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  • Coach

    Grandmaster
    Emeritus
    Trainer Supporter
    Local Business Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Apr 15, 2008
    13,411
    48
    Coatesville
    I am just now back from a 2 hour private instruction session. It was close to home for me. I went to help a lady who is old enough to be my mother. She has been shooting steel for four years in Texas during the winter time. She wants to get better at it. She and her family have their small range out behind the tool shed. She is shooting a Smith and Wesson Victory with a red dot on it.

    I am happy with how the session went for the both of us. She was a sponge and soaked up the material that I provided. We talked through a number of shooting elements and how they relate and how they work together. She had a steel array set up and I had her do a few runs on the array as she normally does things and were noted the times. Her times were 7 seconds and change on these initial runs. By the time we ended she was running the array in the low fives. She repeated a time of 5.26 seconds several times in a row. She had a handful of runs in the mid 4's as well.

    There are so many points that should be take note of from this experience. An open minded student can make progress that is dramatic in less than 100 rounds if they listen to someone who knows the right material. She could have shot 1000 rounds and not been any better for the effort and the expense. Lots of people think training is too expensive. Not if you learn from the session.

    This lady has done enough shooting on her own that she had some bad habits. She is planning on putting the time in to change those habits because she wants to improve. If she had gotten this instruction four years ago before she formed the wrong habits. She would be much further along. Building good habits from the start is much easier than fixing things later.

    I feel a little embarrassed about this next part. I don't like to blow my own horn. I preferred to let the score sheet and my clients do the talking. But I have run into this many times over the last ten years. The lady today asked me why she had not heard of these fundamental skills that I taught her before now because she has a couple of good friends that have helped her and they are NRA certified instructors. This lady is not the type that is going to let you off the hook with a vague answer. I have done other sessions where the same question has been put to me. Last winter I had a young woman seek me out because she could not shoot accurately after taking a class (not NRA) and some private instruction at Point Blank in Greenwood. After going through the fundamentals she stopped me and said I was telling the exact opposite of what she had been told else where. After a 15 minute period of shooting doing what I told her to do she had enjoyed the best accuracy of her life. There are certain fundamentals that must be in place to get hits and to do it at speed. The right instructor is a thing. It is a big thing. Certifications may mean something or they may not mean much.

    Context is a big thing. Tom Givens and his classes have driven that point home with me. Someone who does not shoot competition is not going to be able to help you with that. Someone who does not understand the defensive use of a pistol is not going to be able to help you with that. Someone who cannot shoot is not going to be able to teach you to shoot well. I have had a number of people want to be an instructor with me or at Parabellum, but they cannot hit the target. I refuse to hire them. It pisses some of them off drastically. A good instructor should be able to teach someone who is younger and has better reflexes to shoot better or faster than the instructor can. If I do my job well there will be a day when my son is better with a gun than I am, and hopefully better than I ever was.

    If you want to shoot well. Get some instruction. Get the right instruction. Do it before you have bad habits if possible. If that is not possible do it sooner rather than later. It can make a big difference. I had a client a few years back up at Warsaw who did 1 hour of private instruction. She was pretty inaccurate when she arrived. She had taken 32 hours of classes from an NRA certified instructor. We worked hard for that hour and the difference on the target was impressive. You cannot learn to shoot in the classroom. You have lay the foundation properly to build upon. She was a little angry at how little she had gotten from those other classes in comparison. Classes can be just as helpful as private instruction but it has to be the right class.

    The right instructor leaves you with a practice plan for the new skills you have acquired. A good instructor shows you the way and explains why it is the way. Then it is up to you to practice and master it and own it.

    It sure is rewarding for the instructor when the class or session goes well. Plus it is nice to get paid.
     

    rhino

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    24   0   0
    Mar 18, 2008
    30,906
    113
    Indiana
    Excellent post! I know quite a few people whose USPSA performance (and overall shooting and gunhandling skill) has improved dramatically over the years who probably would not have progressed as quickly or as far without your guidance at some point along the way.

    It feels good when you can help someone improve in any aspect of life. When it's something that has objective, measurable standards like shooting, it's even more so.


    I am just now back from a 2 hour private instruction session. It was close to home for me. I went to help a lady who is old enough to be my mother. She has been shooting steel for four years in Texas during the winter time. She wants to get better at it. She and her family have their small range out behind the tool shed. She is shooting a Smith and Wesson Victory with a red dot on it.

    I am happy with how the session went for the both of us. She was a sponge and soaked up the material that I provided. We talked through a number of shooting elements and how they relate and how they work together. She had a steel array set up and I had her do a few runs on the array as she normally does things and were noted the times. Her times were 7 seconds and change on these initial runs. By the time we ended she was running the array in the low fives. She repeated a time of 5.26 seconds several times in a row. She had a handful of runs in the mid 4's as well.

