http://www.libertybelles.org/articles/teachingwomen2shoot.htm
Teaching Women to Shoot: A Book Review
by Jennifer Freeman
Are you a firearms instructor? If you've ever been on the range and given someone a five-minute instruction on shooting, you're an instructor. If you're not currently an instructor but would like to help someone overcome their fear of firearms, then you're an instructor-in-waiting.
As gun owners, we have a responsibility not only to learn the proper use of our firearms, but also to ensure that adequate training is available to people who need it. If you go to any gun store, gun show, or shooting range, you'll find that there are far more men than women. The firearms industry is very much male-dominated. And that's okay.
But, when it comes to training, it becomes obvious that women may be receiving training programs designed for men. Since women process information differently than men, they might not realize as much success as men do in such a program. This can create a variety of problems. Imagine one or two women attending an otherwise all-male firearms course. The men are doing great whereas the women consistently miss the target or have difficulty racking the slide. They don't ask questions because they feel embarassed. And rather than learning to shoot properly, they might overcompensate by aiming above the target. In the end, she will likely walk away from the class feeling like she is missing something. She won't have the confidence to teach other women because her own skills are lacking. She will be less likely to attend additional classes or recommend classes to her friends. What can we do, as gun owners, to make firearms instruction more beneficial to women?
TEACHING WOMEN TO SHOOT: A LAW ENFORCEMENT INSTRUCTOR'S GUIDE and WOMEN LEARNING TO SHOOT: A GUIDE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS were both written by Diane Nicholl and Vicki Farnam. Both Diane Nicholl and Vicki Farnam are firearms instructors spanning over 15 years. They regularly train police officers and they train instructors on how to be more effective.
It all started when Vicki Farnam began receiving phone calls from police firearm instructors asking for help with their female students. The female officers were failing miserably as compared to the men. What could be done to improve their performance and confidence in firearms handling?
Vicki contacted her friend Diane Nicholl. In addition to being a firearms instructor, Diane worked in the field of neurophysiology for 15 years before finding she could no longer balance research and firearms instructions. They both knew many women who were very proficient shooters. So what was the difference between women who could shoot well and women who could not shoot? The answer, they found, is in the training technique. Women process information differently than men and therefore require a slightly different approach in firearms instruction.
TEACHING WOMEN TO SHOOT and WOMEN LEARNING TO SHOOT provides all the information you need, in simple language, to be a more effective instructor. Anyone can benefit from these books. They cover all the basics including how to hold a firearm, sight alignment, trigger pressure, mental focus, and troubleshooting. They also help the instructor get a better insight as to instructional approach depending on the student's previous exposure to firearms. For example, women tend to require more detailed information, one bit at a time, and they require time to process that information. They prefer to become proficient in one step (such as firearms handling) before moving on to the next step (sight alignment). Whereas, men typically may only require a few minutes of basic instruction before they're out there shooting.
This is not to suggest that women are inferior to men. In fact, many instructors will tell you that women are better shooters than men. Perhaps it is because women take more time to learn. Whereas men, on the other hand, often have had more exposure to firearms, the mechanical workings of various objects, and have spent more time participating in sports requiring hand-eye coordination before they ever get to the firearms class. These type of men can look at a gun, understand the mechanics of it, and be out shooting in just a few minutes while a woman with limited previous exposure to guns may want to start from the beginning and master each aspect before pulling the trigger.
The added bonus to these two books is that they will inevitably make the reader a better shooter as well. And, since Christmas is right around the corner, this seems like the perfect time to buy one or both of them.
Jennifer Freeman is Executive Director and co-founder of Liberty Belles, a grass-roots organization dedicated to restoring and preserving the Second Amendment.
http://www.libertybelles.org
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