I've done a fair bit of instructing on a range and a good bit more studenting on the range. The other thread prompted me to put some thoughts about what makes a good instructor into print.
First of all, you've gotta realize that the perfect instructor does not exist. At least not for everybody. To find an instructor who's actually been in multiple gunfights with a handgun, who's also a really good shot, who understands what he does that makes him a good shooter, who has sound tactics (how to go look for a bad guy...how to avoid a bad guy), who's able to actually put all of that into words on a range and teach people.....That guy is about as easy to find as a unicorn.
And since unicorns are so rare, it's best to figure out exactly what it is that you're wanting to learn and find an instructor to teach you that thing. Then put all of those individual things together to become a really well rounded shooter.
For example....
If I want to learn how to shoot very accurately, very quickly--I'll go take a class from a top competitive shooter. Regardless of what you think about competitive shooting, NOBODY on earth dissects the physical act of shooting more or better than top level competitors. They might not know how to deal with a bad guy, and probably don't care. Shooting is just a sport to them. But it's a sport that they've mastered because they've hyper-analyzed every aspect of it.
If I want to learn find-a-badguy techniques--I'll go take a class from civilian LEO tactical teams. They'll make more entries into bad places to find bad guys than anyone else. (Military guys are doing it too, but the techniques they're using just aren't suitable for domestic users.) The civilian LEO guys have fleshed out how to find bad guys without getting hurt and without hurting anyone else, which is important for civilian users.
If I want to learn vehicle engagement or open air searching techniques--I'll go take a class from experienced military guys, because they've been exposed to more of it and have figured out what works and what doesn't.
If I just want to learn basic shooting fundamentals, my options are plentiful. But the people who can teach basic techniques VERY WELL are kinda scarce IMO.
If I want to know when it's OK for me to shoot someone, I'll probably not ask a shooting instructor at all.
My point is that there are people who can teach you HOW to shoot. And there are people that can teach you WHEN to shoot. But those people don't have to be the same dude. And if one instructor can't do it all, that doesn't mean that they suck. But it does mean that they need to realize their weaknesses and stay in their lane.
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A good instructor will not only know what to do right, but know how to diagnose and fix your shooting or tactics when you're doing something wrong.
And he'll be able to verbalize what he sees that you're doing right and wrong in a coherent way THAT YOU CAN UNDERSTAND. He's gotta be able to adapt to how his students learn and change his teaching method if needed.
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And after you find the guy who can do all of that, you've gotta catch him on a good day.
For example, I've heard great things about Jeff Gonzales of Trident Concepts. So I took a two day rifle class from him. The actual instruction was good (even if the way he goes about administering his drills borders on bizarre).
But during the two days of instruction, Jeff was late to class by nearly three hours. He was the only instructor for around a dozen shooters and tooooooo many times I turned around to see him clicking away on his phone, totally ignoring the students.
When I complained by email later about the fact that I paid several hundred dollars for a class that the instructor missed 15% of, I was told that Jeff had been dealing with some personal problems and was sorry......And then never got a certificate for the class.
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There's so much that goes into a good instructor.....His experience, his shooting / tactical ability, his knowledge base, his ability to teach, and the crapshoot of whether he's got personal problems on the two days you see him..... That I find it kinda crazy to criticize an instructor for failing in just one area.
Although I think a lot of instructors would avoid criticisms like that if they'd just stay in their lane, so maybe the criticisms they get are well deserved.
