There's been great discussion about selecting courses in this thread so I thought I would discuss selecting an instructor:
Selecting an Instructor
When selecting an instructor for you firearms or tactics training, there are many different things to consider. Various instructors have different skills and experience that they bring to the classroom, or range, and understanding how to interpret this from biographies is critical. I will discuss some of the current trends, key words, or nomenclature so to speak of what to look for in an instructor and what their bio means.
Let’s start with selecting the right instructor. Just as specific auto repairs require specific tools, so do skills. Teaching requires more than just memorizing and regurgitating what someone else has said. It requires experience. Being able to teach something well means you have to have personal experience about the subject to help convey the message to the students. It also requires you know the material inside and out from actually doing it. You should have messed it up somewhere in your experiences and learned from it. Almost anyone can read a book on metaphysics, for example, and spend an hour or so describing what they learned from it to someone else. We do this every day through normal dialogue. Teaching requires more than that. As we progress into higher risk skill sets in shooting/fighting/underwater basket weaving, the need for more experience becomes critical to ensure safety of the persons involved. I will break down the common types of persons we see as firearms instructors today and what their experience translates into. Most instructors fall into one, or more, of these categories based upon their experience.
1) The lifetime shooter: This person is someone who has probably grown up with firearms and was introduced to them at an early age. Safety is generally the primary concern with them as it is often how every shooting opportunity started for them. These instructors are very personable for the most part, often considered “good ‘ol boys” and some of the friendliest instructors you’ll meet. They have patience to work with boy scouts, Appleseed shoots, 4-H and the like as they enjoy introducing the youth to shooting just as someone did for them. The lifetime shooter is a phenomenal asset to the shooting community as they are at every gun show, gun counter, or firearm related sporting event, are the first ones to identify and approach new shooters, and welcome them with open arms to the fun. The lifetime shooter usually (based upon experience) teaches basic NRA courses, general firearm orientation and maintenance, hunter education, various youth programs, and CCW courses.
2) The new enthusiast: This instructor was most likely introduced to the shooting community within the last few years and has jumped in with both feet. They are usually at every competition (local, IPSC, IDPA, 3 gun, etc…)or fun shoot/league, are doing well at them and have improved by leaps and bounds in the last few years. New gear and gadgets are interesting to them and they are usually looking for something new to buy to make them better. This instructor is also very important to the shooting community. The new enthusiast has a passion for the sport that needs to be passed on to other new shooter like a flame passed from torch to torch. They have very relevant and recent experience in being new and can easily relate those experiences to another new shooter. However, this type of instructor is can also be very dangerous if they overestimate their experience. They decided they like helping others, after showing all their friends their newfound religion, and decided to take a NRA instructor course or a course from a well-known instructor. Their new “certificate” justified to them that they can teach every tactic, technique, or procedure they have seen. Shooters with a few pistol competitions or after watching a popular DVD are “instructing” high risk skills or tactics that they do not fully understand nor have the experience for. Some have even taken a course or two in these skills and have a basic grasp on the subject but lack the experience necessary to effectively and safely teach them. These instructors usually teach basic NRA courses, some firearms manipulation courses (“tactical/advanced/level 2 pistol/carbine,” etc…), CCW courses, and the like.
3) The competitor: this instructor has been in the gaming aspect of shooting for some time. They understand their weaknesses and have put in the time to overcome them. The competitor has also spent countless hours working on their own skills, often being their own coach, criticizing their technique and testing new methods in a relentless effort to get more efficient at their skill. These instructors are usually higher class shooters, having achieved a rank of Master or Grand Master. They have been through trigger control issues and overcome them, shot in the rain and snow, been disqualified from a match or two from mistakes, and have seen or tried every trick out there. The competitor is an excellent instructor with regards to experience in firearms manipulation, economy of motion, and the science behind shooting paper targets. Although they may not be the most charismatic or skilled teacher, their ability to put rounds on target is unquestioned and often unrivaled.
