I was certified as a NRA Pistol instructor last June and boned up well on the material, which isn't hard as it's very remedial and plain, sat in on a course or two of a peer a couple times and realized it wasn't too difficult to do. I do have plenty of background teaching small groups so that isn't much of an issue. Gave a 1 on 1 class to a friend as a test of my capabilities and it went swimmingly. He got his CCW and off I went to do more classes. I've had only 4 other classes since ranging from 3-5 people, the last one included strangers too which added a new dynamic.
I keep my classes small and intimate allowing for and encouraging/coaxing as many questions as possible. I lay out my expectations of them and what my goals are for each segment of the class and overall - to make sure they can safely handle and use their guns. I have comfortably covered all the NRA Pistol content in about 4 hours on average, sometimes a little longer depending on questions and discussion. I also spend a separate hour or so discussing use of lethal force as plagiarized out of a manual/pamphlet I have (http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/68/88/52628868/documents/Hayes-SDLaw.pdf), "reasonable man" doctrine, "ability, opportunity, and jeopardy" discussion, "in your shoes" doctrine, lifestyle of CCW, situational awareness, gear/dress, etc. and other content covering local laws and such.
Then the next morning we take a trip to the range where I have them go through the range related stuff. The demonstrate loading and making ready, presenting and firing their strings of fire according to the rocker sheet, unloading and showing clear, and hopefully hitting their 9" targets a satisfactory amount of times. They then demo how to clean their guns briefly and they get their certificate (the little card, not the $11 certs because that's just stupid). I also give them course material as I've rekeyed it because the booklets they get in the student packets does not go well with the actual course content. I spent several hours making their hand-outs match what I teach and they get copies of it and they are allowed to have it during the class as long as they don't jump ahead! lol
Anyway, for those getting started, build confidence in your material...know it perfectly. Don't be afraid to add stuff like a quick clip of Travis Haley demonstrating what recoil looks like and proper grip (because the NRA is a day late and dollar short on that). Have frequent leg-stretching breaks so people feel comfortable. Have snack food and drinks. Sit on comfortable chairs (i do classes in my home), put the ugly NRA visual posters on the wall so they have something to look at (I had a student ask about the gangster grip because the NRA poster shows a top-down view of how to grip the gun which looks like the sideways gangster grip).
Get discussions going and make sure you have the ability to redirect wayward story telling and try not to recite EVERY story you've heard or you'll be there all night...and try to curtail the story telling each student has ever heard about the accidental/negligent shootings or you'll be there all night. Keep discussion on topic but more importantly keep the questions coming by ALWAYS thanking for questions even if they're off topic. Quiet people who don't ask questions should be a flag....they're just trying to get through the class so they can get their cert. Don't let that happen or you'll have failed.
Anyway, just thought I'd report. You don't learn until you give classes. Start small with friends and family. Don't waste months and years watching who you think the pros are. Not saying don't audit a class or two, but it's really easier than you think and as mentioned earlier, the material is easy peasy.
Oh yeah, don't be afraid to NOT pass someone who constantly muzzle sweeps themselves or others or who demonstrates poor trigger/finger discipline! It's YOUR job to not pass them or retrain them, even if they're your friends or family. You are creating a liability to society, not an asset. My crappy NRA counselor was very, very poor at teaching and missed a good 75% of the content...a friend and NRA counselor pretty much redid that class for me and some friends and got that guy booted from his credentials for gross negligence...and muzzle sweeping.
jpcmt
I keep my classes small and intimate allowing for and encouraging/coaxing as many questions as possible. I lay out my expectations of them and what my goals are for each segment of the class and overall - to make sure they can safely handle and use their guns. I have comfortably covered all the NRA Pistol content in about 4 hours on average, sometimes a little longer depending on questions and discussion. I also spend a separate hour or so discussing use of lethal force as plagiarized out of a manual/pamphlet I have (http://memberfiles.freewebs.com/68/88/52628868/documents/Hayes-SDLaw.pdf), "reasonable man" doctrine, "ability, opportunity, and jeopardy" discussion, "in your shoes" doctrine, lifestyle of CCW, situational awareness, gear/dress, etc. and other content covering local laws and such.
Then the next morning we take a trip to the range where I have them go through the range related stuff. The demonstrate loading and making ready, presenting and firing their strings of fire according to the rocker sheet, unloading and showing clear, and hopefully hitting their 9" targets a satisfactory amount of times. They then demo how to clean their guns briefly and they get their certificate (the little card, not the $11 certs because that's just stupid). I also give them course material as I've rekeyed it because the booklets they get in the student packets does not go well with the actual course content. I spent several hours making their hand-outs match what I teach and they get copies of it and they are allowed to have it during the class as long as they don't jump ahead! lol
Anyway, for those getting started, build confidence in your material...know it perfectly. Don't be afraid to add stuff like a quick clip of Travis Haley demonstrating what recoil looks like and proper grip (because the NRA is a day late and dollar short on that). Have frequent leg-stretching breaks so people feel comfortable. Have snack food and drinks. Sit on comfortable chairs (i do classes in my home), put the ugly NRA visual posters on the wall so they have something to look at (I had a student ask about the gangster grip because the NRA poster shows a top-down view of how to grip the gun which looks like the sideways gangster grip).
Get discussions going and make sure you have the ability to redirect wayward story telling and try not to recite EVERY story you've heard or you'll be there all night...and try to curtail the story telling each student has ever heard about the accidental/negligent shootings or you'll be there all night. Keep discussion on topic but more importantly keep the questions coming by ALWAYS thanking for questions even if they're off topic. Quiet people who don't ask questions should be a flag....they're just trying to get through the class so they can get their cert. Don't let that happen or you'll have failed.
Anyway, just thought I'd report. You don't learn until you give classes. Start small with friends and family. Don't waste months and years watching who you think the pros are. Not saying don't audit a class or two, but it's really easier than you think and as mentioned earlier, the material is easy peasy.
Oh yeah, don't be afraid to NOT pass someone who constantly muzzle sweeps themselves or others or who demonstrates poor trigger/finger discipline! It's YOUR job to not pass them or retrain them, even if they're your friends or family. You are creating a liability to society, not an asset. My crappy NRA counselor was very, very poor at teaching and missed a good 75% of the content...a friend and NRA counselor pretty much redid that class for me and some friends and got that guy booted from his credentials for gross negligence...and muzzle sweeping.
jpcmt
