Johnsgaard, Jeff
Training for Transfer: Demonstrating Variability, Adaptability and Decision-Making

See how teams are putting evidence-based training principles into practice to improve real-world performance, without adding training time. Learn how small, purposeful adjustments, not just more repetitions, can produce better outcomes, faster team alignment and improved adaptability under pressure in areas such as CQB, breaching, firearms and leadership.

This session serves as a bridge between science and application, building on concepts introduced in our NTOA webinar (Oct. 2025) and The Tactical Edge articles (Winter & Spring 2026), including spaced practice, the law of specificity and training within the "learning zone." This block demonstrates what those principles look like when applied in real training environments.

Through live demonstrations, attendees will see how to introduce variability with intent to drive decision-making and train adaptability for real-world conditions. The use of Socratic Dynamic Debriefing will also be demonstrated to help teams align quickly and effectively. The focus is not just on what works, but on how to implement it with your team.

This is a lecture, demonstration and Q&A session. Attendees are encouraged to observe, ask questions and engage throughout. Participation in select portions is optional. Examples will be drawn from SWAT teams and academies that have implemented these methods and seen measurable performance improvements without additional time or resources. The result is a high return on investment: better repetitions, increased variability, stronger learning transfer and improved performance where it matters most-done completely, "On Purpose, By Design."

Jeff Johnsgaard - Bio
Det/Sgt Jeff Johnsgaard retired after over 20 years of service and now runs his own company, specializing in instructing officer safety, wellness, use of force, and consulting with trainers, chiefs, academies, and city risk managers in the USA and internationally.
Jeff has several years of experience working as a contract instructor for prominent industry leaders, including Force Science, the Reality-Based Training Association, Raptor Protection, and the Executive Protection Institute. Jeff teaches end-user level and instructor development courses for these companies and is proud to have learned from and to represent them in the great work they do. Jeff utilizes his in-depth understanding of evidence-grounded principles and concepts for training to inform how he designs and delivers all training. Target audiences for Jeff's trainings include Instructors, Investigators, Field Training Officers, Recruits, and high-performing units such as SWAT/Street Crimes and others.
Jeff'sTraining On Purpose, By Design, is the hands-on physical application of the evidence-grounded science for how people can learn and improve more efficiently. With his decades of international experience and certifications, including Force Science, Advanced Specialist and IADLEST Nationally Certified Instructor, Jeff consults with Departments and Academies on decreasing risk, enhancing their training, and on select officer use-of-force cases.