THE DOs AND DON’Ts OF INTRODUCING WOMEN TO SHOOTING
Originally published in Recoil Magazine, Issue 20
You know who you are. You’re the guy who shoots a lot, maybe competes a little. You sometimes browse the online profiles of female shooters, secretly wondering “Why can’t my woman be like that?” Well, guess what? She can. And she probably wants to. But, chances are, you’re approaching the matter the wrong way. Now, I’m not a firearms instructor, but I compete a lot and I often get asked by female (and male) friends to take them to the shooting range for the first time. And, like many people, I learn from my own experiences about what works and what doesn’t when introducing a woman to shooting. Here is my list of do’s and don’ts:
1. DO teach her the four basics rules of firearm safety.
1. DON’T quiz her on it in the middle of dinner or while she’s getting her makeup done in the morning.
2. DO ask a friend to teach her, preferably another woman.
2. DON’T try to teach her yourself.
3. DO give her firm verbal commands.
3. DON’T yell at her.
4. DO introduce her to firearm safety, shape, and functionality before shooting.
4. DON’T just hand her a large-caliber cannon and watch her fall on her butt.
5. DO teach her the basics.
5. DON’T try to teach her everything all at once.
6. DO bring her along with your buddies to the range.
6. DON’T treat her like one of the dudes.
7. DO repeat instructions.
7. DON’T get agitated if she makes the same mistake more than once.
8. DO gently push her to lean forward.
8. DON’T shove her neck like an animal.
9. DO give her constructive criticism mixed with positive reinforcement.
9. DON’T constantly point out only what she’s doing wrong.
10. DO introduce a timer. Eventually.
10. DON’T shove that thing in her face and remind her how slow she really is.
11. DO teach her double taps.
11. DON’T be a splits Nazi.
12. DO teach her different shooting positions.
12. DON’T do it on the first day.
All good suggestions. I will add a few.
Let someone else show her the ropes. Less emotion involved.
A firearms instructor told me, never coach someone you have seen naked…. makes sense to me.
Start small. 22 revolvers at moderate distance, easy to understand and see results. Lots of positive talk. NO bitchy corrections.
Build up to larger calibers in time. This is about HER, and her confidence, not your ego.
No more than 90 minutes unless shes begging for more. (yeah, buddy)
Much like romance, keep it fun, successful and end on a positive note.
Lastly, and most important!
Ice cream, starbucks, whatever SHE wants afterwards. She may have questions that are impossible with muffs on in a noisy range. And you get another opportunity to tell her how great she did, and how you love spending time with her. She gets to calm down some, and relive some of her success. Let her revel in it!
Just like a date, your objective is to want to do it again.
One more thing, If she likes, get a pic or two of her with her target, smiling if she chooses. Even if she never goes to the range again, you captured the moment.
I’m not a shooting instructor, but I can relate my experiences with my wife’s training and that of some friends’ wives (and women I know).
1. It doesn’t have to be a female instructor. Aside from GSL Defense Training’s female instructors, I’ve heard of damn few female instructors in Illinois. Only one in Central IL and few near Chicago. For tens if not hundreds of thousands of women, that isn’t nearly enough.
2. A good, personable male instructor can do a fine job. If he’s got the ability to explain things, patience and interpersonal skills, male instructors can do wonders for the ladies. My wife, in all our years of marriage, never really had a good time shooting until we took our CCW class with GSL Defense Training. They’ve got like a dozen plus instructors, all are great, fun people to be around and they know their stuff AND can make it fun to learn.
3. Now, on the opposite side of the coin: If your instructor walks into the classroom in body armor, or police regalia, then look out. Got friends near Springfield who had some guy come in and acted like he’s at a dick measuring contest with all his gear on. The class sucked and my friend’s wife hated every minute of it. Mention that class and you’ll still get an earful from her.
4. Those guys with no experience who “sell” their class with their past military or police experience. I remember hearing about the Green Beret over past Peoria who got arrested forging CCW training certificates. Another near Bloomington runs their range like it’s boot camp with a drill sergeant yelling at you. And then there’s that asshole in Springfield who my friends said looked like he just came from a SWAT raid like you see on TV. My wife would still not be fond of shooting if our class had been police academy or with some jerk screaming at her to engage her safety.
You get what you pay for, by and large. And if you don’t do a little research ahead of time about who you sign up with, then you’re not doing yourself any favors.
GUYS: Don’t try to teach shooting to anyone you’ve slept with, or offer to teach other people unsolicited. It doesn’t work out well.
And if you hand a girl a .44 Mag for her first shots, I’ll personally put my boot up your inconsiderate ass.