Adv Training Police Style - What's In It?

[Kahuna]

I've done a bit of advanced rider training and feel pretty good about the skill level I've been able to achieve (though my caveat is, it's all about concentration - so only as good as my attention on the day!).

I'm probably not alone when I say I very much admire Police riding skills - where Police riders make things look effortless and seem to have complete Mastery of their machine (though not necessarily having any admiration for some of the personalities who get paid to do that job...).

Talking with my Adv Instructor who is also an ex Class1 Police Motorcycle patrol man, I was wondering what the current 3 week Police Motorcycle training consists of? His was the old style training (where they went bombing around airfields and standing on the seat etc.) and he seems to think it's really just more of the same as the typical Adv training - but polishing the standard with intense 'pursuit observation'.

I suspect it's a lot to do with 'slow speed riding' that generates such confidence in their own abilities, together with no-constraint hi-speed riding too.

Does anyone know what the 3 week training actually consists of these days, specifically around slow and normal (not emergency) road riding?

 

[hops]

there is

not as much low speed stuff as you might imagine. Normally the first week is a combination of low speed stuff around the school roads & a wobble round the cones course (this is Hendon for my force, oops sorry Service) also a few local runs. The other two weeks are then usually longer runs with the empahsis on smoothness and hazard perception as well as the other 'Roadcraft' stuff, i.e. positioning, correct gear for speed, blah blah.

It's been a while since I did mine and then they did a night run and a blues & two's assessment but I'm not sure they do that anymore, probably health and safety had some input.

There are normally three students to one instructor. The students take turns in leading with the instructor following and a short debrief after each run to highlight any learning issues. The other two students follow on behind

 

[Taff]

not as much low speed stuff as you might imagine. Normally the first week is a combination of low speed stuff around the school roads & a wobble round the cones course ..

Out of curiosity, is there a sketch / photo of different cone combinations? I sometimes use the kids rugby cones to practice slow speed control in an empty car park, but TBH after you've done 5 minutes of Figures of 8 and weaving in and out of straight lines it gets bloody boring.

I assume there are still "night runs" as my brother certainly had to do one last year.

 

[Kahuna]

not as much low speed stuff as you might imagine. Normally the first week is a combination of low speed stuff around the school roads & a wobble round the cones course (this is Hendon for my force, oops sorry Service) also a few local runs. The other two weeks are then usually longer runs with the empahsis on smoothness and hazard perception as well as the other 'Roadcraft' stuff, i.e. positioning, correct gear for speed, blah blah.

It's been a while since I did mine and then they did a night run and a blues & two's assessment but I'm not sure they do that anymore, probably health and safety had some input.

There are normally three students to one instructor. The students take turns in leading with the instructor following and a short debrief after each run to highlight any learning issues. The other two students follow on behind

Thanks Hops.

Out of curiosity - on slow speed manoeuvring - do they teach upright bike control or the americaneese style of maximum lean for the given speed?

 

[hops]

unless

it's changed since i did mine the cones etc. are done in the upright position. You can help greatly by applying a touch of back brake as this settles the bike down and allows a bit more control for a fixed throttle, also pushing down on the footpegs can help if you feel the bike is leaning a bit too much.

 

[Dickieboy]

I assume there are still "night runs" as my brother certainly had to do one last year.

Lets face it Taff, Dorian is renowned for the quality and quantity of his 'Night work', he's pretty prolific during the morning and afternoons as well

 

[hops]

hope this works

Out of curiosity, is there a sketch / photo of different cone combinations? I sometimes use the kids rugby cones to practice slow speed control in an empty car park, but TBH after you've done 5 minutes of Figures of 8 and weaving in and out of straight lines it gets bloody boring.

I assume there are still "night runs" as my brother certainly had to do one last year.

The pic is a google maps shot of the school road at Hendon. Although it's not too clear I hope you get the idea. You start at the top left and go round as shown by the red line to finish at the bottom left. The corners/edges are set quite close to the kerb line so there's not much room for error and in the middle there are two cones to go between which is narrowed on the advanced course by adding a third between them. Roughly the course is about 30m x 10m 'ish.

 

[Taff]

The pic is a google maps shot of the school road at Hendon. Although it's not too clear I hope you get the idea.

Thanks Hops, I'll try marking it out.

Lets face it Taff, Dorian is renowned for the quality and quantity of his 'Night work', he's pretty prolific during the morning and afternoons as well

I'm putting nothing in writing.

