Why you should take a class

Finding a Coach

Who needs a coach?

Tiger Woods - Hank Haney
Tom Brady - Tom Martinez
Venus Williams - Dave Rineberg
Randy Couture - Neil Melanson
Michael Phelps - Bob Bowman

A good coach or instructor analyzes and makes corrections to technique in order to improve performance.

If your shooting buddy fills this role for you then, you may not need a coach. However, if they are just shooting in the next lane and periodically commenting on your shot group they are not a good coach.

If professionals seek help why don't we?

Is cost the issue?

You may be thinking that $250 dollars is way too expensive for a one day shooting school.

Let's break that down:
$10 to $20 of that pays for the range fee that comes off the top of the instructors profit (if they don't own their own range which, in itself is a tremendous expense).

So now the price of instruction is $230 for an 8 hour day.

230 / 8 = 28 dollars an hour

Now let's compare that to some other sports and their lesson fees.

Sport

Link

Cost /hr

Golf

Source

$75-$90

Tennis

Source

$50-$100

Martial Arts

Internet Comparison

$50-$100

Firearms

Internet comparison

$28-$50

At about $30 (average) an hour shooting instructors are a bargain. Yet, as a culture, we shooters prefer to learn on our own.

I've been on the range many times and seen novice shooters completely happy with a 6 to 12 inch group fired at 7 yards. Now, you could make the argument that hitting a bad guy in all those places creates a greater wound area, and I would agree. However, were you trying to do that? Or are you making an excuse?

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see anybody out on the range trying to improve their performance but don't lull yourself into a false sense of security. Under stress that 8 inch shot group is only going to get worse, not better.

Looked at another way, If it takes 10,000 rounds and 15 trips to the range to master the pistol without instruction.

Cost of 9mm bullet: $0.36 = $3,600
Range Fees = 15 x $20 = $300

You have spent $3,900

If you go to a shooting school, and it costs $250 for a day. And you needed 1000 rounds of ammunition.
you have spent $610.

Now just for argument's sake, say that attending a shooting school decreases the time and resources it would have taken you to master your pistol by 25%

25% of $3,900 = $975
$975 - $610 = $375 in savings per range/ammo cost

Of course, your results may vary.

Choosing your course:
Many schools are focused towards tactical shooting. Some are competition focused. If you are just starting out you may want to make sure you are getting the proper level of instruction before paying for a full tactics package.

Personality:
Talk to the instructor first. Try to determine the tempo of the instructor. Will he/she hold the class back for individuals who need special attention? Will he/she expect a certain level of performance for a specific class type. Do you respond well to his/her style of coaching or personality type?
How much personal attention do you need/want?
Does the instructor have a knowledgeable range staff?
What are the instructor’s credentials?

Be Realistic:
A shooting school may provide you with good techniques. It is what you do with those techniques that really matters. No single class or instructor out there will turn you into a world-class shooter in a week or a day. And if they say they can BEWARE.