In today’s post we’ll consider 4 key factors for choosing your personal firearms instructor. Then, I’ll share 3 potentially life saving tips for making your choice.
What does this term, “Tactical” mean? The definition of tactical is “… of or relating to combat tactics: such as of or occurring at the battlefront.” In the context of personal firearms training, it’s important to consider who and what is the best for your needs. The process of researching can be overwhelming for someone who has no experience and isn’t sure what type of tactical, self-defense training is right for them. In the world of tactical firearms training, not all instructors are created equal nor is the training they offer. All it takes is a quick search, searching “tactical training near me” might send you to us here at Tactical U Firearms Training, where our experienced instructors can train you to be more comfortable with your firearm by educating you and drilling you in different shooting techniques and styles until you feel comfortable with your firearm.
4 KEY FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A TACTICAL FIREARMS INSTRUCTOR
FACTOR 1: QUALIFIED VS. UNQUALIFIED
The big problem with Tactical Firearms instructor’s, especially here in South Florida, is that there are so many of them. Everyone who wants to be an instructor can be, as Florida doesn’t really regulate who’s allowed to call themselves an instructor and legally go into business. Any Tom, Dick or Harry can get a civilian NRA Pistol instructor certificate, and then they can teach people in Florida for Concealed Carry Courses. These NRA Instructors are supposed to adhere to the NRA basic pistol curriculum because, technically, that’s all they are insured to teach (if they even have insurance at all). You see, there’s a lot of talented marketers selling gun training services. When you look into their backgrounds and actual certifications, many have none. By taking a tactical firearm training course with us here at Tactical U Tactical Firearms Training, you will certainly be working with some of the best instructors in the field. We are instructors who care about you and your tactical firearms training.
FACTOR 2: CRITICAL FACTORS IN CONSIDERING WARFARE ORIENTED INSTRUCTORS
The other type of tactical firearms instructors are coming back from overseas. These former Soldiers, SEAL’s and SpecOps guys are trained for warfare. What some of them do to acquire civilian NRA instructor rating for Basic Pistol or rifle which makes them “compliant” for a lack of a better term. This allows them to get insurance. Then, what they do is teach whatever they please. This can cause liability for all. You see, they’re not certified to teach you whatever they want. You, as a new student, don’t know any better. You trust them since they’re the ones with all that military experience and, often, a bigger than life persona.
As a result, they fill up their classes. A lot of people want to go out and train with these guys because of their resumes and who they are with of all the media attention over the years in news, TV and film. Many of these soldiers don’t even bother to get certified. Many were never instructors in the military in the first place. Simply because they were seasoned operators, doesn’t automatically make them fit to teach. Yet, these supposed instructors want to train civilians WARFARE TACTICS for self-defense relating to potential violent encounters here in the USA.
Be mindful that even though it’s cool and trendy to train with these guys in full on gear with rifle, drop leg holster, kit, helmets and so on… If you think about what you are going to be wearing on the street, if you ended up in a violent shooting situation, it’s not going to be any of that. These are critical factors to take into consideration when choosing your tactical training instruction. After all, what are you training for, an all-out apocalypse? Or will it be a self-preservation situation involving you and your family, in street clothes with a handgun? We must be mindful, that here in the USA we have the RULE OF LAW. The rules of engagement are DRASTICALLY different for civilian Self-Defense as opposed to military ops. You don’t rise to the occasion; you revert to your training. If it is wrong you can die, or go to jail. Remember that. This is what taking a tactical firearm training course is so crucial for your safety and the safety of your family.
It is cool and fun to train like a warfare fighter. I have done it and continue to do it, but for most of us, it’s not practical or realistic. For many it’s just plain intimidating and serves no practical purpose other than to say, “been there and done that”.
FACTOR 3: DON’T LET YOURSELF BE HERDED LIKE CATTLE
The next point I’ll hone in on is how most instructors herd students in like cattle. As I stated earlier, these guys fill BIG classes due to who they are. They bring in more students than they can reasonably provide personalized attention to. What happens is that the student listens, attempts to duplicate. The problem is that their duplication is not at the level of integrity that the instructor has demonstrated. However, the student thinks s/he duplicated the skill well, leading to a false sense of confidence and in erroneously thinking that they achieved the desired result. After all the high level gogo training they’ve had. When I get theses people into my fold, I literally have to start over with many of them as they never previously achieved any worthy skill sets useful for a self-defensive encounter.
FACTOR 4: LAW ENFORCEMENT CERTIFIED FIREARMS INSTRUCTORS
These instructors are certified in Criminal Justice Standard 101 and they are licensed and are most likely insured. They have an accredited certification behind the curriculums for everything that they teach. The instructors here here at Tactical U Tactical Firearms Training meet and exceed these standards, so head on over to our site and sign up for a tactical firearm training course.
Question: Would you hire a unlicensed contractor to work in your home?
CLOSING THOUGHTS AND 3 TIPS:
You don’t learn just by showing up and getting a participation trophy. You learn from hands on boutique personalized attention. Seek someone who is licensed, insured, has amazing reviews, smaller size or private lessons, and a logical approach based on real statistics and how violent encounters take place, for REGULAR people in civilian clothes. Also, make sure that your instructor has your interests in mind as far as your lifestyle is concerned and make sure they move at your pace.
TIP 1:
Don’t put yourself in a preverbal box and train unproven concepts with equipment you wouldn’t use in everyday life. Make sure your instructor is vetted for the mission at hand.
TIP 2:
Learn skills that can save your life. Practice them until proficient and hope you never have to use them.
TIP 3:
Make sure you learn from someone who knows how to teach you what it is you need to know.
Enroll for a tactical firearm training course online today or contact us to inquire about what course would be right for you. We look forward to training with you!