Rangemaster Certified Instructor - One Defense Blog

The Rangemaster Instructor Development course with Tom Givens

Rolf Penzel, One Defense Lead Instructor, successfully completed the Rangemaster Instructor Development course with Tom Givens. “I am now a Rangemaster Certified Instructor in addition to Defense Training International and the NRA. The following article describes my experience in the course.” – Rolf

Tom hosts an excellent instructor development course. The students of this course are expected to absorb and work on a mountain of information and skills. Each individual learned much more than expected and our skills progressed substantially. We learned what’s most important to pass along to our students in our courses back home. This after-action report covers some of the experience and the highlights of what helped us on our journey to become better instructors.

The course is three days of rigorous training both in the classroom and on the range which included the following:

Modern adult learning theory
Preparation, delivery, and documentation of training
Development of training aids, including power points and others
Coaching methodologies, diagnosing and correcting shooters’ errors
Modern, effective gun-handling techniques, designed to work under stress
Proper handling/operation of a variety of handgun types
Effective, efficient combat marksmanship technique

In the classroom:

Tom shared his background then had each of the students share our personal background and firearms resume. This allowed the opportunity for him to evaluate our public speaking skills. Tom quickly transitioned to the first section of the classroom material. We spent significant time on safety and techniques. He also emphasized the importance of establishing the appropriate context with our own students so that what we are teaching can go beyond theory and become a reality that each person should apply to their daily life. In the classroom we covered a multitude of topics and Tom used good stories to illustrate the importance and validity of what we teach.

Tom is an excellent communicator and talks likes he shoots– very fast! Being a newly minted member of Toastmasters, I tend to hear the filler words people use such as ah, um, and so, while they speak. I don’t think I heard him utter a single filler word in three days! All students should be prepared, if you expect to take notes, to work quickly to keep up! In addition to the outstanding lectures, he included appropriate props, short videos, and hands-on demonstrations using students to assist. All were highly effective in getting the point across for each subject.

On the range:

We went out to the range and I was surprised to see that we would begin performing the pistol drills a mere 3 yards from the IALEFI-QP silhouette target. As we learned later, it was because the FBI found the most common distance for encounters begins at 3 yards. At this distance, it gave us the opportunity to work on technique and speed. We learned that accuracy and quickness is what matters in a fight.

We had two squads and took turns shooting and coaching with our partner. He had us change partners frequently so each one of us gave and received coaching from a variety of perspectives and styles. We also were coached by Tom and a couple of Rangemaster Instructors (Eve and Mike). They provided excellent feedback and coached us to better technique and better performance.

Tom took us through a sequence of skills, building one new skill at a time. These skills included movement, quick presentation, aim and fire, follow-though, and recovery. We also learned methods to force shooters to think while shooting, the purpose of speed reloads versus emergency reloads, and the importance of firing at a different pace depending upon the distance from our target. We practiced resolving various malfunction types and discussed why it’s important to frequently change your carry ammunition. We used various target types to work on our precision shooting skills. As the day progressed, we increased the number of shots and the distance from the target after we had dialed-in our shooting techniques.

Later in the course, we learned and practiced revolver techniques. With the revolver drills, it certainly drove the point home that if you run out of rounds in a fight, you getter have a backup gun (or two) because you’ll run out of time before you can reload your primary gun!

Each evening we were expected to study our 200 page manual. It was suggested we pay particular attention to certain sections of the manual where previous students had struggled. After being dismissed at 6pm, I picked up dinner on the way back to the hotel then studied for a few hours each night.

The exams:

On the final day, we had to qualify on the range and take our final exam. Tom applies an objective standard to each test. The student must get a minimum of 90% on all three tests to pass the course. On the range there are two tests, the FBI Pistol Qualification course and the more challenging Rangemaster Firearms Instructor qualification course. In the classroom, we were given a comprehensive exam that covered the course and manual. The FBI qualification test is a nationally recognized standard which shows we conform to the same standard as the FBI Pistol Instructors. Not everyone passes. They are certainly not a “gimme” designed to stroke the egos of the students. These objective standards are to ensure that each student can prove they have mastered the materials taught in the course.

Final Thoughts:

There are quite a number of things each one of us will be able to apply directly to the courses we teach. The techniques we learned have made us better shooters and instructors. In the classroom, Tom’s instructing methods highlighted the need to provide illustrations through real experiences that reinforce what is being taught.

Some of the highlights of what I learned which are particularly useful for being able to help students become better shooters are the emphasis on techniques for trigger control and how to diagnose accuracy issues, and the emphasis on follow-through and recovery. We must teach quick presentation of the gun and a quick, accurate first shot which are critical in winning the fight to save your life. Finally, the most critical of all is the proper mindset. You are on your own. You are the one who must change your lifestyle to avoid the fight in the first place. You are the one who must train and be prepared. You are the one who must act quickly to save yourself and your loved ones.

I’m honored and grateful for the opportunity to have learned what Tom had to share with us. It was a fantastic experience I can recommend to anyone who aspires to be a firearms instructor. If you’re curious to learn more about Rangemaster and Tom Givens, click through to find out more.

For over 40 years Tom Givens has worked in the firearms industry. He has trained security officers; law enforcement officers at the local, state, and federal level; and foreign government agents. Here at One Defense I share with my students what Tom says, “The police cannot be everywhere all the time. You are responsible for your own safety. We will teach you exactly what criminals are looking for and what you need to look out for.” You can count on One Defense to do the same for you!