So you're an instructor, hm?

[jetfire]

Darn--How come now one pays me to take classes and write AAR's?

Become a gunwriter, except then we don't call them "AARs" they're magazine articles. Oh, and the pay is actually terrible.

[Kimura]

I'd argue that the AAR any more isn't worth anything unless you can vouch for the source and even then I have a hard time wanting to take a thread full of pics for more than just confirmation someone enjoyed their weekend playing "guns" with the guys. I'll still write them and read them but my money is spent based on other sources of information. A prime example of that is the instructor themselves. If they have time to cash my check they can answer any reasonable questions I have, short of giving away the class.

I could argue that there are some good AARs written by qualified people and that confirming your source to the best of your ability is part of doing research. But in truth, AARs are only part of the research involved when looking for an instructor or looking at a class. The student needs to figure out what skill he's looking to train, then go about looking at the resumes of people that teach whatever skill it is. Talking to the instructors and or references are also part of doing research. Being thorough pays dividends. And the use of common sense is highly recommended. How many blade, stick or empty hand fighting schools out there are run by guys who have never been in fight? A lot is the answer. Can they teach skills that are useful? Of course. Can they tell me what it's like to fight with blood streaming into my eyes or with a broken bone? No, because they've never done it. As long as they don't misrepresent themselves, that isn't good or bad; it's simply the truth and, as a student, it tells me where their limitations are. I get to decide from there whether or not to proceed forward with the training. And I come back to if you're unsure, move along to next instructor.

At least one trainer has told us that he requires all of his students to sign a waiver:
a.) affirming that they will not post anything disparaging (about him, or the class, or his school) on the internet, and;
b.) cautioning them that they may face a lawsuit in the event that they post anything disparaging (about him, or the class, or his school) on the internet.

That might skew the data just a teensy bit.

That to me is a clue that I don't want to take the class.

[pax]

Become a gunwriter, except then we don't ca them "AARs" they're magazine articles. Oh, a pay is actually terrible.

Well, the pay might suck, but at least the respect is nonexistent.

Kathy

[Jay Cunningham]

I advise caution with "the résumé speaks for itself" line of reasoning.

The resume shouldn't be doing the speaking - the instructor should be, along with the demos. If the instructor feels a need to continually refer to "the résumé" it's a red flag for me.

An impressive résumé is great and can give you clarity as to where an instructor is coming from, but I'm personally much more concerned with what an instructor can do for me *right now*.

[Odin Bravo One]

Become a gunwriter, except then we don't call them "AARs" they're magazine articles. Oh, and the pay is actually terrible.

Based on the magazine articles I have read covering the topic, I'd say the pay is par with the performance.

[Kyle Reese]

Based on the magazine articles I have read covering the topic, I'd say the pay is par with the performance.

Wah wah wah.....

Only so many ways for these writers to say that the 1911 is thw best handgun ever.....every month.....

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

[jetfire]

Well, the pay might suck, but at least the respect is nonexistent.

Kathy

And the benefits are awesome!*

*This might be a lie.

[Tamara]

Well, the pay might suck, but at least the respect is nonexistent.

Kathy

People who write for gun rags don't know $#!+ about $#!+. And the idiot behind the gun store counter is even more ignorant. But the biggest, most clueless morons in the entire firearms world are to be found on internet gun forums; I wouldn't believe a thing those drooling cretins type.

:|

[pax]

I see what you did there.

pax

[David S.]

I find most course outlines provided by the instructors/schools are terribly inadequate.

This course description from Magpul Dynamics DH1 could describe every other basic handgun class on the planet.

This course is entry-level and is designed to give the beginner or novice shooter the proper handgun fundamentals. Starting with combat mindset, the class covers:

Proper gear selection and placement
Shooting stance
The draw
Proper grip
Axis and mechanics of recoil
Grip, sight alignment, sight picture
Trigger control
Speed reloads
Tactical reloads
The four (4) primary malfunctions
Strong and weak hand shooting
Shooting on the move
Situation specific shooting positions

Yup, that's what they teach. . . But I'm guessing the soul of DH1 is different from Givens CH1 or Tactical Response Fighting Pistol or JerryBob's Basic Pistol 1. AAR's generally describe the soul of the class/instructor far better than the school's description.

Cheers,
D