Shelley Hill

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Shelley Hill wears a "bunch of hats"! Brian named her the Indispensable Organization Wizard about 20 years ago and that has become her official title.

Shelley is co-owner, XO and Instructor at The Complete Combatant. She is a HK Brand Ambassador and Endorsed Instructor, publishes regular articles in Shooting Illustrated, teach ONLINE classes, an Active Self Protection Certified Instructor,  Instructor Graduate of Modern Samurai Project's Red Dot Instructor program,  NRA Certified Instructor, Certified NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, Refuse to be a Victim Instructor and is a Certified OC (Pepper Spray) Instructor through Chuck Haggard's Agile Training & Consulting.

She is the designer and mastermind behind Image Based Decisional Drills, Smart Choices , The Complete Combatant's annual The Mingle for professional ladies in the "firearms/self defense" industry and The Quest for red dot shooters. Shelley is a presenter at Active Self Protection's National Conference, a presenter at The Well Armed Woman's Shooting Chapters National Leadership Conference and A Girl and a Gun's National Conference. She is a public speaker and loves to train!

Shelley wanted to share something with you....she is dyslexic.  BIG TIME!!!
Dyslexia is a learning disorder that can effect your reading, writing, speaking and spelling. Shelley won the lottery! After struggling most of her life she has come to excel in leaning through HANDS ON and IMAGES. She thought that other people, kids and adults, could benefit from learning the same way she does so Image based Decisional Drills, Reactionary Zones, Interrupt The Attack Cycle, and Smart Choices was born.

A large body of research indicates that visual cues help us to better retrieve and remember information. The research outcomes on visual learning make complete sense when you consider that our brain is mainly an image processor (much of our sensory cortex is devoted to vision), not a word processor. Words are abstract and rather difficult for the brain to retain, whereas visuals are concrete and, as such, more easily remembered.

Based upon research outcomes, the effective use of visuals can:
  1. Decrease learning time.
  2. Improve comprehension.
  3. Enhance retrieval.
  4. Increase retention.
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She has come to the conclusion that DECISIONS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN TECHNIQUES. She believes that in understanding distances you can measure the violence options available to THE BAD PERSON and you can also measure OUR self protection options to react + act = respond. Most people have a hard time managing distances, so it is important to pair the decisional process with the lack of time and managing space when practicing. We need to think about how fast violence happens, limited choices and making the BEST decision based on the space and time available.
 
Shelley thought there was a GAP in our training and that we all need to have “well rounded” skills for self protection & not just train w a gun.
  • We needed a learning system that we can evaluate strengths & weaknesses of your decisions. Did you make ONE good FIRST decisions?
  • Visual cueing, pre-need decision making, tool cycling, and distance management need to be 2nd nature.
  • MINDSET, avoidance, deselection, & verbal commands are used MORE than any other forms of self defense.
  • Cognitive stacking decisions MUST be practiced often.
  • YOU HAVE TO STAY IN THE DECISIONS PROCESS until, well, you don't. 
  • Training and practicing is a way of creating “files” in your brain that you recognize to thaw the freeze.

Shelley is one of the founders of Racheal's Rest. Racheal's Rest was established in 2012 and  is now a program under Broken Chains International.  BCI  is a nonprofit organization that offers counseling, workshops and Racheal's Rest's 5 day retreats to help women and children who experienced sexual abuse or acts of violence find their balance in life. 

Her plate may be full but she is rich in all things important and would not change a thing....except add a few more hours to her day!

Accomplishments

  • USP, VP and HK45 (5 days = 3 modules) Certified Armorer through HK's Armory Program
  • Certified "Off Body Carry" Instructor through Defense Training International
  • Graduate of Citizen Safety Academy's Effective Assistant Instructor Webinar Series
  • HSI First Aid/CPR/AED
  • HSI Advanced Bleeding Control
  • HSI Emergency Use of Epinephrine
  • NAEMT First on the Scene
  • Certified "Suicide by Gun" Prevention Gatekeeper through QPR Institute to help recognize warning signs of a suicide crisis and understand how to refer someone to help. 
  • Agile Training & Consulting RE-Certified OC (pepper spray) and Less Than Lethal Weapons Instructor
  • ​Greg Ellifritz of Active Response Training: Tactical First Aid and System Collapse Medicine
  • Certified Red Dot Instructor through Modern Samuari Project
  • Image Based Decisional Drills Certified Instructor and Head Coach
  • Graduate of Active Self Protection's Instructor Certification 6 month program
  • Effective Dot Gun with AJ Zito of Practical Performance
  • Active Self Protection's National Conference September 2020
  1. Assisted in admin duties
  2. Taught Image Based Decisional Drills "The Class"
  3. Assistant Instructor Proactive Mindset
  4. Assistant Instructor Pistol Proficiency
  1. Assisted in admin duties
  2. Taught  Image Based Decisional Drills
  3. Assistant Instructor Proactive Mindset
  4. Assistant Instructor Close Quarter Decisions
  5. Assistant Instructor Pistol Proficiency
  • Guest Speaker in the "self promotion" section at AMM-CON (Alternative Mass Media Conventions) September 2019 workshop in Arizona. Presentation title: "What's in Your Toolbox" = The Art of Activly Listening
  • Agile Training & Consulting Certified OC (pepper spray) Instructor
  • Rangemaster Tac Con 2019:
  1. Helped with registration.
  2. Wayne Dobbs: Critical Skills & Drills
  3. John Farnam: Domestic Domestic Handgunning
  4. WOMEN'S PISTOL MATCH = WHOOT! Made the top 8 shooters to compete in final "shoot off". I lost to the outstanding Cindy Bowser who ended up winning the whole match! Congrats Cindy! It was a fun day and I look forward to competing in the future!
  1. Helped with registration and class sign-ups
  2. Snubby Skills with Claude Werner aka The Tactical Professor
  3. Unconventional Wisdom with Massad Ayoob
  4. Trip your Trigger with Lynn Givens, Eve Hera and Bigley
  5. WOMEN'S PISTOL MATCH = Scored 197/200 in the "paper qualifier" (tied for the 3rd highest score) which got me into the top 8 shooters to compete in final "shoot off". 1st went to Melody Lauer, 2nd went to Lynn Givens and 3rd went to Sara Ryan! Congrats ladies!!