DISCLAIMER:  I consider myself a serious student of self-defense and do not pretend to know everything nor do I believe my way is the only way.  What I will present here is my preferred method based on experience and what I have learned from experts. 

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN AN INSTRUCTOR

It can be a challenge today to find a good instructor, especially when there are so many self-proclaimed “instructors” out there.  Before I lay out my hard earned money, I want to be sure the instructor isn’t one of these “gurus” whose knowledge is only based on what they’ve read or a couple of classes they took.  They’ve never actually been in “harms way” or made a living as an armed professional. Because I don’t consider them instructors they won’t be discussed here.  Of course as always, these are only my views and you should make your own judgments. 

     First, let’s examine the training backgrounds of most instructors, which break down into four basic areas:

·        Law enforcement/security background – The police trained instructors are generally taught to seek out and engage criminals with minimal force.  The armed citizen, on the other hand, is expected to avoid engagement.  But when a citizen can’t avoid it, the tactics of the police/security officer will generally be the most relevant ones.

·        Military background – Military trained instructors are taught offensive rather than defensive tactics.  Their training is to seek and destroy an enemy.

·        Competition background – Competition tactics lean toward beating the clock while shooting at targets, which can teach us how to shoot fast and they have a keen ability to “think on their feet”.

·        Varied background – Ideally, an instructor should posses experience in more than one of the above because each has its place in defensive training: POLICE for defensive tactics, MILITARY for when all else fails and COMPETITION to know how to shoot fast and accurately. 

     The most important part of your training though, should be defensive, not offensive.  If you have to shoot someone, a crime has been committed: either you committed a crime by shooting him or her or they committed a crime, which justified you shooting them.  Either way, you will be investigated and depending on the outcome, you could be prosecuted/sued or both.  An instructor with the technical skills and experience in defensive situations, who will provide documentation that you were trained in defensive tactics, could be very helpful with any legal proceedings. Oh, by the way, don’t be afraid to ask a potential instructor what their qualifications are.  If they are legitimate, they should not be offended and more than willing to share that information.     

     Now, let’s look at the qualities I look for in an instructor:

• Heart – an instructor has to care if their students are learning or not and help them meet their goals.
• Do they have an overall technical ability at an advanced level - not in just one discipline, especially if it’s one they organized?
• Do they have experience with hostile environments?  A great martial artist one said “you can’t learn to swim on dry land”.
• Is their mind set to avoid violent situations – not a “kick butt and take names” attitude.
• Do they have the skills, tactics and experience necessary to win a violent encounter?
• Are they willing to provide documentation of your defensive training?
• Do they have the teaching experience to recognize if a technique is working for you, and if it isn’t, the ability to give you an alternative method?
• Would past students recommend them?
• Do they have the respect of their peers?