Every instructor has seen it. A student does something wrong on an evolution, the instructor notices, and says nothing because the drill is moving and it didn’t seem like a big deal. Then the same mistake shows up on the next rep. And the one after that. By the end of the day, you haven’t just missed a chance to fix it. You’ve trained it in.

Silence is feedback too

When you watch a student do something wrong and let it slide, you’re still teaching. You’re teaching them that what they did was acceptable. Students read your silence as approval, and they’re not wrong to.

That’s how bad habits get built on the training ground. Not because the instructor taught the wrong thing, but because the instructor let the wrong thing go. A nozzle opened with poor footing. A hand in the wrong place on a hoseline. A face piece that went on late. Small stuff, until it isn’t.

Reps don’t make you perfect. Reps make you permanent. If the rep is wrong, you’re locking in the wrong thing.

Know when to stop the evolution

Not every correction needs a full stop. Part of the craft is knowing the difference.

• Stop it immediately for anything that’s a safety issue. Exposed skin in a live fire environment, someone in a spot they shouldn’t be, a line that’s not being controlled. No hesitation. Everyone stops, fix it, then resume.
• Correct on the move for technique issues that aren’t dangerous. A quick word, a hand on the shoulder, a point in the right direction. Keep the evolution running.
• Hold it for the debrief when it’s about decision-making or something the whole crew needs to hear. Some lessons land better once the adrenaline comes down and everyone can talk it through.

The mistake I see most is instructors who save everything for the debrief. By then, the student has repeated it three more times, and half of what you wanted to say has been forgotten, by you and by them.

How you say it matters

Correcting in the moment doesn’t mean yelling across the drill ground. It means being clear, specific, and quick.

Tell them what to do, not just what they did wrong. “Your stance is off” gives the student a problem. “Get your weight forward and drop your hips” gives them a fix. The fastest corrections are the ones the student can act on right away.

Keep it short. In the middle of an evolution, nobody needs a lecture. One or two sentences, then let them go again. If it needs more than that, it’s a debrief item.

Keep it about the performance, not the person. You’re correcting a technique, not grading someone’s character. A student who feels embarrassed stops listening. A student who feels coached leans in.

And when they get it right on the next rep, tell them that too. Correction without confirmation leaves the student guessing whether the fix worked. A simple “That’s it” locks in the right version.

Build a class that expects it

The best time to set this up is before the first evolution. Tell your students up front that they’re going to get corrected, often, and that it’s not personal. It’s the job. Once people know feedback is coming and that everyone gets it, they stop taking it as a judgment and start taking it as help.

That goes for your fellow instructors, too. If you’re running a drill with a team of instructors, get on the same page about what gets a hard stop, what gets a quick word, and what waits for the debrief. Students notice when one instructor lets something slide that another one jumps on. Consistency is what makes the standard real.

And be willing to be corrected yourself. If a student or another instructor sees something you missed, thank them. That’s the culture you’re trying to build.

The bottom line

Your job on the training ground isn’t to watch people practice. It’s to make sure they’re practicing the right thing. That means seeing the mistake, choosing the right moment, and saying something clear enough to fix it.

The drill doesn’t end when the evolution ends. It ends when the student can do it right. Don’t let them walk off your training ground carrying a habit you saw and didn’t fix.

Stay safe, and train like it matters.

Eric Makowski