To be fair, every agency has a PPB of one form or another. I've never taught one of my students one, but I have done some serious tuning in advanced. Not something I'm terribly proud of, but when you only have 6 hours of pool time and a big class...
Agreed that all agencies have some form of PPB. Using SSI as an example, they do require both frog kicks and backfinning. I'd like to see a bit more, but SSI does have in their standards describing a process of working through the dive center (as SSI is dive center focused) and then through SSI HQ for augmenting courses. You already know about SDI and NAUI that encourage instructors to do so. Anyway, I'm looking at the IM (anyone can download). The language for describing frog kicks is a bit awkward.
Class is key for me, as I found with no more than 6, I didn't need 6 hours of pool time when teaching NB/T. Teaching on the knees, I did. I always had an hour for "games" where students would be practicing buoyancy with some task loading, learning to fin smoothly, etc..
These days that isn't an issue, but we live and learn right?
For some shops/dive centers that is an issue, as they are stuck in their old ways.
There's a handful of agencies where I wouldn't expect a student to show up needing work, but they probably certify, if we're being generous, 10k divers a year.
Well, here's the disconnect. I had a conversation last night with Peter, and everyone at his shop was against teaching NB/T. But then the owner saw his students were taking more classes and buying more gear. So the move to teach that way was encouraged. Hopefully I'm not misrepresenting what Peter said, but that's my understanding.
One of the local shops teaches under NAUI for OW and their tech program is GUE. They keep the classes small (1:4), and most of their customers buy gear and take additional training. The shops that teach large classes, on the knees, it is basically one and done. Are mask, fins, snorkel, and gloves have such a high margin? I don't have the exposure to know. I've been told it is, but I
The big(ger) agencies all have crap instructors putting out crap students. I don't blame PADI for that, but maybe we need a a scubaboard certification then we could all look down our noses on everyone who isn't doing it out way?
I did submit a week ago a blog series to SDI on how I teach NB/T. It has to go through the review process now, but I'm looking forward to making whatever edits are necessary and seeing it published. I don't blame most instructors for teaching poorly as they don't know any better. I do blame CDs/ITs however. When I did my IDC, I didn't even hear anything about John's, Peter's, and other's article that they wrote in 2011. I'm frustrated with all agencies of moving the bar so little after such a long time.