Correctly
Former NAUI Training Director Jim Hicks is fond of saying, “Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” It is not sufficient that students fumble their way through something resembling correct performance of a skill. They have to be able to do it right.
This does not necessarily mean that their performance has to be on par with the sort of demonstration-quality example we expect of instructor candidates. Nevertheless:
- The student must meet the stated objective. If the goal is to clear a mask, then the student must be able to get at least the vast majority of water out of the mask. Leaving the mask half full won’t cut it.
- The student must perform the skill without significant error. A stray hair caught beneath a mask skirt may not be the end of the world. A regulator hose trapped beneath a weight belt or harness strap just might be.
It is not unusual for students to make errors when first learning a skill. However, they must reach the point where they can perform the skill without significant error — then be given the opportunity to practice the skill a sufficient number of times so that what is remembered is how to do the skill right, not how to do it wrong.
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