 

[mr badger]

Try this

Not actually 'police style' but Guru Martin runs a course calle 'Advanced Machine Skills' with lots of slow stuff and more fun besides.

I do at least 1 a year and have a bit of a rep for slow stuff. What's more, after I did the first one, I rode home at a comfortable speed 10 mph faster than I did there.

http://www.hoppridertraining.co.uk

 

[dunnie]

Police training

Well dare I say it but I am currently a serving motorcycle officer, with a "double 1" permit, class 1 driver and motorcyclist, currently attached to a special escort team.
As it stands at the moment in many forces you have to be an advanced driver, either class 1 or 2 in a car before doing any bike training. Having become a seasoned advanced driver you can then volunteer for motorcycle training, sit an observed ride for course pre-selection, then wait to see who gets selected for further tuition. The training is in two parts, the standard heavy weight bike course which is three weeks long and if completed to the required standard then a class 3 permit will be issued. The course is usually held on K1100 Beemers, or something simliar, some cone work, slow speed skills testing and also riding on every road imaginable up to and just over 100mph. Having passed this course you then return to your department and ride to consolidate what you have learnt for about a year before then heading back to driver training for the further 3 week advanced bike course, where you do it all again but pretty much pick up the pace to whatever is safe and you are comfortable with, advanced training can mean you ride flat out if the conditions allow. Some forces like the met traffic motorcyclists only get trained to standard level and may get advanced training for roles like surveillance or escort groups.

Hope this is of some use. There are also written exams on the highway code and the dreaded roadcraft manual. The exam has to be passed prior to attending any driving/riding courses.

 

[dunnie]

I forgot

Sorry.....blue light training. Yes you do cover emergency riding on the courses but to be honest that really is the boring bit, best to make progress without warning people to get out of the way. Not many people use their mirrors anyway..........unless they are shaving, or squeezing or......blah blah.

 

[Kahuna]

Well dare I say it but I am currently a serving motorcycle officer, with a "double 1" permit, class 1 driver and motorcyclist, currently attached to a special escort team.
As it stands at the moment in many forces you have to be an advanced driver, either class 1 or 2 in a car before doing any bike training. Having become a seasoned advanced driver you can then volunteer for motorcycle training, sit an observed ride for course pre-selection, then wait to see who gets selected for further tuition. The training is in two parts, the standard heavy weight bike course which is three weeks long and if completed to the required standard then a class 3 permit will be issued. The course is usually held on K1100 Beemers, or something simliar, some cone work, slow speed skills testing and also riding on every road imaginable up to and just over 100mph. Having passed this course you then return to your department and ride to consolidate what you have learnt for about a year before then heading back to driver training for the further 3 week advanced bike course, where you do it all again but pretty much pick up the pace to whatever is safe and you are comfortable with, advanced training can mean you ride flat out if the conditions allow. Some forces like the met traffic motorcyclists only get trained to standard level and may get advanced training for roles like surveillance or escort groups.

Hope this is of some use. There are also written exams on the highway code and the dreaded roadcraft manual. The exam has to be passed prior to attending any driving/riding courses.

That's good info dunnie.

What specifically are the slow speed skills and tests?

I think in many situations that's what separates folks who have riding 'mastery' from who are simply good 'road riders'! I know some excellent and fast riders, yet when it comes to slow manoeuvring on heavy bikes its all paddling and shuffling (it's where we all start I know, but some seem to master the art of slow handling skills). The Bike Police seem to have a monopoly on it (not just in UK though but all over Europe! I guess its a combination of skills learned, mucho practice and confidence from good tutors.

 

[FatAl]

In my old force during the late 1980's I had to do a 4 week standard car course, this included skid pan tuition, to drive the typical panda car and police van.
Then it was a 5 week advanced driving course with a few days skid pan training (great fun), and a couple of days playing in the dirt with landrovers, then the latter part of the course was mainly pursuit training. This then qualified you for the emergency response cars and the traffic department.