    There are so many points that should be take note of from this experience. An open minded student can make progress that is dramatic in less than 100 rounds if they listen to someone who knows the right material. She could have shot 1000 rounds and not been any better for the effort and the expense. Lots of people think training is too expensive. Not if you learn from the session.

    This lady has done enough shooting on her own that she had some bad habits. She is planning on putting the time in to change those habits because she wants to improve. If she had gotten this instruction four years ago before she formed the wrong habits. She would be much further along. Building good habits from the start is much easier than fixing things later.

    I feel a little embarrassed about this next part. I don't like to blow my own horn. I preferred to let the score sheet and my clients do the talking. But I have run into this many times over the last ten years. The lady today asked me why she had not heard of these fundamental skills that I taught her before now because she has a couple of good friends that have helped her and they are NRA certified instructors. This lady is not the type that is going to let you off the hook with a vague answer. I have done other sessions where the same question has been put to me. Last winter I had a young woman seek me out because she could not shoot accurately after taking a class (not NRA) and some private instruction at Point Blank in Greenwood. After going through the fundamentals she stopped me and said I was telling the exact opposite of what she had been told else where. After a 15 minute period of shooting doing what I told her to do she had enjoyed the best accuracy of her life. There are certain fundamentals that must be in place to get hits and to do it at speed. The right instructor is a thing. It is a big thing. Certifications may mean something or they may not mean much.

    Context is a big thing. Tom Givens and his classes have driven that point home with me. Someone who does not shoot competition is not going to be able to help you with that. Someone who does not understand the defensive use of a pistol is not going to be able to help you with that. Someone who cannot shoot is not going to be able to teach you to shoot well. I have had a number of people want to be an instructor with me or at Parabellum, but they cannot hit the target. I refuse to hire them. It pisses some of them off drastically. A good instructor should be able to teach someone who is younger and has better reflexes to shoot better or faster than the instructor can. If I do my job well there will be a day when my son is better with a gun than I am, and hopefully better than I ever was.

    If you want to shoot well. Get some instruction. Get the right instruction. Do it before you have bad habits if possible. If that is not possible do it sooner rather than later. It can make a big difference. I had a client a few years back up at Warsaw who did 1 hour of private instruction. She was pretty inaccurate when she arrived. She had taken 32 hours of classes from an NRA certified instructor. We worked hard for that hour and the difference on the target was impressive. You cannot learn to shoot in the classroom. You have lay the foundation properly to build upon. She was a little angry at how little she had gotten from those other classes in comparison. Classes can be just as helpful as private instruction but it has to be the right class.

    The right instructor leaves you with a practice plan for the new skills you have acquired. A good instructor shows you the way and explains why it is the way. Then it is up to you to practice and master it and own it.

    It sure is rewarding for the instructor when the class or session goes well. Plus it is nice to get paid.
     

    IsThatLegal?

    Marksman
    Rating - 100%
    8   0   0
    Aug 11, 2017
    244
    28
    Whitestown
    Great post. I was completely green when I first met you (and am only slightly less green now) but have taken enough classes with you and with others to see that some instructors are knowledgeable and effective, while others are, well, significantly less knowledgeable and/or effective. Now, if I can just practice and implement what you have taught me. . . . . . .
     

    Randy Harris

    Marksman
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Oct 22, 2012
    248
    28
    some instructors are knowledgeable and effective, while others are, well, significantly less knowledgeable and/or effective.. . . . . . .

    Just like truck drivers, bank tellers , teachers, doctors and lawyers....you know what they call a guy who graduated LAST in his class in medical school? Doctor....

    Firearm instructors are the same way. To become an instructor is fairly cheap and easy (2 days of NRA class will get you paper to hang on the wall) ....to be a GOOD one requires significant work and expenditure of time and money to become experienced enough to speak with authority on different subjects , skilled enough to perform the tasks at a high level and time to learn HOW TO TEACH. Unfortunately there are a lot of Instagram heroes out there who didn't get that memo but simply rely on their beards and sleeve tats to convince people to come to class with them... and because the student doesn't know any better they won't know whether it was good or bad until it is over....

    Having spent a fair amount of time with Coach I can tell you he's the kind of instructor who cares about helping people .... not just racking up more likes on Facebook , being famous and cashing checks.
     

    Trapper Jim

    Master
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    22   0   0
    Dec 18, 2012
    2,676
    77
    Arcadia
    Just like truck drivers, bank tellers , teachers, doctors and lawyers....you know what they call a guy who graduated LAST in his class in medical school? Doctor....

