Stuck? Gain a new (cut-away) perspective!

[OracleTac]

For some beginners that I teach they often look hard at the tools when they are trying their first few locks. They jiggle the rakes and keep an awkward amount of tension on their tension wrench and start getting more "lucky" as they go each time.

Then I use my hands and try to explain the internals of the lock and show them what the pins are doing, or SHOULD be doing. The look changes and they furrow their brow and start "thinking" through the process, and staring AT the lock now instead of the tools.

I let them struggle for a while... It IS part of learning after all.
"Frustration leads to Breakthrough...., I once heard. That is, if you don't quit.

And THEN once they kinda have a grasp, and are gaining some confidence, I pull out either a cutaway lock, or an acrylic see-through lock. I do a quick 10 second intro again of the internals and their eyes go wide and they start to crystallize the process!!! Usually at that point they are able to get through their previous plateaus, they are hooked. They start to truly exercise the skill set of visualizing!

Not an expensive tool, but it suuuure pays dividends on your understanding! Much more effective than an info graphic or an online gif, not that those done have their place, but holding it in your hand and being able to truly play and experiment is priceless!

Hope this helps!
-OracleTac

[LocksportSouth]

I can definitely identify with the notion of seeing and feeling the equipment in your hands making the difference. I work in an I.T. related field and my specific profession has some "simulation software" available, which I've used extensively but for real practice, when learning, I bought the actual, real gear (older, second hand versions) and practices with that. Something about being able to touch the REAL hardware and real cables and interact with a real computer....

On the lock picking front, I've honestly been finding it tough, as a total newbie, to get a sense of what's going on inside the lock - where the pick is in relation to which pin, how set a given pin is.. I have some re-pinnable practice locks on the way but have been seriously eyeing up some acrylic cutaways too.. I get the sense that a couple of hours with a see-through Euro cylinder chocked up in the vice will pay more dividends than tens of hours fumbling in the dark with a Master No.3

Thanks for the tips