Firearms Training

Ever wonder how Front Sight builds its instructor ranks? We do it through a process called Instructor Development, or “ID” for short. There are many different approaches to ID in the firearms world. Most “firearms schools” are really just one guy, typically retired from law enforcement or military, who is now trying to make a buck by teaching people how to shoot. In this case, “Instructor Development” doesn’t even exist. The instructor simply deems himself worthy and off he goes!

Some of the traditional firearms schools rely literally on osmosis for instructor development. In other words, the new guys must learn “on the fly” from the old guys. There is no structure to the process at all; no curriculum, no outlines, no performance standards, and no criteria to gauge improvement. The idea here is “the cream will rise to the top.” This system is totally unpredictable and inefficient. If instructor development has no well-defined standards, then it’s simply “the blind leading the blind.” You would be shocked how many schools operate on this basis.

I have heard horror stories describing how some firearms schools use a hazing process, or boot camp approach, for instructor development. These schools run the instructor candidates through a gauntlet of abuse to see it they “have what it takes.” This approach to instructor development must have been developed by cavemen or fraternity boys and is more about showcasing the existing instructors rather than developing new staff. The odds of developing new staff under this dismal system are about like that of the proverbial snowball.

None of the above systems are particularly successful unless the candidate is highly accomplished upon arrival. At Front Sight, we wanted a system which would reliably recruit interested people and then develop them into quality instructors. Who ever said the participant needs to be at 95% skill level upon arrival? Let’s actually put some “develop” into instructor development.

Way back in the early days I had a lengthy discussion with my Operations Manager Brad Ackman about what kind of ID program we wanted. We talked in detail about goals, curriculum, training standards, etc. Together we arrived at an approach to instructor development which would be the envy of the industry as well as grow the Front Sight staff sufficiently to keep pace with my marketing efforts.

Front Sight’s Instructor Development course is a “come one – come all” approach. I was never a big fan of filtering candidates based on a résumé because quality instructors like me would never have seen the light of day based solely on a resume. Similarly, I have seen untold dozens of hard-charging, dyed-in-the-wool, been-there-done-that warriors with stellar résumés who couldn’t teach their way out of a wet paper bag. Résumés are a poor predictor of one’s ability to teach.

Before we could create the ID curriculum, we first had to define what it means to be a Front Sight instructor. This was harder than you might guess; much like defining one’s Mission Statement. The quintessential Front Sight instructor is so much more than merely a good line coach and lecturer. He or she must also be adept at safety, communication, customer service, troubleshooting, anticipating problems before they arise, and properly representing Front Sight even when off the range.

Now for the curriculum. First and foremost, ID needed to be four days long. This we knew with absolute certainty. Next, we created a set of exercises and lectures which we hoped would impart the greatest skill in the shortest time. At first there was no particular order to these exercises, more like a collection of loose puzzle pieces. The list of activities included:

• Shoot an introductory skills test (or qualification course) just to determine baseline skills
• Shoot the standard first-morning demonstration
• Shoot each demo which accompanies lectures (Failure to Stop, Multiple Targets, Three Ways to Speed Up, Photographic Targets, etc.)
• Deliver a self-introduction
• Deliver scripted technical lectures in front of the group
• Coach students on the firing line
• Coach students in the simulators
• Understand intellectual and philosophical topics like different styles of learning, customer satisfaction, Front Sight’s goals, etc.
• Interview one-on-one with a senior staff member
• Shoot a final skills test for score

Placing the above tasks in the correct order was a definite chicken-and-egg problem. One could argue that lectures should come before shooting so the ID candidates had some philosophical understanding of what we expected. You could also argue that shooting should be first because if a candidate was absolutely dangerous with his weapon, why bother talking philosophy. We overcame the chicken-and-egg dilemma by giving the candidates a crack at multiple activities before even considering sending someone home. That way, no single bad performance meant the end of the line. By the end of the first day, we had seen a little bit of shooting, coaching, lecturing, and attitude. If most of these categories showed some promise, then the candidate continued in the course. If most of these categories were hopeless, then a “goodbye” was in order.

Strange as it sounds, we also needed to define what it meant to “pass” ID and what it meant to “fail.” It would be easy to proclaim “We are Front Sight! Nothing less than perfection will do!” Rubbish. The best we can do is hire candidates based on potential. If a candidate has a solid grasp of the fundamentals, then they “pass” and receive a uniform. We add sophistication and depth of knowledge with each passing day.

The ID process continues even after being hired. For example, during our regular courses when the students are in the classroom lectures, we gather the staff for some additional training and briefings we call Ongoing Instructor Development. Additionally, we run specific ID courses for those aspiring to move up from instructor to Range Master, or move from handgun to rifle, etc.

Instructor Development at Front Sight is a very impressive, detailed, challenging program, and it is indeed the envy of the industry. We now run ID courses every month of the year and our “passing” rate is generally about 20-25%. Even today, I continue to massage the ID curriculum and drive more and more instructor candidates into the course. Creating an instructor development program of such high quality has been tons of work, and our students benefit from that effort every single day.

Maybe it’s time you considered participating in Front Sight’s Instructor Development program. You may not be successful the first time around, but you won’t be disappointed!