What Makes a Great Instructor and How Do You Find One?
The nature of my business requires me to interact with a lot of firearm instructors. Hundreds of instructors have applied to join the ConcealedCarry.com Instructor Network and with each of those we have a vetting process. Additionally, through attending shows, training conferences, and just generally being full time in this industry for a decade I've spent my fair share of time on the range with other trainers.
One thing I want to make clear in this article is that I do not consider myself to be an amazing instructor. I think I do a pretty good job so long as I stay in my lane and teach the things that I have immense practice, research hours, and validated and vetted positions on. My intention today is to share some observations that might serve to help those looking for an instructor.
ALL INSTRUCTORS THINK THEY ARE GREAT INSTRUCTORS
I mean it. I don't know that I've ever spoken with a firearm instructor who didn't believe they were fantastic at what they do.
Whether or not an instructor is truly great is a question of dedication and experience and one's own perception of skills is rarely accurate. So one thing I absolutely know I cannot trust when vetting an instructor is their own opinion of themselves as a training professional.
ALL FIRST TIME STUDENTS THINK THEIR INSTRUCTORS ARE GREAT
The easiest student to impress is the one who has nothing to compare it to.
So if an instructor comes across with this level of confidence, it is obviously going to look good to a first-time student. If you are new in your journey, you have nothing with which to compare your instructor. You haven't seen a good instructor or a bad instructor in person. All that you have to go off of are the reviews that person had already received, and in that case, the instructor would have to be quite bad in order to get a bad review from someone who has nothing to compare to.
So when I vet instructors, I put very little stock in their pile of reviews; especially if they have been focused on teaching entry level classes which tend to attract entry level students who have nothing to compare it to.
THE BEST INSTRUCTORS ARE STUDENTS
The absolute most important data point when I vet instructors for our network or for a friend is that instructor's personal training history. Instructors who are absolutely the very best are always the ones who are, at the same time they are teaching classes, consuming a ton of training content both virtually and in-person.
The best instructors attend classes from other instructors, read magazines, listen to podcasts, subscribe to emails, and PAY for additional training of their own. Sometimes of them are chasing certifications and resume building credentials which is not a problem by itself but beyond that I'm looking for those who just show a dedication to ongoing learning.
GOOD INSTRUCTORS ARE MADE THROUGH REPITITION
Just like it takes a lot of trigger presses to be good at running a gun, it takes a lot of class and range time with students to be good at teaching the gun.
That isn't any sort of slight on newer instructors who lack experience. Everyone has to start somewhere however, when vetting instructors I find a correlation between the number of years or the number of classes they have taught and their skill at teaching that class or material.
As a Firearm Instructor teaches more classes and gets more students passed through their doors, the instructors get asked more questions and learns how to respond. As they get asked these questions repeatedly, the instructors also find the best ways to concisely answer their students' questions, maximizing the amount of information given out in a set amount of time.
HOW TO FIND THE BEST INSTRUCTOR YOURSELF
Finding an instructor that is both experienced and a dedicated student of the industry is challenging when all you have to go on is a website. Here are some suggestions to help you sift through the various instructors in your local area.
You can start by reading Instructor Bios. An instructor's biography should be helpful in indicating how long they have been teaching, and will show credentials beyond the minimum “NRA Certified Instructor.” Beware of instructors who inflate their bios by stretching the truth or telling absolute lies. Anyone in business and in sales is going to go to some effort to make themselves look at good as possible but there needs to be an element of integrity.
You can also look for organizations, rather than just one instructor. Often times when an instructor is part of a team of instructors at a gun range or in a larger organization like our own Training Network; it can be indicative that they have access to better information, can get input from other instructors about teaching techniques, and are more likely to get experience teaching faster.
Look for and read student reviews. As I said before, most beginner students will think that their instructor is great even when there is a lot of room for improvement. However, instructors that are REALLY good tend to inspire students to post reviews online. In my experience, it isn't generally the quality of the reviews but the quantity that indicates a good instructor. Any instructor can get some friends to write some good reviews but a high number of testimonials more often suggests experience and quality instruction.
So with this knowledge at your disposal, take a look at instructors around you and make sure that they are up to the standards you deserve.
I find when investigating whether to bring a firearms instructor to my range many bios are embellished. I also find fault with instructors who teach tactics who have never used them in real life, I’m not saying you have to be greatest gunslinger only that to teach tactics you need to have experience in using those tactics in real life. Anyone can teach shooing a gun at a target. Most people have limited funds for training so do your homework.
I am a NRA certified instructor as well as certified NRA range safety officer. I have been using my training to teach our church members how to properly and safely handle and shoot firearms.My toughest questions have come from Biblical justification. That took some serious home work. We met once each week for two hours. Every other week was shooting at targets or classroom. I found that with a long term class such as this was that video CD’s helped to inspire discussion. I am always on the lookout for new a fresh information to help my classes.
From this we have developed about 30 armed CCW safety and security personal for our church and it’s functions. Any suggestions and or help of any kind is always welcome. We need to set up live situations for additional training. This is at this point beyond me. So I am open for more training.
There are a few great books out there, recently published, that talk more about the idea of self-defense and “flock” defense and armed use of force from the Christian perspective. It sounds like you have done a fantastic job all around. There are companies out there that specialize in church related security training. Sometimes they travel and hold classes in major metros and that might be something worth exploring more or researching. Also, check with the church’s insurance company. A lot of insurance providers that work with churches have some resources about minimizing risk and integrating security.