On Command
A student’s ability to perform a skill “on command” means that he is sufficiently comfortable and experienced in performing a skill that he is ready to perform it whenever and wherever asked. In other words, the student does not have to wait until:
- You can give him several minutes to mentally prepare — or he can recover from the trauma of having been asked to do this skill just a few minutes before.
- The student can move to shallower water.
- The student has the opportunity to do something that is not normally part of diving, in order to be able to accomplish the skill.
“Can you give me a minute?” “Do I have to do it in the deep end?” “I can’t do it with a hood on.” These are all indicators that a student is not ready to perform the required skill “on command.”
This having been said, it is perfectly normal for students to require several repetitions of more demanding skills, such as mask removal and replacement, before they can perform the skill “on command.” And you certainly do not want to be guilty of forcing a student to do any skill he does not feel he is ready to do — unless, of course, you want to risk having the student panic and, possibly, injure himself.
Still, however long it takes, a student cannot be said to have mastered a given skill until he can do it whenever and wherever you ask.
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