What Makes a Competent Instructor?

A while ago a friend of mine, we’ll call him Jim, came to me with an issue that was raised with his gun club. Over a weekend he and some friends got together for some fundamental pistol training; together going through various drills. Everyone was an experienced shooter, Jim being the only military shooter. Naturally civilians want to know how we in the military handle firearms and the techniques we use to employ them. Jim is a solid shooter, with a vast array of knowledge in tactical firearms training. His background includes various combat deployments around the world, training military and police officers in a variety of topics, including tactical employment of firearms. Video was taken for social media (as everyone does) and posted. About a week later he receives this email (a bulk email was sent) from the leadership of his Gun Club essentially demonizing what it was they were doing as "unsafe". In my experience, and I’m sure a lot of professionals will agree, there are three different types of shooters in this world.

photo by look-see-eat.blogspot.ca

Paper Punchers

These are your maybe not so accurate, not so quick hobby shooters, folks who simply enjoy shooting targets, be it paper cardboard or clays, your first timer rent-a-gun-for-fun types and hunters. Now I include hunters because their focus is getting that one good shot. They’re not worried about scoring points or dying.

Grand Master and Taurus Team Captain Jessie Harrison-Duff

Competition

These are the folks whose focus is accuracy, marksmanship and speed to score the highest amount of points. They’re looking for tactics that will allow them to hit the A zone accurately, as fast as possible, moving down and around the range as safely as possible, utilizing safety devices such as barrels and tables as they move through each weapon system; normally rifle, shotgun and pistol. They’re not often worried about the idea of cover though they may need to shoot from adverse positions depending on the course of fire. If there’s a safety issue the course of fire is stopped, the issue fixed and the reset button pressed. Competition style shooting gets you killed in the real world.




Gunfighters

Now for the purpose of this post I use this term very broadly. When we talk about gunfighting the first thing you think of is JTF2, SEAL Team types or even John Wayne and the wild west. In some Canadian ranges, it’s a term very frowned upon.  What is and isn't safe operation or use of a firearm is often determined by those with little or no qualification to say so. Its like saying gun in a room full of liberals, it makes people irrationally uncomfortable. Gunfighters include military personnel, police, armed guards or specialized security, and prepared citizens or those who wish to have the tactical ability to potentially protect their home. I say gunfighter because the term gunfight means a fight using guns between two or more people (Cambridge English Dictionary). These individuals are not looking to score points. They too need to be fast and accurate however the tactics and methods used are extremely different. They are training for the moment when they will need the firearm to protect their life or the life of their battle buddy, partner, or family. These individuals are training for the target that moves and shoots back.

Types of Instructors

Instructors can be found from all walks of life, in various topics. The majority of which have had many years experience in their respective fields. They bring a level of real world experience applying the skills in a non-training environment.  Two common types of instructors that can be found are:

Self Taught

These instructors are individuals who have taken a particular interest in a subject and expanded upon their knowledge base through individual training, reading, practical training applications and skill development. This is the most common type of instructor you will find today. They dedicate themselves to not only perfecting their knowledge base but take a genuine interest in passing on the knowledge to others. They have taken an interest in a particular subject and have been mentored to an extent by trained professionals.

Experienced Based

These are the instructors who have spent many years working in a particular field, teaching based on their experience and skill sets. They have undergone a careers worth of training and working experience to support the training programs they deliver.

Clark Impastato is a retired Navy SEAL with a wealth of knowledge combing from years of experience and training with Special Operations and as an Arizona law enforcement officer, applying that training throughout the world and at home. I spoke with him about this topic and he explains “Any instructor I’ve ever had, I look at where they got their information from and if they applied their knowledge in the real world or just a classroom environment."
Clark emphasises “ There is a difference between an Online Degree and a Degree from Harvard. On top of that, have they worked in the profession they are teaching? I want to learn from someone who has actual experience in the topics they are covering”.




A common trait you will find among good quality instructors is the desire to improve. Any instructor  worth their salt, whom I’ve had, has at one point or time, made a statement to the effect of “I am here to learn as much as you”. In every training session I conduct I often have individuals from various walks of life, including military and law enforcement even my own peers. Knowing these different backgrounds and skills sets are present, I always throw out to them “I am here to provide you with tools to place into your tool box, it is up to you to decide which tools go into the top rack” an concept I took from a previous mentor. This sets the mood and the tempo very quickly and creates a comfortable training environment. Second I tell the students “I’m here to learn as much from you as you are from me”. Your best critics are and will always be your students. Senior or more experienced instructors can provide you with tweaks and points to work on but ultimately your best critics are the people you are training. They are the ones learning the material, they are the ones following your example, they are the ones whom you have to convince that the material you are teaching, not only works, but can be learned and perfected.

