A training class is not boot camp. It is a place for learning, and part of that process is correcting mistakes. A good instructor should build a pyramid, one stone at a time. The instructor should explain and demonstrate every technique so that the student has a clear understanding.

I admit that i am skeptical of an instructor you never see shoot. Making a mistake in front of a class happens, a confident instructor will merely say "the only person who never misses never shoots; let's try that again so you can see how it is done properly."

Performing a skill dry is not enough. The student needs to see that any skill can be performed correctly because it builds their confidence in said skill. During a gunfight, a shooter's ability to respond versus freeze will be directly related to his or her confidence in their skills. A good instructor will do everything he can to build a solid foundation under these skills.

Additionally, a solid instructor will not be afraid to say, "i don't know." there are just too many variables to know everything, and someone who pretends to know all of the answers is reckless if not dangerous.

As stated above, you will be wise to avoid the dogmatic instructor, the person who insists that you do it his way. With body styles, skill levels and physical handicaps in evidence, performing any action exactly the same is largely impossible.

Let's apply these guidelines to the nation's oldest and best known shooting school: gunsite. The vast majority of its instructors have law enforcement and/or military experience. I've met most of the staff, and they're knowledgeable without being condescending.

The gunsite facility does not look like a movie set, but it is well thought out, maintained and offers the student a diversified environment that can be made to simulate most any terrain a student may face.

Some will say gunsite has not changed its doctrine over the years, but this is not true. The instructors constantly change and tweak what they do.

I have taken courses there, and though they want you to at least try it their way, if you don't and you are shooting well, they leave you alone. I have a rebuilt left elbow and the weaver position is hard for me to do. No problem i was told; shoot the best way you can.

In the end a good instructor should be patient, well-spoken, personable, honest, secure without being arrogant, and experienced. In the end, you should like the person who is teaching you how to save your life. It's not too much to ask.