    Firearm instructors are the same way. To become an instructor is fairly cheap and easy (2 days of NRA class will get you paper to hang on the wall) ....to be a GOOD one requires significant work and expenditure of time and money to become experienced enough to speak with authority on different subjects , skilled enough to perform the tasks at a high level and time to learn HOW TO TEACH. Unfortunately there are a lot of Instagram heroes out there who didn't get that memo but simply rely on their beards and sleeve tats to convince people to come to class with them... and because the student doesn't know any better they won't know whether it was good or bad until it is over....

    Having spent a fair amount of time with Coach I can tell you he's the kind of instructor who cares about helping people .... not just racking up more likes on Facebook , being famous and cashing checks.

    Right on Coach. I always respect the Trainers that are humble enough to shoot in the games. Hell, I even know competitors who don't want their score seen. It can be said that the games may not always be good training for some street skills with a firearm but the trigger time and measure of improvement are priceless. There are many people in our profession that have jumped on the bandwagon in the last lustrum that are doing more harm than good in some cases. I also agree about NRA certs. Over 20 years ago instead of putting students to sleep with the NRA course, I decided with much success to develop Hands On. Quite simply as you know, there can be no teaching without learning and no learning without retention and exercise. Having said that, as posted elsewhere in this forum, many stores have cropped up as well to capitalize on marketing to the casual Gun owner. I refer to all irresponsible marketing businesses as Death Merchants. They too, IMHO, are irresponsible. Just this week I had a student show up with a complete outfit purchased at one of the well known box stores. She put her complete faith in these experts. Wrong gun for her, ammo was Russian, holster was for the next model up and was unsafe for her new purchased .380. Death Merchants with no responsibility. I wish there were more like you around but if we don't give up, maybe they will.

    see you on the range.
     

    downrange72

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    May 3, 2009
    6,162
    63
    SW Indy/Camby/West Newton
    Great post. I was completely green when I first met you (and am only slightly less green now) but have taken enough classes with you and with others to see that some instructors are knowledgeable and effective, while others are, well, significantly less knowledgeable and/or effective. Now, if I can just practice and implement what you have taught me. . . . . . .

    You have made huge strides and you are almost a pleasure to be around :D
     

    whtsti2005

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 18, 2013
    103
    18
    Carmel
    I have taken 3 classes with coach and recently had a 2 hour private lesson with him. It was some of the best money I've spent with regards to firearms training. I will highly suggest to anyone that is seriously wanting to improve their pistol skills to contact Coach and set up some training time. His no BS method of making things happen is much appreciated and he gets to the point with things.

    P.S. He got my draw time down from around 1.5 seconds to almost a flat second!!!
     

    wtburnette

    WT(aF)
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    44   0   0
    Nov 11, 2013
    26,859
    113
    SW side of Indy
    I have taken 3 classes with coach and recently had a 2 hour private lesson with him. It was some of the best money I've spent with regards to firearms training. I will highly suggest to anyone that is seriously wanting to improve their pistol skills to contact Coach and set up some training time. His no BS method of making things happen is much appreciated and he gets to the point with things.

    P.S. He got my draw time down from around 1.5 seconds to almost a flat second!!!

    I agree. I've taken a couple of classes with Coach and they've been very good. I have a third coming up in the Fall and am looking forward to it.
     

    doddg

    Grandmaster
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    135   0   1
    May 15, 2017
    8,613
    77
    Indianapolis
    I read these wonderful things about Coach back a bit when I was recovering from surgery.
    I thought I'd be wasting his time since I was not optimal (last night I got soo tired at a 4 hour training that lasted only 2.5 hours due to so few individuals (like me asking questions in the classroom and in on the range instead of 10 people asking questions, slowing things down). It's been 6 weeks since surgery and apparently I've a way to go yet. :dunno:
    I now have spent about $200 on training and probably would have been much better off paying it to Coach.
    Someone offered to train me at $30/hr. and I was open to it, but we've never gotten together, but I figured it would help prepare me to take advantage of a trainer like Coach when the time came.
    Crap! I hate to not spend my money wisely.
    But, perhaps if I can meet up with Coach sometime I will be in a better position to gain from his instruction after getting some "101" generic instruction.
    The times I have shot with others who have been around awhile, of which last Sunday at a man's private home range, I have felt like I was getting "private instruction" b/c of just repeating the basics. I have so many bad habits, like the lady mentioned, and feel like I would benefit greatly from someone like Coach.

