. Confident? Good decisions and quick actions? 100% accuracy using OC/Pepper Spray? How can you improve?
  • Once you are confident with your decisions then start changing things up and improvise. Before you start your next practice session, kick your imagination in gear and change the distance (closer or further), reduce or increase the time, place family members in front or behind the image, lighting, non permissive environment or location, in your car, etc.
  • We highly recommend taking good notes if you are practicing solo so you can follow your own progress. If you are working with a group then please save time for valuable pro & con discussions once practice is over.
OPTIONS: Start with ONE decision that you are confident & efficient in and work your way up to quick multi-layered decisions that all lead to effective person protection with ONE GOAL....get to safety.
  • Walk Away:
  • You have made the decision to walk away…
  • Walk with confidence.
  • Be cautious and aware of your surroundings. Keep the nuisance in your peripheral vision without turning your back to them.
  • ALWAYS WATCH THEIR HANDS!
  • Articulate direction, obstacles, plan, etc.

Run:
  • You have made the decision to run…
  • Remember, every image (unless obvious) is at roughly 4 yards. Do you have time, AND THE SPACE, to turn away and RUN before they reach YOU?
  • You may have to consider making a bit of DISTANCE with other options available and then running. DISTANCE EQUALS TIME.
  • Footwear? Can you physically run?
  • Articulate direction, obstacles, plan, etc.
  • Articulate your "run" actions

Flashlight:
  • You have made the decision to use your flashlight…
  • Turn the flashlight ON and bring it to your eye line.
  • Gather MORE information. ALWAYS LOOOK AT THEIR HANDS!
  • Identify “WHO IS THERE?”
  • What will you do next?
 
Call 911:
  • You have made the decision to call 911….
  • Pick up the plastic push button phone (prop only) and “push” 911. Please make note that we wanted the buttons small. We want you to concentrate on the actual mechanics when you are distracted.
  • Hold up the phone to your ear and practice giving your LOCATION first. We recommend you follow with “I am the victim, explanation, attacker’s location & description and then ask for medical attention (if pertinent).”
  • We recommend saying “as little as possible” and to only offer the essential information.


 Verbal Commands:  
  • You have made the decision to use verbal commands...
  • Verbal commands can be the hardest to execute so you MUST practice your delivery, your body language, and your commands.
  • Make “frames” = put your hands up in front of your chest to use as a barrier while you give verbal commands. You may even move your hands as you talk so it looks more natural and then start moving to the right or left to make distance.
ASK: No, I am sorry I don’t OR No, I am sorry I can’t (William Aprill).
Ignored?
TELL: GET AWAY FROM ME (loud)!
Ignored?
MAKE: SCREAM DON’T MOVE!!! This usually associated with a non-lethal or lethal action (if time)                         
POM Stream INERT TRAINING POM OC/Pepper Spray:
  • You have made the decision to use OC/Pepper Spray...
  • Grab INERT and place thumb in proper position.
  • ASK. TELL. NOW MAKE: SCREAM DON’T MOVE!!!
  • Extend arm out towards the threat (IDPA Cardboard target) aiming at the eyes/eyebrows.
  • Using your thumb, press the button while moving “ear to ear” across the eyes. Accurate aim is critical.  
  • Run away (mock run)
  • Get to a safe place and call 911.
  • Good description of assailant?

Tourniquet:
  • Familiarize yourself with “Simple Steps to Apply a Tourniquet.”
  • SEEK MORE MEDICAL TRAINING!!
  • Be confident, speak to the injured person with kindness and reassure they will be OK.
  • For the drill, verbally articulate plan, what are your “life saving” actions, etc.
  • Call 911
 
 Shoot = “Failure to Neutralize”. SIRT? BLUEGUN? Disabled firearm for dry fire? Live Fire on the range?
  • OPTION: If you do not carry a firearm every day, then the decision to use a firearm as lethal force is not an option.
  • OPTION: If your scenario takes place in your home, and you have a home defense weapon, then you MAY add lethal force as an option.
  • We HIGHLY recommend that IF you carry, please carry concealed.
  • “Failure to Neutralize” = 2 shots to the body and 1 shot to the head.
  • F2N means if 2 shots to the body did not stop the person then 1 shot to the head will be an instant stop.
  • Point the muzzle in a safe direction and look around for friend or foe.
  • Safe to holster? If so, holster carefully keeping your finger high on register and staying in the process 100%.
  • Move to a safe place and call 911.
  • Live fire? Paste your “misses”.
  • Remember that your GOAL is 100% accuracy so practice.
  • IMPORTANT: If you are practicing on a live range and you would choose to walk away, side step or run away after looking at your Image card then SAY IT, DON’T DO IT, and explain your plan of action. “Movement” like “J step or side step” can be considered an “advanced” skill so if you have no experience with “movement” then we would advise against movement on a live range. If you are DRY practicing and the space is available, then movement can be introduced. SAFETY FIRST!
WHAT'S NEXT?
  • Well, buy additional Image CARDS, more training, Instructors Certification's LEVEL 2, and LEVEL 3 of course!
  • You can buy additional Image Based Decisional Drill IMAGE cards called EXPANSION PACKS. They are $19.99 each, come in a pack of 8 (themed or random).
  • Remember that IBDD’s is just one step in your personal protection journey. We recommend you visit The Complete Combatant’s website to see who we are hosting and for “OFF the Range” and “ON the Range” training.
  • Visit imagebaseddecisionaldrills.com under Instructor Certification for more information.  

IMPORTANT:
  • Research all subjects. Image Based Decisional Drills is intended as a training tool.
  • Please check with your local range to make sure that you follow their range rules and always follow gun safety protocols. You voluntarily purchased Image Based Decisional Drills. You are choosing to participate in training activities that may cause physical or physiological injury, pain or death. The Complete Combatant, LLC and all other companies and individuals associated with IBDD are held harmless against any claims, suits or actions of any kind. You are responsible for your own errors, acts or failure to follow safety rules on or off the range. Image Based Decisional Drills is a training option with lethal versus non-lethal decisional drills and in NO WAY takes the place of medical training, firearms training, “mindset” training, OC/pepper spray training, or any other self protection training.
 
JEFF COOPER’S RULES OF GUN SAFETY: [...] I have lived a long and active life, and I am still alive because I have always been very, very careful. JC
  • RULE I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED
  • RULE II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY
  • RULE III: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET
  • RULE IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET
  • (TCC ADDED RULE V: LET FALLING GUNS FALL)
Make these rules a part of your character. Never compromise them. Improper gunhandling results from ignorance and improper role modeling, such as handling your gun like your favorite actor does. Education can cure this. You can make a difference by following these gunhandling rules and insisting that those around you do the same. Set the example. Who knows what tragedies you, or someone you influence, may prevent? JC
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Customer Contact:  ImageBasedDecisionalDrills@gmail.com    404-936-6986
www.imagebaseddecisionaldrills.com