So, you spent $500.00 for a class to get training to improve your shooting, now what?
What did you learn?
What drills did you do? How well did you do?
Why did you do the drills that you performed?
Can you diagnose what you are doing wrong? or even what you are doing right?
Were you being safe?
When I have had classes the first thing that is done is a safety briefing then we were accessed for our safety and basic shooting skills. This is so you are safe and those around you are being safe and then how fast the instructor can go. The more experienced the group the more training drills can be performed.
The first frill is a 10 in one, smallest spread of the shot placement wins a stuffed rabbiit.
Now what does this drill do? It shows you how well your sight alignment and sight picture is. It shows you how well your grip is. This can be done on your own at the range by yourself. This is called utilization of your money well spent. You received training and instead of calling it all done and over, invest into the money you spent and improve upon your own. The next time you take a class you will learn new things and hopefully improved the skills you were taught in the first class.
There is moving and shooting, how smooth were you when you were moving? How accurate were your shots? You did this in class and now have you practiced this on your own? Then there is reloading, how fast can you get your Personal Protection back into action? How fast can you draw your Personal Protection?
When you have a class, you should have a list of drills that you will get training on but if not write them down in a tablet. That way when you go to the range to practice you can perform these tasks and work at improving them. What did you see? Did everything happen like you want? What went wrong? Why did it go wrong? How do you fix it?
Our goal for going to classes and going to the range is to achieve improvement and become more confident in our own capabilities. That is why you joined the USCCA, because they offer you skills and training as well as protection in case you have to protect the lives of your family or yourself. If you are investing into your skills, then utilize what you are being offered and build upon it.
Train hard, train smart, and be safe!
What I would add is that each of us should find the moment when we are knowledgeable / skilled
enough to stop training and practicing everything at the same time.
That’s why Instructor’s feedback is very important. He / she should point all the weaknesses in our skills. And those are always present, there is no doubt.
Once you know what you need to correct, you just focus on this single thing. You can still do all the drills you did so far, but just focus on the part you need to correct. Once is done, try to find the weakest part of your proficiency and make it better.
You are screwed the moment you started training under such Instructor…
Everybody knows… do research before you let somebody explaining to you things you may not understand. Unfortunately, there are plenty of bad Instructors.
It was a last minute choice for renewal. Since I saw they were USCCA instructors and had a rep show up I thought they would be good, big mistake. They were teaching hand-to-hand combat, “what to do when walking down a dark alley”, and if you cannot draw your gun “this fast” you’ll be raped and your entire family will die. I cannot believe USCCA backs these insurance risks teaching under their name.
For last 5 years I attended around 150 classes as a student under over 20 different instructors. Classes were always great, at least one new development or improvement came after each one.
These days I have group of 6 trusted Instructors I know they won’t sell me any BS.
Unfortunately none of those 6 is a USCCA Instructor…
I have always typed up detailed notes and documented what we were taught and learned. This includes pictures of targets so I can remember drills and techniques. I review the notes periodically as a refresher. Then I practice the techniques at the range, at home with my SIRT and even some things without a gun in my hand walking the empty halls at work if I’m the first to arrive or the last to leave. I imagine scenarios from training and ask myself if I could make the shot in my particular environment.
I go to his class every year but this year. I got married when he was in town, so I missed the class. He goes at the pace of the class. No one is left behind. Good fundamentals and all over a good class. I went to his class in Pheonix last year and there was a good caliber of shooters there and I watched how others were performing and learned a few things from doing that. I took the class in Shelton, Washington the year before. I had participated in the Certified instructor’s class before this with the USCCA and taking his class was a way for me to observe teaching techniques as well as doing a check of my own capabilities. Long story short, Washington State does not allow the USCCA in the state so I can no longer be a member and things just did not work out so, I am just a reliable source of information and I enjoy the community chats and those who are here. With everybody’s experiences here it gives us all an incredible amount of information and knowledge.
Train hard, stay safe, and eat tacos!
Did you have a pleasure to see him shooting his “penis” target?
He stopped doing this some time ago… but still his classes are one of the best for everyone - skilled and a newbie. He can mix both the same time and the class is still absorbing.
As you posted - nobody is left behind.
I started shooting a .22 rifle and going to NRA gun safety and marksmanship classes when I was 8. I guess basic training was the next followed by A.I.T. After getting out of the ARMY I trained with 3%ers for awhile.Now I get tactical training at MALC 4 times a year, and I constantly train myself.
