[Jay6]

I am putting on a new shooter clinic for the first time and wanted to see if anyone had any tips for me.

Planning on a power point presentation, then some basic skill work, and then a small 2-3 stage basic match to put the basic skills to the test.

Anything I am missing or should keep in mind?

[Catfish]

whenever we teach new shooter classes, I tell them that if they only remember two things, then the class has been successful:

1. where to point the muzzle
2. where to keep their finger when they are not shooting

Safety can not be emphasized enough.

[SoonerPast]

The "basis skills" review might take longer than you expect. Have plenty of help, 1 experienced shooter to each 3 students. Provide advanced, specific instruction about how you want them to transport their gear to the range, and your specific safety rules. I think the stage we set up had too many vision barriers, the students couldn't see what the others were doing. Might have been better to start with and El Prez type of stage or just a single barricade type. We got into a lot of detail about divisions and classifications, scoring, etc. pretty early, that could have been put off for a break - they want to get started shooting.
Our leader started with dry fire work and that is a really good idea.

[kevin c]

Catfish, on Jun 22 2009, 06:36 AM, said:

whenever we teach new shooter classes, I tell them that if they only remember two things, then the class has been successful:

1. where to point the muzzle
2. where to keep their finger when they are not shooting

Safety can not be emphasized enough.

+ a bazillion on safety

Other things:

Range commands, reinforced by going through the whole set with each repetition of the basic drills. I have gotten into the habit of reviewing the warnings ("finger", "muzzle"), and the "stop" command. I make a point of throwing an hollered "stop" into the drills without prior warning- really hammers it home.

Indoctrinate them now - the fundamentals of range etiquette re helping with the match. In the practice stage, call out an order, including taping/steel/mags/brass duties (anyway, writing down the names of the participants helps me remember them).

Keep the practice stage simple - one mag change for the ten rounders, no more than three shooting positions. Throw some steel in there - the visual and audible target reaction to the hit is like crack cocaine to the newbie. But make sure it is a big, fat, lightly set full sized popper at minimum safe distance - nothing is more disheartening than emptying all their mags on a plate rack at 15 yards and mebbe knocking down one of the six. If they're missing more than three or four shots on the single steel, tell them to move on to save their self respect.

Find something to complement each shooter on. Remember, all of us were once that bad. Being overly critical of technique turns people off. We want them to come back. Make suggestions, not corrections (excepting safety issues).

[Jay6]

Here is a sample of what I am looking at doing:

-1 hour- power point presentation on general rules and equipment.
-1/2 hour on the range evaluating equipment and safetly breifing.
-1 hour- dryfire/ basic skill work (draw, index, reload) and additional safetly and range commands.
-1 hour of live fire basic drill. Draw and shoot one, draw and shoot two, draw shoot-reload shoot etc.
-1/2 hour- Live fire, more advanced skills, shooting around a baracade, stong hand/ weak hand, possible texas star.
-Lunch
-2 hour basic three stage match. Simple stages like el prez, and some steel mixed in. Pretty much want to incorporate all of the basic skills we had worked on earlier.


What do you guys think?

[kevin c]

Please skip the star.

[Mistral404]

One of the most helpful aspects of Matt's class and I think BE has referred to it; fire 10 rounds into the berm. Do not aim at anything just get them focused on the movement of the front sight and how it feels. Second, BE often talks about benching the gun. You might want to consider this as a start of the live fire. You would be amazed at how many people do not know how or where there gun is sighted in. Do the split target for a bench just to get them in the frame of mind to start calling their shots.

1. Bench shooting
2. Accuracy shooting
3. Movement

2. I helped a friend work with a soon to be LEO. The trainee responded best to shooting at steel. It provided immediate feedback. We either hung the steel or set up the popper backwards so it would not fall. The trainee made significant improvement v just using paper targets.
3. Safe movement out of a box into another box.

Anymore than three items in a training session will be counterproductive. The goal should not be expose them to most variety but to focus on achievable results with a small number of variables.

[ima45dv8]

A long time ago I went to a new shooters clinic that covered (among other things) the basics of the draw, how to dry fire effectively, shooting on the move ("duck walk" or "Groucho walk" -- take your pick), range commands and what to expect on the shooting line, and a few other tidbits. It was a hugely helpful.

You might want to PM StillPraying here on the forums. Ronnie's been running some very successful new shooters clinics at the East Alabama Gun Club for about a year now. Every time I've been there I see new faces who are eager, and more importantly, prepared.

[AR Gunner]

Skip the Texas star - or offer it as a fun shoot for the adventurous types!

[Jack Suber]

I have done a new shooter class based on Eric Lund's class - he shared his curriculum with me. Focus on safety and rules. Do only basic type drills. Get all the help you can get.