    I'm looking forward to the all-day training Nov. 3rd which is supposed to be top-tier, and I'm looking forward to meeting some of the leaders here that try to help this poor soul. :laugh:
     

    rhino

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    24   0   0
    Mar 18, 2008
    30,906
    113
    Indiana
    I read these wonderful things about Coach back a bit when I was recovering from surgery.
    I thought I'd be wasting his time since I was not optimal (last night I got soo tired at a 4 hour training that lasted only 2.5 hours due to so few individuals (like me asking questions in the classroom and in on the range instead of 10 people asking questions, slowing things down). It's been 6 weeks since surgery and apparently I've a way to go yet. :dunno:
    I now have spent about $200 on training and probably would have been much better off paying it to Coach.
    Someone offered to train me at $30/hr. and I was open to it, but we've never gotten together, but I figured it would help prepare me to take advantage of a trainer like Coach when the time came.
    Crap! I hate to not spend my money wisely.
    But, perhaps if I can meet up with Coach sometime I will be in a better position to gain from his instruction after getting some "101" generic instruction.
    The times I have shot with others who have been around awhile, of which last Sunday at a man's private home range, I have felt like I was getting "private instruction" b/c of just repeating the basics. I have so many bad habits, like the lady mentioned, and feel like I would benefit greatly from someone like Coach.

    I'm looking forward to the all-day training Nov. 3rd which is supposed to be top-tier, and I'm looking forward to meeting some of the leaders here that try to help this poor soul. :laugh:

    Suggestion: just PM Coach and talk to him directly. He can help you decide what you should do next.
     

    doddg

    Grandmaster
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    135   0   1
    May 15, 2017
    8,613
    77
    Indianapolis
    Suggestion: just PM Coach and talk to him directly. He can help you decide what you should do next.

    1. I have held off in doing that b/c of the other trainings that I had scheduled which were very basic.
    2. With school starting up I'll be really busy and tired, so I'm putting off contacting him till a more "convenient season."
    3. If I knew what I was going to be doing Fall Break, I could see about his availability, but the wife and I could be on a cruise or in Italy: I owe her bigtime for ruining her summer being my private nurse. :dunno:
     

    IsThatLegal?

    Marksman
    Rating - 100%
    8   0   0
    Aug 11, 2017
    244
    28
    Whitestown
    1. I have held off in doing that b/c of the other trainings that I had scheduled which were very basic.
    2. With school starting up I'll be really busy and tired, so I'm putting off contacting him till a more "convenient season."
    3. If I knew what I was going to be doing Fall Break, I could see about his availability, but the wife and I could be on a cruise or in Italy: I owe her bigtime for ruining her summer being my private nurse. :dunno:

    Be patient and give your body time to heal. I went thru a major surgery early this year. Coach and others here have had to take care of me during a shoot a time or two prior to my surgery. I am back in the saddle but it took longer than I thought it would. Coach will teach you what you need to know, and will teach it in a way that you will understand. You may "get it" immediately or it may take some time with live fire and dry fire before it materializes and you "see" what he has explained to you when you are on a course of fire. I havent seen anyone lay it out better, and in a more straightforward and humble way, than Coach. I will now stop before I say too many nice things about him.
     

    dudley0

    Nobody Important
    Rating - 100%
    99   0   0
    Mar 19, 2010
    3,725
    113
    Grant County
    2. With school starting up I'll be really busy and tired, so I'm putting off contacting him till a more "convenient season."

    I wish that I lived closer to good trainers. I have worked under Coach on the two Defensive gigs that he and BBI put on. Makes for a long day, and I can't just leave for a weekend easily with my job being what it is.

    Might try to see if I can get some folks in my area interested in a session with him. Then maybe I can get him to travel to my range.
     

    doddg

    Grandmaster
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    135   0   1
    May 15, 2017
    8,613
    77
    Indianapolis
    Be patient and give your body time to heal. I went thru a major surgery early this year. Coach and others here have had to take care of me during a shoot a time or two prior to my surgery. I am back in the saddle but it took longer than I thought it would. Coach will teach you what you need to know, and will teach it in a way that you will understand. You may "get it" immediately or it may take some time with live fire and dry fire before it materializes and you "see" what he has explained to you when you are on a course of fire. I havent seen anyone lay it out better, and in a more straightforward and humble way, than Coach. I will now stop before I say too many nice things about him.

    1. Patience? Still working on that one. :)
    2. Yes, I can see that the worst is over, but to get my "all day" endurance: it will take awhile.
    3. Being a man, I want to beat the Dr.'s timeline, to prove I'm "above the curve," like it's a competition, but as I get older, I am learning I have to give that up. :laugh:
    4. Thanks for the encouragement, with school starting, I'm not going to be at my leisure and it's going to be tougher.
    5. That's why I'm glad I've got one last "blast" (all puns intended) with Rhino today with some instruction at Parabellum in Avon. :ingo:
     

    Coach

    Grandmaster
    Emeritus
    Trainer Supporter
    Local Business Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Apr 15, 2008
    13,411
    48
    Coatesville
    I wish that I lived closer to good trainers. I have worked under Coach on the two Defensive gigs that he and BBI put on. Makes for a long day, and I can't just leave for a weekend easily with my job being what it is.

    Might try to see if I can get some folks in my area interested in a session with him. Then maybe I can get him to travel to my range.

    I am game if we can fit it into the schedule.
     
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