How is someone supposed to recognize a legitimate firearms instructor in a world of internet personalities who claim to be teaching legitimate techniques? There are some indicators that can help us make the right choice in choosing an instructor to train with.
Anyone seeking good training does not want to waste their time and money on someone who does not teach legitimate techniques that are highly effective in a self defense scenario. The techniques they teach must be relevant and highly focused on common situations people face in their daily life.
A lot of people today are motivated by money and try to take advantage of others by claiming to be something they’re not. Investigation into someone’s background and experience shouldn’t be met with resistance.
If you were interviewing someone for a job who didn’t want to answer your questions, would you really want to hire them? Of course not, and a good firearms instructor will not mind you looking into their background either.
Legitimate firearms instructors focus heavily on safety
Safety is the first priority of any firearms instructor and is the basis of any good firearms training. Every class should begin with a review of the fundamental principles of firearms safety. Those principles of safety must be emphasized and enforced throughout the class.
Each technique they teach will reenforce safety and explain why safety is important even in a self defense situation. It may sound unusual to talk about safety when you’re trying to defend your life but if you shoot yourself while trying to defend yourself, you put ourself at a big disadvantage.
A legitimate firearms instructor will focus all of their training techniques around the fundamentals of firearms safety and will not expose students to overly dangerous situations. The instructor will also recognize the abilities of each of the students and tailor the training in such a way to ensure safety as well as effectively teaching the students.
More advanced firearms classes are not suitable for beginning students due to the increased levels of firearms skills required. A good instructor will direct the beginner to classes that are intended to build up those skills prior to taking more advanced training.
Some of the techniques being taught by fake firearms instructors can be very dangerous and even lead to someone getting hurt.
Conflict avoidance techniques must be part of the class
The best fight is the one you don’t have. Avoiding a fight, especially a gun fight, is the second most important part of identifying a legitimate firearms instructor. Techniques of conflict avoidance are crucial elements of good effective training. The instructor should help you learn to identify situations of higher risk and how to avoid them in the first place.
Some places are more dangerous than others and some people are more dangerous as well. Being able to recognize a bad situation before you get into one will help you avoid the need to defend yourself.
Firearms instructors should have a background of their own firearms training
If someone is claiming to be a legitimate firearms instructor they should have the background to support their claim. Someone who is unwilling to learn is someone who makes a bad teacher. A firearms instructor should have a background of training and in many cases, experience in what they’re teaching.
Someone who has not received any training themselves cannot possibly know the proper techniques necessary for proper firearms handling and self defense techniques.
Military and police training can be a good background for a firearms instructor. However, their education should also include civilian classes as well. While there are certain areas of overlapping of techniques, military and police training techniques aren’t all suited for civilian self defense.
Civilians typically do not assault buildings looking for hostile combatants or breach doorways using explosive charges. The average civilian is trying to learn the techniques to protect themselves against a criminal attack.
Good instructors will also not train beyond their resume. They will not try to teach techniques they have no experience with themselves. Teaching unfounded techniques can be dangerous and put everyone at risk if not taught properly.
First Aid training can help save lives once the shooting is over
I would question any instructor who didn’t either encourage students to get some first aid training or teaches first aid classes as part of the training they offer. There are more lives saved by people who know first aid than any other training offered.
I’ve personally taken several first aid classes over the years and they are as enjoyable as the firearms training I’ve had. I’ve also used those techniques on a few occasions to help people who have been injured in car wrecks or who have had a medical emergency.
If an instructor doesn’t teach first aid themselves, they should at least be able to refer you to someone who does to help you better develop your overall skills.