Using a Variety of Professional Development and Coaching Styles

A satisfactory instructor will use one or two methods of teaching, a good instructor will use a variety of methods to teach. In Training at the Speed of Life by Kenneth R. Murray, he covers a variety of teaching styles which can be found today in many military and law enforcement instructors.

Self Education

This usually takes the form of reading books or material, listening to audio books or watching videos.  Validity of the information provided is purely subjective

Self Training

Someone who has mastered a skill understands and appreciates the time and practice required to attain such mastery. Self training on the part of the student is paramount if they are to master the skills they are taught. In the Use of Force world particularly for private security workers they are usually only given a few hours per year with an instructor. They must be able to self train the techniques taught and therefore it is on the instructor to provide training which can be easily learned to permit that self training.

Coaching

The interaction of two or more people where one imparts information to the others, or during a practical component, observes and guides the other to assist in developing proper form and function of the skill being practiced.

Theoretical Coaching
The transfer of information through the use of someone knowledgeable about a subject. Classroom lectures, and audio visual media can fall into this category and the only possible dangers are an incompetent coach, incorrect or irrelevant information, or a boring coach. Sitting in a classroom environt can be a challenge for students especially when the instructor cannot hold their attention and maintain interest.               

Practical Coaching
The application of information through the use of someone knowledgeable about a particular skill, or set of skills. These are often broken down into  two categories, static and dynamic. Static coaching is the slow progression to understanding the fundamentals of a particular skill. Usually this is the beginning stage where a skill is broken down in to it's individual components and focus is placed on technique, accuracy, and repetition. Dynamic is very similar  to static, but with an added stimulus to influence a cognitive or emotional response necessitating the need for the skill.

Testing
Finally we come into the realm of testing which includes theoretical through written examination to test the retention of academic knowledge as well as static, dynamic and reality based training scenarios where the physical skills are tested in an “as real as possible” environment. The true test is whether or not a skill can be applied under stress and without the need for cues or prompts.


Experience Can Be Subjective - Your Mileage May Vary

A piece of paper doesn’t make an instructor, anymore than working a job for many years makes you an expert or proficient enough to teach it. In many organizations you will find "instructors" who rely entirely on regurgitating what is on a slide presentation, and do not quite explain the material effectively. If you don't understand human behaviour, how adults learn and how to adapt your teaching methods on the fly. You will loose your audience and your "buy in". Now some will say otherwise and dispute that statement, however the Gracie Family are a perfect example of this.

Gracie Academy out of Torrance, California has been providing defensive tactics training to military and law enforcement professionals for over 25 years. Their program, Gracie Survival Tactics, has been adopted by agencies around the world. Rener Gracie travels far and wide delivering this program. He has never spent a day in uniform as a law enforcement officer or member of the military, but, what he and his family have done, is taken what they know, consulted the law enforcement community and adapted Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for their environment which is far different than that of traditional Jiu jistu that we often see in IBJJF or MMA. GST is unique with three focal principles.

Never go to the ground

Retain your weapons and tools

Achieve the position of advantage

Based on testimony from thousands of GST students there is no defensive tactics program out there that is able to achieve the results that the GST program has been able to achieve. In an online video up loaded to YouTube UFC Fighter Brain "T-City" Ortega goes up against two GST Students. Brian a BJJ Black Belt, and many years experience as a trained fighter was subdued and handcuffed by these two officers. To be able to take two officers, with limited knowledge in the area of ground fighting, through a five day program and then have them take on a trained and experienced ground fighter was something that blew me away. Personally I was more interested in how their style of teaching was able to achieve these results verses the techniques used to teach the students.

Conclusion

It is important we provide a training area where all types of shooters can come and train for whatever their reasons are. Judge a person's ability to teach not by the pieces of paper on their wall, but by their experience as well. Ask questions about their material and ask for references. Learning is not just obtaining knowledge but also questioning what is being taught. Creating an environment of open discussion shouldn’t be feared neither should the idea of "something new". Sharing knowledge is the only way we have ever advanced as a society.

Just because you haven't seen it or done it, does not make it wrong, incorrect, or unsafe.

References

Training at the Speed of Life Vol 1 –Kenneth R. Murray

Clark Impastato – Black Tree Ranch LLC Instagram: @frogman2155

Gracie Survival Tactics –Gracieacademy.com