Instructor Pet Peeves

[Pennzoil]

This is why I've been looking for basic pistol classes in my area for when I'm home on vacation - while I'd love to take the classes described in the other section, I know that I'm nowhere near ready for them.

Find a VSM class. It's probably the best structured, most vetted "beginners" program you'll ever find.

I only have one class under my belt and it was a VSM basic class so far from the knowledge of others here. I just wanted to share my learnings from a noob if it might help encourage someone to take the plunge earlier then later. I felt the same way that I wasn't ready for a major class (AFHF) and wanted a good basic class before making the leap. The basic pistol VSM class in AZ was exactly what I needed to get used to the format, find our what I need to work on and build confidence in my ability.

Before the class I had been working on drills with buddies and shot a ton of ammo to get a marginal improvement while waiting for the right class to come to my area. Working on what ChrisL VSM instructor told me I need to work on I'm shocked with the change in my performance tracking numbers before/after class across all my drills it's a large consistent percentage drop against what I had done practicing for months on my own. Geuss I shouldn't of been shocked as I had read Learning Curve. Hopefully I don't come across like a random doofus. Taking this into account if I had taken the course earlier I could of saved at least a couple grand or two in practice ammo, time, gas and parts.

I'm glad I was picky in which class I took first but if I had it to do over again I would of saved money taking time off work, flying to a good instructor instead of waiting for one to come close to me so I could learn what I was doing wrong and how to fix it through regular practice. Judging by your location probably not an option for mnealTX. Already scheduled more classes for this year and one is the same VSM basic pistol class again taking along a shooting buddy who is interested after seeing my improvements in the drills. Another shooting buddy is on the fence and I may just pay his way if the class still has room. As a shooter I'm nowhere near where I want to be but also nowhere near where I started.

[mnealtx]

I appreciate the inputs, guys....I'll start a thread in the training subforum.

I apologize for pulling the thread off-topic.

[Jay Cunningham]

I wrote this awhile ago, for publication in another place and never really got to it. Hopefully it'll stir some convo her.


Over the course of my career, I have been lucky enough to train with some of the best instructors in the world … and also lucky enough to train with some of the worst. I consider my time spent with the worst just as valuable because it’s given me the opportunity to make note of some of the things that I try NEVER to do when I teach a class. Many instructors who know what they’re talking about will quickly tell you that shooting and teaching are two very different things and having been on the range with many gifted shooters who simply can’t teach, I’m a believer.
The list is certainly not all-inclusive and hopefully it will foster some discussion on other things we can all avoid while teaching.
In no particular order, my top ten;

#1. Unprepared

There is perhaps nothing more disheartening than spending money on, traveling to, and spending time in a class that the instructor couldn’t care less about. I’ve seen it all: no lesson plans, no targets, no staples, you name it. Quite often instructors on an unfamiliar range seemed surprised that they didn’t have the target system they need or the barricades the want. Checking the facility beforehand is something any good instructor should do, if for no other reason than to make sure it’s safe. A little preparation to make sure you have what you need to teach the class goes a long way towards making your students comfortable in your ability to transfer information.

#2. Late

We expect students to be on time and there are very few adequate excuses for an instructor being late. For me, being late doesn’t mean the instructor arrived by the time the class was supposed to begin, it means the instructor arrived early enough to make sure his class can begin at the scheduled time. If that means I get there an hour early or the night before, so be it. My student paid for an 8 hour class and should get one. Not an hour of range setup and 7 hours of class.

#3. Long Breaks

Students don’t need 30 minutes every hour to load magazines and take on water. My take on instructors who continually take long breaks is that they simply don’t have enough material (see #1). Unfortunately it’s easy to let “top off your mags and get a drink” become 45 minutes of swapping lies. The instructor needs to take control and get the students on the line. That’s what they came for.

#4. No Breaks

While most instructors who commit this one (I have been guilty in the past) are doing so out of the goodness of their hearts, it’s still a problem. Attention spans on humans are short and people need to drink! Students quickly lose interst if they feel like they are being beaten on the range. I make a point of telling my students I can be guilty of this and asking them to remind me if I forget. When they do, I break the class and apologize.

#5. Making Fun of Students/Guns/Gear

People make mistakes when taking classes and using it against them simply guarantees the student will tune you out for the rest of the day. Likewise, guns and gear are personal choices and criticizing them will aggravate your student who will then just stop listening. Be open about these things despite your personal choices. Your job is to teach them to run what they brought.

#6. Not Knowing Your Audience or Being Unable to Adjust Your Style

This one kind of goes along with #1 but is a bit different. First, it’s important to know whom you’re teaching. A friend of mine attended a class filled with some pretty skilled gun guys a few years back. A guest instructor spent more time on the safety portion of his class than I spend with recruits! We dry fired more than we live fired and were probably half way thru the class before he “allowed” us to put some real ammo in the guns. This despite the fact that their were several IDPA Master Class shooters in the class as well as some industry instructors … not cool.
It’s also important to recognize that you are going to get classes that are a mixed bag as far as skill levels go and you need to be able to adjust. I hate being in a class and seeing that someone is being left behind because the instructor can only teach at one level.

#7. Sloppy

Maybe it’s the cop in me, but I hate sloppy instructors. It just doesn’t make me feel confident about their abilities. One of my top 5 instructors is a former Marine who makes liberal use of the ironing board in his hotel room and it shows. Of course we’re all going to be a little rumpled after a day on the range but it says something about the instructor if you show up in the morning looking crisp and ready to go.

#8. Complainers

All ranges aren’t perfect, all classes aren’t perfect, all weather isn’t perfect … suck it up and make it work. Our goal is to make the students focus on the training, not on what equipment is missing, the cold/heat, the hard concrete, etc. Put a smile on your face and run your class.

#9. This Is “The” Way

Teaching people how to fight with a gun involves options and if you only have one, you haven’t studied your craft much. There are multiple ways to use a flashlight, use cover, shoot and move, etc. Teach your students options and work through them so they can decide what works for them.

#10. No Demos

I can shoot pretty well, certainly not to the level of some people reading this article but well enough to get along. I DO however demo the drills I teach in a class. Demonstrations perform a multitude of functions. They show the student what can be achieved because the instructor just did it. It gives them confidence in the instructor, the student needs to know that you know what you’re doing. I recently took a very good class from a well prepared instructor, good material, great lesson plan. Throughout the class he never took his gun out of the holster … I wasn’t impressed.

I have a few more, but they’re small, so I’ll leave it at ten. My intention was to generate some discussion, so feel free to add your own.

I wanted to necrobump this post because I think it's that good - I try to heed all the advice here every time I teach.

[ToddG]

Rich is one of the best firearms instructors I've ever dealt with. He has a blog at http://siginst.wordpress.com/ that outlines what courses he has coming up through SIG Academy. Most of what he teaches is armorer stuff but if you get a chance to attend one of his shooting classes, it is guaranteed time & money very well spent.