S12E10: Why Attend Training…Even as an Instructor? with Charlie Perez

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About This Episode:

In this episode, I chat with competitive practical shooter Charlie Perez about the importance of continuous training for both instructors and students. We discuss how effective teaching goes beyond formal certifications and the need for self-evaluation.

Emphasizing the dual role of teacher and learner, we highlight the value of self-awareness and feedback in skill development. Personal anecdotes illustrate the transformative impact of diverse teaching styles. Key takeaways include viewing learning as a lifelong commitment, fostering curiosity, and actively seeking challenges for growth. This episode inspires listeners to embrace their paths to mastery.

As always, any questions or suggestions for future episodes can be submitted to [email protected]!

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Video Recording:

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About Riley Bowman

Riley Bowman is the Director of Training at ConcealedCarry.com and the Host of the Concealed Carry Podcast. He came up in this world initially through his 8-year experience with a state-level law enforcement agency in Colorado. Riley has trained extensively under instructors such as: Rob Leatham, Mike Seeklander, Tim Herron, Scott Jedlinski, Matt Little, Kyle Lamb, Dave Spaulding, Jeff Gonzales, Bill Blowers, Chuck Pressburg, and others, amassing many hundreds of hours of formal shooting and tactics training. He is an NRA Pistol Instructor, a Colorado P.O.S.T. Handgun and Patrol Rifle Instructor, a graduate of Trident Concepts Concealed Carry Instructor course, and a Modern Samurai Project Endorsed Instructor. He also competes in USPSA and 3-gun competitions, is a multiple-division USPSA Colorado State Champion, and also has multiple top-25 finishes at USPSA and IPSC National Championships in multiple divisions.

2 Comments

  1. komputer on October 8, 2025 at 8:08 am

    Charlie, you emphasize the importance of continuous training — how do you personally structure your own development as both a shooter and instructor?

    • Charlie Perez - Big Panda Performance on October 8, 2025 at 9:37 am

      In my book Path of Focused Effort I have a whole section of content that walks you through assessing your performance, measuring the impact of each skill by time & frequency, then developing a Training Plan to optimize those skills. You can order my book on the http://www.bigpandaperformance.com website.

      The Short answer to your question is that I Measure and Observe my skills to determine their current performance level. Once I know how long and to what level of consistency each skill takes to perform, then I layer on how frequently that specific skill is deployed. Lower proficiency skills with a higher frequency of execution are at the top of the list of skills to invest time and effort to improve. Higher proficiency skills with a lower frequency of execution are at the bottom of the list of skills to improve. All of the skills are on the “Improvement List” and they vacillate in their position on the list depending on how much or little an individual skill has improved. For this to work properly you need an ongoing effort of Skill Observation and Measurement process to determine which specific skills need the most Training Investment at any given time.

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