The National Rifle Association's Training Department is pleased to announce a special offer from FNH USA, continuing the company's longstanding support of NRA's programs. Through this new offer, NRA Certified Instructors and Appointed Training Counselors will be able to purchase select FNH USA pistols at a reduced cost, with ten percent of each sale benefiting the NRA Education and Training Endowment.

"We're thrilled to be partnering with FNH USA on this fantastic deal for our trainers," said Bill Poole, Director of NRA's Education and Training Division. "Not only can Instructors purchase quality firearms at discounted prices, but the generosity of FNH USA will allow us to expand and develop our firearms training programs."

The 9mm FNP-9 and the .40 caliber FNP-40, two of FNH's most popular handguns, are available to NRA Certified Instructors and Appointed Training Counselors for the discounted price of only $494.00, two hundred dollars less than the retail price. Instructors can purchase these pistols to use during their training courses, both as training aides and for live fire exercises.

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Tom Hindman has been a Youth Hunter Education Clinic instructor for 12 years. On Saturday, at the NRA's first Great American Hunting & Outdoor Show, he was awarded with the Hunter Instructor Award -- the first of its kind awarded by the NRA.  

"As I told (NRA Director of Education + Training) Bill Poole, it's a manifestation of the opportunity of working beside some fabulous people who bring out the best in virtually everyone," Hindman said. "I work with some stellar performers who are team players." Hindman is between NRA Board Member Dave Butz, left, and Poole.

Hindman and his wife drove to the Maryland-based show from Johnstown, Pennsylvania.  He said he couldn't have dedicated the time and effort to the hunting community without the support of his family and friends. 

Many thanks to the NRA's Refuse To Be A Victim® National Coordinator Ruthann Sprague for sharing her latest article with us:

NRA Refuse To Be A Victim® headquarters staff is receiving a record number of inquiries from the public for seminars to be presented in their communities. Refuse To Be A Victim® instructors, here are some ideas on how to meet this need and how to make your seminars more successful. As you plan your events for 2010 consider these items:

IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCE

Is this seminar for the general public? Is it for a community or civic organization? Is it for a group of high school students? Determine who the seminar is for and the intended audience. This will help you define the overall seminar you present and the specific topics you should stress.

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SEMINARS

You may provide a public or private seminar. A public seminar is simply open to everyone. A private seminar is for a specific audience and is closed to people outside that group. Examples would be: a seminar provided for the employees of a specific company, students at the local university, the Central High PTA. If your seminar is private, NRA will not promote it on the Refuse To Be A Victim® website or in NRA publications. More...

Bill Campbell, Adjust Instructor for NRA's Law Enforcement Activities Division, recently wrote an article for PoliceOne.com on muzzle safety. Take a look:

Remember the Safety Circle when muzzling your gun

For the past 12 years, the NRA's Law Enforcement Activities Division has taught the concept of the Safety Circle in Firearms Instructor Development courses offered nationwide. Throughout the past decade, I’ve seen the concept renamed and re-taught at many training conferences and courses, but occasionally I still find that officers and agencies are unfamiliar with it.

What is the Safety Circle?

The Safety Circle was first introduced by my friend and mentor Clive Shepherd as he developed some of the NRA LEAD's training courses. Clive’s intent in teaching the concept was for officers to have a place to point the muzzle when a downrange direction did not necessarily exist, or when working in and around other people who did not need to be shot or muzzled.

On the range, we usually think that the targets or the berm are safe places to point the muzzle. Clive recognized that on the street, downrange may not be so easy to recognize and innocent citizens and other officers may well occupy that space. The Safety Circle reflects the idea that there may not be a recognizable “safe place” to point the muzzle. Therefore, Clive taught the concept of finding the safest place to point the muzzle when the firearm is drawn.

Click here to read the rest of Bill's article.

In NRA Basic Courses, all students are required to complete a student exam as part of course completion. Many ask, “What is the passing score?” How many Trainers know the only correct answer?

