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Picking an instructor is not always an easy task. Just do a Google search and you will find there are lots of opinions on what to look for and how to choose an instructor. For me, it’s all about the right relationship.
My criteria started out pretty much like the articles and YouTube videos pointed out: I wanted someone with real-world (not theoretical) experience, who could train me on a variety of firearms, and who had a focus on safety.
I got into this training because guns scared me, and I was very nervous around them, and I wanted to learn. At first, I thought this was just about becoming more confident in handling the firearms, but what I have learned is that this is actually a skill (more about that in another post).
There are lots of instructors out there. In Canada, to buy, keep, store guns, and even buy ammunition, you have to take a course and get a government issued Possession and Acquisition (PAL) license. That’s two courses, if you want to get into Restricted and Non-Restricted firearms.
And when I took each course, I found the instructors were very different.
While they both focused on safety, and both had respectable pedigrees (demonstrating they walked the walk) in law enforcement and the military, their approaches were surprisingly opposite.
One focused a lot on the book learning and, while it was expected you’d pre-read the materials, he let others in the class help those of us who didn’t know what we were doing. And, with no offence to him, I wasn’t sure I was learning things correctly. Granted it was only a one day course, so how much harm could that do?
But what if that was the only training you got?
The other instructor had a more practical approach that resonated with me. He was tough and wanted you to know your stuff; after all, maybe he’d run into you in the range one day. But he has a sense of humour coupled with a no-nonsense approach.
In both cases, I found it hard because the other guys (yes, guys, as I was the only woman in both classes) all seemed to have previous expertise, or at least knowledge, of guns. The entire course was foreign to me.
What was a muzzleloader? How far did bullets travel? What kind of firing techniques are there? What are the different kinds of ammo? It was a level of learning intensity I hadn’t experienced in a while.
But it also helped me figure out that I couldn’t be “done” just by taking the course. Many of the people in both classes told me they didn’t need more training; they just needed to complete the course to get a gun.
I realized I wanted to be good at this. And so, I was going to need help.
After some research, and a few conversations, I decided I wanted to work with Sancho. It was important to me that he had a solid background (military/law enforcement, private training, credentials), and he seemed to have skill. But most important was that we connected.
He realized I knew nothing. I had no skill, no knowledge, no background — I really had no clue. But I think he also realized that I wanted to learn.
And that I would work hard.
The first three classes, I was literally terrified. My stomach was in knots before each class. I knew I sucked.
It was the true definition of Unconscious Incompetence. I knew nothing. I laughed nervously through each class.
Man, I was petrified. And he made it look so easy!
Some of the concepts just wouldn’t click in my head. It was all new.
But Sancho was so patient those first few classes (he still is!). He repeated concepts with confidence and ease.
He encouraged me.
He listened.
He was kind as I beat myself up with how I couldn’t grasp things as quickly as I’d like.
And he helped me understand that it would take time, and he was willing to work it through with me.
We connected.
His focus is very heavy on safety. We do drills over and over until I can do them properly. He stresses safety in everything we do. It is slow, but I always feel we are working together.
It’s a partnership.
And to me, that’s the important part of finding the right relationship.
That you can develop a level of comfort with the person you’re working with. That you can develop trust with each other. That you feel the person is vested in your success.
Aside from the obvious requirements that the instructor knows their stuff and has teaching skills, I think it’s important to find someone who you can connect with. And trust.