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Training and Skills You Need To Become a Bodyguard

When I was in the military working as a special agent for both the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and for Army CID, I spent time as a protective services agent, also known as a bodyguard. I have had the pleasure of guarding countless generals and politicians as well as Oprah Winfrey, Colin Powell, Norman Schwarzkopf Jr, Kevin Costner, Barbra Streisand, and others.

Being a bodyguard was a tough job, and it is not for everyone, but if you have the desire and gumption to do so, you can make this a pretty good career and TRS Direct gives you many skills you can use for this profession.

Each day it seems that the world we live in is becoming increasingly dangerous. If you know like I do, law enforcement agencies cannot protect you. They spend most of their time being reactive, showing up after the crime has been committed to clean up the mess. I know this because I spent 18 years in law enforcement and over 30 in security. This has led many individuals who can afford it to look to bodyguards for security and protection. This need for bodyguards has resulted in outstanding career opportunities, and many people are rushing to fill these career opportunities.

Perhaps you may want to consider this field, but, before you rush out and apply for the next bodyguard job, I want to make sure you are well prepared. In this article, I am going to tell you about the training and skills needed to become, an be successful as, a bodyguard.

Bodyguard Training:

As far as education is concerned, you don’t need a degree to become a bodyguard, so a high school diploma will suffice. Trust me, you are not going to impress anyone with your degrees. With your diploma you will be able to attend schools that specialize in training bodyguards. After this training, you can then begin to apply for bodyguard jobs. Now some jobs will take you without this training, but you won’t be well prepared, and you probably won’t make as much money.

I should point out that most bodyguards are ex-law enforcement or military. This is not surprising because they have the training and experience to do the job and do it very well. They have probably encountered many of the situations they will face in the role of bodyguards. In fact, they most likely have encountered more dangerous situations in their jobs as military or law enforcement officers than you ever will as an actual bodyguard. However, being ex-military or LE is not enough in my opinion. There are some particular skills I learned in my bodyguard training that I never learned as a regular military guy or as a special agent.

I later taught bodyguard training at the Air Force Special Investigation Academy when it was in Washington DC, and I feel that to be the best you have to go beyond your basic LE and military skills and get the specialized knowledge you need.

There are courses of many lengths out there. Ours was 2 weeks. Most bodyguard Training will involve armed guard training, personal protection officer training, first aid training, evasive driving and self-defense that is specific to this line of work (you don’t want to embarrass your VIP by kicking someone in the nose, and you need to be able to bring down an attacker quickly while evacuating your VIP.)

Prior to beginning any Bodyguard Training, you will be required to undergo a police check. A police check is conducted to ensure that you are not wanted for any crimes. As a Bodyguard, you may be required to handle a loaded firearm, and it is essential that you have not committed any firearms offenses.

The Bodyguard industry has become quite advanced, and through industry networking is able to offer Bodyguards access to advanced training courses, seminars, and incentives. Some of the advanced training courses include advanced driving techniques, advanced firearms, and advanced self-defense techniques.

As a bodyguard, you will be expected to update your skills regularly to ensure that you have the most current knowledge of the industry. Through continues training you will be able to maintain and improve your level of skill.

Other more specialized areas of Bodyguard training include canine training, private investigator training, and celebrity protection. Within the Bodyguard industry there are also many support jobs, such as administrators, financial managers, security managers and more.

Training within the Bodyguard industry is diverse and can span your whole lifetime. You could be a roving patrol, a stationary guard, in charge of several other Bodyguards, or keeping watch at sporting events. Whatever you choose to do in the Bodyguard industry, there is plenty of opportunities and ample available training.

Next, I will discuss some important skills you should have as a bodyguard.

Bodyguard Skills:

I have already mentioned that you need to take a basic bodyguard course. It takes certain skills to become a bodyguard, so it is important you know these skills before you start your career. If you lack the skills, you will only end up doing a poor job and probably even get yourself hurt. A poor job will also give you a bad reputation in the business. Once you have this bad reputation, you are finished in the business. No one will want to hire you.

Below are important skills I feel you need to become a successful bodyguard:

  1. You must enjoy planning. Bodyguards have to plan out their clients’ movements ahead of time.Let’s take, for example, a bodyguard for a celebrity. A celebrity will typically attend a lot of events. As a bodyguard you must map out how the celebrity will arrive and leave events. You will find the best routes to follow. Along with this, you will need to figure out exit strategies in case of an emergency.
  2. You must have good people skills. The bodyguard job involves dealing with people. You need the skills to deal with people at different levels. Don’t be fooled by the big muscular guys you see guarding rappers and such. Those guys are usually not professionals. They are just big buddies of the celeb and will probably get then into trouble and don’t know half the things you will learn as a professional bodyguard.For example, you could be the bodyguard of a business executive. Your client will prefer you be able to hold an intelligent conversation with his or her business partners and clients.
  3. You must enjoy being alone (even if assigned to a team.) There will be a lot of times where your job as a bodyguard will require being out of your client’s way. It could be waiting for him or her at their home. Or sitting OUTSIDE an event. I spent several years guarding VIPs in La Vegas. They would go inside to watch a show or event, and I had to wait in the hall until they exited.) In this case, you will have little interaction with them except to be on the lookout for any intruders.

    It may also be waiting out in the car by yourself while your client is conducting private business. Your client will simply not want you involved in what they are doing, and you have no reason to be included.

    I must point out that while your client may need some privacy, it does not mean you can let your guard down. You must always be watching for any sign of trouble. This way, you can quickly respond to get your client out of harm way.

  4. You will need some weapon and martial training that is specific to the task. You should understand the different types of weapons available and the body armor that will protect you and your client.

I have just covered some of the training and skills you need to become a bodyguard. There is definitely more. If you are really interested in becoming a bodyguard, get more information on it and seek out a reputable training program. Go visit websites that cover the subject in more detail.

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