Lesson plans are designed to be objective based, where a student’s ability to master the described objective shows that that particular block of instruction has been understood and can be implemented. Student exams are an evaluation tool used to determine whether or not a student has grasped and understands the material covered during the entire course. It is very important that trainers go over the answers to the exam as part of the course. Here is where the exam becomes a two-way tool. Instructors take this as their final opportunity that, in the event of a missed question, all students understand the correct answer and reasoning behind it.

More importantly, the exam as a self-evaluation tool. Did a disproportionate number of students miss a particular question? If so, the instructor needs to take this as a good indication that their style or method of teaching detracted from the lesson plan and caused the concept to be misunderstood. More...

  

Once or twice a year, staff from the NRA's Education and Training division holds a course at NRA HQ to train a new batch of NRA Certified Instructors. "It's a chance for us to test any changes in lesson plans or curriculum," National Instructor Trainer John Howard told NRAblog.

Pictured above, from left to right, are Andrew Lander, Steve Hoback, Mark Richardson, and John Howard. These four men represent an immeasurable amount of knowledge when it comes to teaching both firearm safety and training methods.

This week, a two-day course trained 10 instructors in the pistol discipline. One of these instructors is our very own Danielle Sturgis. "My opinion is the more I can learn, the better," Sturgis said, adding that she was joined by fellow NRA employees Beth Epley and John Jackson. "John, Mark, Steve, and Andy really kept us on our toes, and anyone who has an interest in becoming a certified Instructor owes it to him or herself to take the course."

 

John, a participant who traveled from West Virginia to take the course, said it was something he's been wanting to do. "I want to be able to give back," he said. "Hopefully I'll teach courses at my local club with other instructors."

"This course gave you a training framework you can take to any discipline," he said. "I'd recommend this course to anyone looking to become a firearms instructor of any discipline." John and his classmates are pictured above.

Learn more about NRA Instructors in your area! Visit NRAinstructors.org.  

Here’s another helpful tip for NRA’s cadre of dedicated trainers on the benefits of positive reinforcement:

Positive Reinforcement is an important aspect of any type of learning process, including firearms training. The term “positive reinforcement” is commonly used as a synonym for “reward,” but should be viewed as an event that follows a desired response, increasing the probability of the desired response in the future.

Students in firearms training courses can benefit from your positive reinforcement is a variety of ways, including improved communication and correction of undesirable behavior. The key to positive reinforcement is making sure that the delivery of your comments are in fact positive. For example, when correcting a student’s action during live fire exercises, begin with a positive thought prior to correcting the negative behavior. “You’re doing a great job of aligning your sights, now let’s work on a smooth trigger control,” is much more helpful than “you’re jerking the trigger, try to smooth it out.”

Keep positive reinforcement in mind during your courses and you’ll see not only an improvement in your students’ performance, but in your performance as a trainer as well.

This week’s Trainer’s Tip is a great reminder to help kick off another year of quality firearms instruction. NRA’s lesson plans contain all of the information that your students need to know, but how are you helping them to retain the knowledge? Total Participant Involvement (TPI) is a popular teaching method used to make students interact with each other and the lessons being presented. You can incorporate TPI into your classes in a variety of ways, making sure that each of your students takes an active role in the learning process.

Ask students questions, have them give examples, or let them read their learning objectives out loud to encourage them vocally. Training aids such as plastic training firearms allow students to get physically involved by demonstrating proper grip and sight alignment. During Instructor courses, allow your Instructor Candidates to present lessons to fellow classmates to practice their skills and become comfortable with the information.

Do you have a method of TPI that works well for your students? Send an email to goblog@nrahq.org to share your story.

NRABlog found the following in the Lahontan Valley News:

Pistol institute to open with a bang

A unique business is opening in Fernley early next month.

Already set up with an office on U.S. Highway 95A near Main Street, the Defensive Pistol Institute is accepting applications for classes in safe gun use.

Owner Cal Eilrich, a Fernley city councilman and member of many shooting organizations as well as the owner of a local shooting range, is offering his expertise to teach the art of handling firearms.

