Lately I've been struggling with which classes to take. I'd like to develop myself and thereby my company but some classes lately really haven't given a good dollar per lesson cost benefit analysis.
My schedule going forward for this year is as follows:
TCCC with Med Tact
VCQB with William Petty
ECQC with Craig Douglas (2nd time)
Private shoot house class with Joe Weyer
Unthinkable with William Aprill
Once a week private Jiu Jitsu lessons
After my knee heals:
Twice a week jiu jitsu
Twice a month boxing
This year I have taken:
Red zone knife defense seminar with Jerry Wetzel
Alternative shooting positions with Spartan Dynamics
Any regular folks I talk to about getting into a class want to know 3 things. Am I cop, a vet, or an NRA instructor. I'm neither of the first two. That being said, the NRA instructor program did not prepare me to run a pistol 1 class let alone run a business.
So now I'm looking at rounding out my schedule and am at a crux for further direction. Do I take more classes to develop skills 99% of the public will never use? Do I take level 1 classes to get some quip or alternative way to teach something? Do I just shoot more?
I break down shooting classes into 3 basic categories:
1. Tactics based classes
2. Marksmanship based classes
3. Accreditation classes
Tactics based classes are tons of fun. Moving in houses with partners is fantastic and pushes my abilities to the limit. Working in a 6 man team moving and shooting as we work to own 3 sides of cover is always appealing. I just can't put much of this into practical application for regular people.
Lastly I struggle with marksmanship classes. I have a moderate ability to self diagnose and continually ask if I'd be better off spending the class fee on 2k of ammo and shooting with a purpose (at home) or going to a match. After you add up everything associated with a class I could've paid for 10k in ammo. Which would get me further? The 10k rounds or the "nugget" I got from a class?
I am tempted to take as many accreditation classes as possible. Classes with some sort of "certification" is all the general populous cares about. The issue is I don't see the benefit. No offense Corbon, but being a USCCA instructor is not appealing and I haven't heard good things from others that have been in classes. I took the Rangemaster's handgun instructor and advanced handgun instructor courses and people respond with "Tom who?" Fly to Utah to become one of their CCW instructors? Take all 6 levels of Henk Iverson's classes to become an instructor?
So INGO trainers, what say you?
My schedule going forward for this year is as follows:
TCCC with Med Tact
VCQB with William Petty
ECQC with Craig Douglas (2nd time)
Private shoot house class with Joe Weyer
Unthinkable with William Aprill
Once a week private Jiu Jitsu lessons
After my knee heals:
Twice a week jiu jitsu
Twice a month boxing
This year I have taken:
Red zone knife defense seminar with Jerry Wetzel
Alternative shooting positions with Spartan Dynamics
Any regular folks I talk to about getting into a class want to know 3 things. Am I cop, a vet, or an NRA instructor. I'm neither of the first two. That being said, the NRA instructor program did not prepare me to run a pistol 1 class let alone run a business.
So now I'm looking at rounding out my schedule and am at a crux for further direction. Do I take more classes to develop skills 99% of the public will never use? Do I take level 1 classes to get some quip or alternative way to teach something? Do I just shoot more?
I break down shooting classes into 3 basic categories:
1. Tactics based classes
2. Marksmanship based classes
3. Accreditation classes
Tactics based classes are tons of fun. Moving in houses with partners is fantastic and pushes my abilities to the limit. Working in a 6 man team moving and shooting as we work to own 3 sides of cover is always appealing. I just can't put much of this into practical application for regular people.
Lastly I struggle with marksmanship classes. I have a moderate ability to self diagnose and continually ask if I'd be better off spending the class fee on 2k of ammo and shooting with a purpose (at home) or going to a match. After you add up everything associated with a class I could've paid for 10k in ammo. Which would get me further? The 10k rounds or the "nugget" I got from a class?
I am tempted to take as many accreditation classes as possible. Classes with some sort of "certification" is all the general populous cares about. The issue is I don't see the benefit. No offense Corbon, but being a USCCA instructor is not appealing and I haven't heard good things from others that have been in classes. I took the Rangemaster's handgun instructor and advanced handgun instructor courses and people respond with "Tom who?" Fly to Utah to become one of their CCW instructors? Take all 6 levels of Henk Iverson's classes to become an instructor?
So INGO trainers, what say you?