4) The Police Officer: This instructor is, or was a law enforcement officer at some point and may have spent some time behind a trigger. These instructors will have varied experience to contribute based upon their assignments. Obviously someone who spent a career on a SWAT team or as a department’s firearm instructor will have more trigger time than the average patrolman or detective. While not the most skilled on every aspect of firearm manipulation, it is one of many skills that had to be learned during their time on the streets. The skills these instructors are well experienced in are legal implications and considerations (CCW applications), threat identification, escalation and the overlooked de-escalation of force, and everyday carry techniques to name a few. This is by no means minimalizing the instruction of the Police Officer. They have usually attended various schools and spent countless hours applying these skills. These instructors have a wealth of knowledge that is not in books or videos learned from every minute spent assessing people and putting themselves in tense situations on a daily basis. While some may and often do have a good foundation on higher risk tactics such as team movement, CQB/entry concepts, and integration of unarmed/armed fighting techniques they are again just some of the skills they had to work on during their limited allotted training time.
4)The Veteran: The veteran is the instructor that spent some time in the military and wished to pass some of those skills on to others. This group is very diverse, ranging from rear echelon service members who spend most of their career behind a desk, to retirees with years of service and combat/infantry/special operations experience. Many of these instructors fall into the other categories as well however what sets them apart is their specialized experience. The experience gained during combat cannot be ignored with regards to instruction. While a 25 yr old grunt with several years in infantry and a few combat deployments may not be as “seasoned” as a 20 yr SWAT professional, that grunt has most likely done more live room entries, spent more time behind the trigger, and performed more medical and tactical skills under the extreme stress of gunfire than most law enforcement officers will see in a lifetime. The veteran group of instructors has the real world experience and lessons learned from them to impart to their students. This knowledge is invaluable and is sometimes difficult to fully comprehend. However the little tips contained within their teachings about the unseen factors of shooting (mindset, combat stressors, pre attack indicators, etc…) are worth their weight in gold and often lifesaving bits of information. These instructors generally excel at teaching firearms manipulation (they have done it repeatedly under stress), CCW, tactics, and mindset classes.
Again, remember that most instructors usually fall into one or more of the above groups and are not limited to the descriptions above. There are some very talented instructors out there who can easily fit into each of the categories and conversely shooters with tremendous skill and experience who can’t effectively teach.
When reading an instructors bio, there are some things to look out for and should serve as red flags for further investigation. Every instructor should have a brief bio readily available. If not, then they are trying to hide something or have not put forth the basic time and effort to sell themselves (this laziness will carry over into their class as well). The bio should focus on skills/experience/awards relevant to the skills being taught. A veteran’s Bronze Star doesn’t mean a thing to teaching shooting skills, just as attending a long list of other people’s courses does not give experience in tactics. While not definitive, here are a few of the terms or phrases that should prompt further review and thought:
-“I can just adjust the class to meet the shooter’s needs.” This is an indicator that there is no set lesson plan and the instructor is “winging it.” While they may have some valuable knowledge to pass on, the class will most likely be unorganized with lots of down time and informal stories from the instructor. Courses should be set and lesson plans established. This is not to say that a course cannot be flexible, however it must have standards. If there is an area that a student is unprepared for then that is not the right class for the student. A good instructor should recognize this and make appropriate course suggestions to the student and remedy the issue soonest, especially if safety is a concern.
-“tactical” skills- Tactics and skills are different. Skills are things like being able to draw from concealment efficiently, maintain proper trigger control during multiple shot strings, etc… Tactics are the application of those skills in order to achieve a certain goal such as shooting while moving to cover, team entries, combat medical care, etc... In the shooting community, most courses focus on skills as the application of them are considered worst case scenarios. We tend to practice the things that are quantifiable and measureable and give us goals for improvement. Tactics are mostly conceptual. There are an infinite number of options/scenarios/conditions that affect what tactics are used. To use tactics, skills must have been previously established and refined so that they may be employed correctly as needed in the given situation. Any instructor who has to add “tactical” to their skills course is covering up their lack of material. The word “tactical” has become a fluff word in current shooting instruction and is often used incorrectly.