“The classes are set up for a number of things from introductory to firearms to the National Rifle Association (NRA) basic pistol course. There are all sorts of levels of training,” Eilrich stated. “There are people with a fear of firearms who are wanting to learn to deal with that. Some people just want to learn more about firearms and may decide to keep one in their homes. It is very important that people educate themselves in the safe and proper use of firearms if they are going to own one.”

Read the rest of the story here. Is there an NRA course being taught in your area? Let us know, send us some pictures and we'll share it here on NRAblog.

As an NRA Certified Instructor, you are qualified to join the NRA Recruiter Program and start making money when your students join NRA or renew their membership!

• Enrollment in the program is FREE. We provide you with all the materials you’ll need at absolutely no cost to you
• We pay you! Receive up to $10 commission for every member you recruit
• You are authorized to sell memberships at a discounted rate to your students
• Bi-monthly commission checks delivered right to your mailbox
• Help build a stronger NRA while increasing your bottom line

Learn more here.

Remember Andrew Williams? The NRA Certified Instructor and Training Counselor hails from Trinidad and Tobago, and first met NRAblog at the 2008 National Police Shooting Championships.

Pictured at right, Williams presents Major Otmar Puljun from Suriname with his NRA Pistol Instructor Certificate. We thank him for the following update:

"Major Puljun was in Trinidad and Tobago for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting where he met Andrew Williams and was introduced in being NRA certified."

"Major Puljun is the first person to be NRA certified in Suriname," Williams continued.

"After completing the course, he said he would be carrying the new information back to his country and updating his training programs."

Do you have an update on an NRA program in your area? Drop us a line at GOblog@nrahq.org.

NRA’s Training Department would like to wish all of our dedicated trainers happy holidays and a prosperous new year. Thank you for your hard work and all that you do to support the NRA.

A group of nine Shooting Sports Directors with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) are at NRA Headquarters this weekend to receive training from NRA’s Youth Programs Department. Hailing from all four BSA regions, this dedicated group is comprised of NRA-appointed Master and Senior Training Counselors, meaning they can train people to become NRA Certified Instructors.

“NRA is working with BSA to develop a standard for their shooting sports program,” said Larry Quandahl, Manager of the Youth Programs Department. “NRA’s Instructor training is a core part of their program.”

This weekend’s training, led by Youth Programs Coordinator Mark Belli, focuses on growing the shooting sports within BSA and youth development. Each year, these Shooting Sports Directors train 350-400 people affiliated with BSA as NRA Certified Instructors, helping to introduce Scouts to shooting and aid in retention.

Stayed tuned to NRAblog for more news on BSA and NRA’s relationship, as well as NRA’s role in the 2010 BSA Jamboree!

NRAblog checked in with NRA National Instructor Trainer John Howard for this week’s Trainer’s Tip. According to John, one of the best ways to increase your effectiveness as an NRA Certified Instructor is to expand your training repertoire.

Trainers with experience and interest in the competitive shooting sports can attend a Coach School to help shooters develop and hone their skills. Other ways to increase your opportunities as a trainer is to seek certification in additional disciplines such as Personal Protection Inside or Outside the Home, Reloading, or even Refuse To Be A Victim®. If you’re an experienced hunter, you may want to consider becoming a Hunter Clinic Instructor.

Finally, take steps to educate yourself on the latest techniques. “It’s really important to keep current on new training information,” said Howard.

Earlier this year, NRAblog introduced you to Program Assistant Steve Hoback. Just to refresh your memory, Steve came to us after twelve years in the U.S. Army’s Airborne Infantry and a stint at FN Manufacturing as a range master. After eight months of hard work here at headquarters, Steve has been promoted to Senior Training Program Coordinator with NRA’s Training Department.

“Steve’s knowledge and experience make him an asset to the Training Department and the NRA,” said John Howard, NRA National Instructor Trainer. “He brings new perspectives and insight to our programs and provides our trainers with invaluable support.”

Steve’s new position expands upon his previous responsibilities such as the administration of the NRAinstructors.org website, providing support to NRA Certified Instructors, and assisting in the development and implementation of NRA’s firearm training programs.

Stay tuned to NRAblog for the latest on NRA Education & Training.