As for the shooting, I set up the following:

1. Single target - (both relaxed and surrender) Draw and Dry-fire. Draw fire 1. Draw fire two. Draw fire two, reload fire two more. Focus on trigger control and accuracy and safety.
2. El Pres - I allowed each student to run the El Pres 2 -3 times.
3. I set -up a quick movement stage box to box, with 3 targets at each position. This was to focus on movement with the finger out of the trigger.
4. Finally, I set up a Steel Challenge stage (Smoke and Hope).

You would be surprised how much time going through this, coaching, etc. will take.

Finally, by all means, ditch the star. New shooters need to focus on fundamentals.

[bofe954]

After all the DQ'ing newbie threads-

Maybe 5 minutes about how a DQ is not the end of world, it can happen, it isn't personal etc...

[Ledge]

No star...I can think of 3 shooters from Hampden that don't go to action pistol matches anymore because of it.

[sci]

One thing i stress to new shooters is that making ready and holstering is NOT a timed event.I have noticed that a lot of newer shooters tend to rush it and all it would take to cause a big oops is a little bit of shirt in the way and a safe action gun.


Steve

[IronEqualizer]

+100 on no star. The level of new shooters varies a lot. A star would intimidate way too much. Hell half of us here or more don't like em. I would do some group shooting to evaluate where everyone stands. Maybe some 10 yard groups. Our last class I spent quite a bit of time getting a few to keep it in the A zone. If they can't do that then the rest will not be fun. When they left the line shooting good groups it was worth it. It gives you a warm fuzzy. Soonerpast is correct and something I will change is to let them know ahead of time of what condition the guns should be in before coming to the range. Most of them are used to carrying a hot weapon or at least having a mag in.

AL

[JThompson]

I think Linda did a good written briefing on this very subject.

[Punished]

Is this a "new competitor" type class or a "I have never fired a gun with a responsible coach" type deal?

Definitely hammer home the main safety rules and front sight focus. I really wish when I first started shooting that I was taught a strong focus on the front sight and maintain that focus.

[Jay6]

Punished, on Jul 1 2009, 06:56 PM, said:

Is this a "new competitor" type class or a "I have never fired a gun with a responsible coach" type deal?

Definitely hammer home the main safety rules and front sight focus. I really wish when I first started shooting that I was taught a strong focus on the front sight and maintain that focus.

See that will all depend on who shows up really, but I am hoping everyone will at least have a rough idea of basic gun handling skills. Unfortunately we will not know for sure until the day of. I plan to adjust the shcedule a little bit depending on the level of shooters who show up.

[oldtrooper]

Range commands, reinforced by going through the whole set with each repetition of the basic drills. I have gotten into the habit of reviewing the warnings ("finger", "muzzle"), and the "stop" command. I make a point of throwing an hollered "stop" into the drills without prior warning- really hammers it home.

This brought back memories. I grew up in the Deep South and spent all my spare time fishing and hunting from the early teens, small game,deer, dove shoots, turkeys, etc. I had never experienced quail hunting over dogs until my early twenties. The old man that turned out to be my father in law for the last 44 years was an avid quail hunter who owned trained bird dogs. He invited me along on a hunt one week-end, I think mostly to sniff out what he had detected as a future son-in-law. I shoot a long gun from the left shoulder and he was a right shoulder shooter.

When the dogs pointed the first covey of quail he had all ready laid out the ground rules for me. When we approach you will be on the right and I will be to your left. Any quail breaking to the right is your bird. Anything breaking to the left is my bird. Any bird going straight away if fair game. We made our approach and the first covey rise of 20+ birds close in usually closer than expected is a bit startling. I was swinging to the right and trying to catch up on a bird when he shouted "DON'T SHOOT".

I stopped swinging and looked to my left with a puzzled look and asked "what's the problem?"
He grinned and said "nothing lets go find those singles". He then stated, I always do that when taking a shooter I have never hunted with before, "If a man can't hear that warning when the birds are flushing and does not stop he is dangerous to shoot birds with".

Good advice to calling STOP during the new shooter classes during a course of fire to get them used to hearing and reacting to that warning.

[mildot1]

+1000 on safety!!!!!

Adrenalin can make ya go stupid!

[G-ManBart]

If you can get someone to help as a breathing prop, it might be nice to have the two of you demonstrate the range commands in the classroom. Use a gun that's had the firing pin removed with some dummy rounds (clearly marked) and let them see it live. It's one thing to hear what's expected of you, and another to see what's expected of you.

A few video clips might be fun to mix in to keep their interest, even if it's something like a short video of a classifier being shot. It's been said that nobody listens to much after the first 15min of instruction unless you have something built in to keep them focused. Videos, humor, whatever it takes! R,

[Bongo Boy]

deleted

This post has been edited by Bongo Boy: 25 July 2009 - 11:13 PM