Pace
I think we are in agreement; however some posts here are suggesting procedures outside of the AFM, although obviously well proven through time, for example some of the short field techniques used in bush flying are clearly not in the AFM but work for the well trained and practiced pilot.
I firmly believe that every pilot should be properly trained to fly all manoeuvres in the AFM correctly and then practice them, the belief that a one procedure fits all situations is wrong, and in many cases is what gets taught in flying schools under the guise of safety.
For your average private pilot flying a few hours a month its most likely the safest bet, but when they gain confidence and get themselves in to a corner thats when it can all go horribly wrong having not been trained to fly a particular manoeuvre correctly.