-“My experience is classified (and the sort):” We see this claim more and more now with the increasing number of veteran group instructors. Let me squash this now. If someone has to say “it’s classified” then they are lying. Anyone who has done something that cannot be discussed will not mention it and WILL NOT highlight that; rather they will seem to hide it. No military experience is “super-secret.” All military courses are listed on the service member’s DD-214 when they get out, even their unit is listed. Yes, even CAG (Delta)/SF/SEALs have that information on their DD-214. The vast majority of those persons from higher skilled military units will give specifics about their experience so that proper vetting can be done. A SEAL will indicate what team they were on, SF guys will indicate what group and courses they attended (SFAUIC, SOTIC, etc…), medical instructors will have the medical certs readily available. You can’t tout experience or skills that you cannot describe or verify.
-no formal training listed: If an instructor has not formal schools, courses, and relies on just their personal experience for their lessons is dangerous. The skills being taught are their interpretation of what is correct or efficient. While there may be some great information being presented, the skills are untested, unproven, and unknown. Now you don’t need to choose the instructor with the longest resume to receive good instruction, however a teacher must be a student in that discipline first.
-over embellishment of their bios: This has been occurring more and more lately as well as the instructor pool has getting crowded within the last decade. These instructors try to sell their courses on fancy wording, exaggerating their skills, or listing skills that in no way pertain to the instruction offered. For example, a shooting instructor who teaches basic courses and claims to teach tactics (especially with no experience in those tactics) is dangerous. They may be a great person and great instructor but they are out of their lane and accidents waiting to happen. Also in this area is the instructor that lists everything they have done in order to make themselves look “cool” or a bad-ass. They will list things like “explosive breacher,” “nationally ranked competitor,” or their 1st place science project in middle school to their bio for a CCW class. If it doesn’t apply directly to the skills being taught then they are trying to dazzle you with their resume so you overlook other deficiencies. We don’t post on our resume the time at McDonalds as a kid when applying for a corporate position, do we? If someone does have that impressive of a resume, they are often teaching those specific skills and tactics to a specific client. CAG/NSW/SOF guys generally don’t teach basic NRA or CCW courses. They can and I have seen the exception however it is usually handled by less experienced instructors than them. It doesn’t matter how many Bin Laden raids you’ve been on, it has nothing to do with concealed carry applications or local laws.
-lack of time utilizing that skill: there are some instructors who have a great ability to translate their experiences into something that sounds great on paper. They have a plethora of skills listed in their resume but very little time with each of them. They may have been this, then that, then a bad-ass over here, then all operator over here but only did so for short periods of time. People that are good at something stick with it. Someone who spent a few weeks as “PSD for my unit commander” wasn’t the bad-ass they think they are; there was most likely no other place for them. Someone who has been to a few 3-gun competitions shouldn’t be your source for instruction on stage management. There is basically not enough experience to pass on.
-“the best:” This is common on many forms of media put out by some instructors. In order to make themselves sound better than they are, they claim to be “the best,” “premier,” “#1,” etc… on their website or fliers. There is no best instructor. Each has their own skills, experiences, and techniques to bring to the classroom. Students all learn differently and learn at different rates. Making claims like these are ploys, not selling points. Statements like that should be immediate red flags that there is not much skill or experience to support the claims.
-no formal teaching instruction: Teaching is a skill. It is a perishable skill as well. Some people are very charismatic and entertaining but have no idea how to effectively teach. As with any skill, it has to be practiced and developed. Instructors should be continuously trying to improve themselves through professional development in not only the skills they are teaching, but their teaching and delivery skills as well. Beware the instructor who thinks that they are an “instructor” because they took a class once, or stayed at a Holiday Inn last night… Egos and the inability to recognize one’s own faults or deficiencies are serious training issues and this attitude can lead to safety concerns. A good instructor is very critical of themselves, always striving to improve in every area, and always looking to make things safer and better for the student.
When looking for training, knowing what instructor to choose is just as important as what course to take. A “lower” skills class with a good instructor is money better spent than an “advanced” class with someone who lacks the experience to safely and effectively teach the material. Do your research. With the spread of information on the internet, there are numerous ways to verify experience and get first hand reviews about every instructor out there. Before dropping you hard earned money on someone, make sure you are getting what you want. Talk with the instructor beforehand, ask questions, and be thorough in your research. With the multitude of instructors out there, all with something valuable to bring, spend a few minutes to ensure you get the best out of your training.
-SC
Colorado AR-15 Shooters Club Discussion Forums
Welcome to the Colorado AR-15 Shooters Club Discussion Forums.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by coloccw