The standard motorcycle course was a 4 week duration, with a few days riding dirt bikes, Bultaco sherpas if I remember right. On passing the standard bike course I went into the traffic dept, but was not allowed to do special vip escorts, or any high speed escort duties. After about 6 months I then got the four or was it 5 week (not sure now) advanced bike course which was a bit similar to the standard but the speeds were a lot higher, and again a few days feckin' about on dirt bikes. I got a class 1 so then I was allowed to play with the big boys.
All the above courses expected you to swot up each evening on the highway code and roadcraft as there were theory tests as well as the practical ones.
I then went on to do a 3 week vehicle handling skills course, only officers attaining the class 1 ticket were allowed to do this course, basicly driving like a lunatic doing j turns, y turns, driving backwards at speed, this was for vip driving duties. I also did a Landrover driving course, a PSV and also HGV (pity I let those licences lapse when I retired)
Another motorcycle couse was introduced in the 1990s for dirt bike riding, this was at an army training centre near Beverley in Yorkshire, unfortunately I couldn't attend as I was taken off active duties due to injuries, desk jockey-no course required.

All of the courses were very intensive, but extremely enjoyable.

 

[dunnie]

Police riding

What you've got to remember is everything comes together with practice and there are decent "job" riders, who will ride all year round, be quick, smooth and confident regardless of the weather and conditions, just because they can. Then you have the course goers, who just want the stigma of the qualification and the kit, along with being able to ride on nice days, its these type of officers that fall apart in the rain or bad weather, when they realise they haven't ridden a third of a ton bike for some time and suddenly they cant "cut the mustard" anymore when they really need to, {I know plenty of these}.
All the slow speed cone work I have done has been mostly figure of 8 which starts out quite large then gets tighter and tighter, so you really work the clutch and rub your brakes ever so softly, and get to feel how to balance yourself. We also had to be able to come to a complete stop with both feet on the pegs for about 5 seconds or so until the instructor blows his whistle. Practice makes perfect with all this stuff and when your doing it all day long, day in day out it becomes second nature, u-turns and all that are done quickly with ease, your confidence grows etc etc. Yes the instructors are good on the whole and are there to give you guidance throughout the course so you have the best chance of passing at the end, however this doesn't negate the fact that you do need some natural ability. That is what, in many cases, makes the difference between a class 1 or 2. There are still off road elements to the courses and having passed theres also bolt on courses for escorting and protection type duties. Hope this is of some use.

 

[Bryn]

Can't recall having any cone work on my courses

Did my Advanced bike in '95 and been on them ever since

To get on the bike section you first need a suitability ride.. followed by a wait for a course....

Standard 2 week course (100mph limit)

Advanced 3 week course (As fast as you're comfortable with)

A refresher every 2 years ( mine was two weeks ago)

I'd imagine that you'd be expected to master slow stuff during the course of your duties... handy when doing funeral escorts and stuff... can't be seen to be wobbly

dunnie is quite right that you also need to be a class one driver before you move to the bikes....

 

[Ogmios]

how can anyone possibly get bored with cone work?

the first vid reminds me of a course i did with FIM in Frankfurt.
it was run by many trainers from all over the world - a small part was a cone course - set up by an Aussy loon (who lurks here occasionally ) - it was known as "The Omen" coz yer Bike would face front while your head may be facing rear - as you looked to where you were going next!
i was critiqued for letting me knees stick out in the breeze - the instructor bawled at me across the tarmac "shut yer legs - ya look like a $5 hooker!"
Excellent stuff - never seen anything as challenging or as much fun like it in U.K or Irl.
(note the riders ALWAYS give a lifesaver before pulling away after a stop )

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the second vid - different style - and shows with the right input - a big lardy Bike does handle.... until....

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[Taff]

All the slow speed cone work I have done has been mostly figure of 8 .... so you really work the clutch and rub your brakes ever so softly, and get to feel how to balance yourself.

Ahhh yes. I still remember the smell of a "well worked" clutch.

At one time the smoke from this frying clutch was even worse than this, but I just wasn't quick enough with the camera. This is Mark Thompson (Met Police) doing his bit with the cones at a Bavarian beer festival earlier this year. Lets just say it didn't do the bike any good at all.

 

[Bryn]

Ahhh yes. I still remember the smell of a "well worked" clutch.

At one time the smoke from this frying clutch was even worse than this, but I just wasn't quick enough with the camera. This is Mark Thompson (Met Police) doing his bit with the cones at a Bavarian beer festival earlier this year. Lets just say it didn't do the bike any good at all.

Not much machine sympathy there then .......

 

[Womble]

Looks like what Rachel was doing to your shiny new FJR today

 

[Ogmios]

Not much machine sympathy there then .......

accck!

er;
no.
that makes my teeth itch.

that's abuse with no reason.