AAR: CSA: Being an Effective Assistant Instructor. Top Gun Memphis, 1/26/25

[Thearmededucator]

(Sorry, I don’t know how to be concise)
 

The Citizen Safety Academy is a training school that is growing in significance in the national training scene. Led by two of the five “REAL” rangemaster instructors, Aqil Qadir and Tiffany Johnson, they occupy a unique place in the industry. In addition to their own traditional classes, Aqil Qadir has been taking over as the point man for Rangemaser’s Combative Pistol Classes, allowing Tom Givens to focus on his Instructor Development courses. As if that was not enough however, Aq and Tiffany have also developed a pair of courses that in my experience are just as vitally needed as they are unique to the training world in their “Gateway Instructor” and “Assistant Instructor” courses.

As others have stated more eloquently than I can, the Firearms Instructor world is an open ocean of skills, knowledge, teaching ability, and more. This is in large part due to a general lack of regulation, government or within the industry itself, as to what qualifies a civilian firearms instructor. Literally anyone can become a firearms instructor in most states by simply deciding to market oneself as one. Outside Law Enforcement and Military structures, which are often centered around specific weapons platforms, chosen personnel, and frankly fundamentally different operating conditions; there are only a few reasonably well known instructor programs. These are: NRA, Rangemaster, and the rapidly growing USCCA program. I have not gone through the USCCA program personally, so I will withhold commenting on it. However, the NRA and Rangemaster instructor programs cannot be more different in the demands and expectations of the student, of which both are vastly higher for the Rangemaster class. In fact, the only benefits I can mark the NRA course for are 1) Name Recognition for the uninitiated, and 2) Corporate Discounts. 

Despite the many benefits of the much more thorough Rangemaster course, there are still gaps in the curriculum, and CSA’s programs fill that void extremely well. The stated goal of the three aforementioned courses is to create a knowledgeable lead instructor ready to teach classes and take on the world. However, real life is not like that, and we as a society already suffer from the symptoms of having “too many Chiefs and not enough Indians.” There is an immediate need for entry level and gateway instructors in the space, but CSA is the only (to my knowledge) group to acknowledge the need. 

While I have not taken it yet, the first CSA Instructor path course I became aware of is their “Gateway Instructor” Course. I think of this course as the “Instructor Course for Non-Instructors,” with the thought process being that, for nearly all of us, our original introduction to firearms was not a qualified instructor, but rather a coworker, family member, or close friend, who took us to the range or taught us the “4 Rules,” often with inconsistent success. If that sounds like you or someone you know, it might be worth looking into.

Between this “Gateway” Instructor and the “Lead” instructors running the course, there is a gap that is filled by the Assistant Instructor, or “AI” (Not that one). These AI’s fulfill vital roles, especially in group classes, but have been completely neglected until now. Historically AI’s have often been newer, but still fully qualified instructors in their own right, who aid the “Lead” throughout the class, but have never been taught how to do so effectively. This was the class I was fortunate enough to attend this Sunday afternoon at Top Gun Memphis. 
For those unfamiliar with Top Gun Memphis, they are more than an indoor range. In many ways the genesis of Top Gun begins with Tom Givens’ original Rangemaster location in the Memphis area (occasionally known as the ‘Mothership” to those in the circle) where many currently well known instructors first made their bones. When Tom closed the original location to begin itinerate training full time (which should also tell you about just how bad crime is here) there was a severe vacuum in the space, which after a decade was finally filled when former Mothership staff got together to fill that gap. Since then it has become a bit of a Mecca of training locally, bringing in national trainers regularly, in addition to the quality local instructor cadre; Rangemaster Certified all. 

I was a last minute addition to the class, as life happens and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to attend, but I am very glad that I was. While I am not currently a part of the Top Gun Instructor Cadre, I run in the same circles and know several of them quite well, in particular Mekkos (AKA “Memphis”) Beech and so taking a class with them was a lot of fun. Additionally, while I have taken a course alongside Aqil before, I had not yet had the opportunity to meet Tiffany, so I was excited about the chance. What followed was a particularly well thought out and well presented class. 

Early on we spelled out the major differences in the 4 major roles in training courses, the Lead, the Assistant Instructor, the Range Safety Officer, and a Coach; and how while a single person can perform each one of these roles throughout a class, no one person can perform any of these simultaneously. 

In broad strokes, the Lead is where the buck stops. Given my background, I would liken the role to that of a head football coach. They are ultimately responsible for everything that happens in the course and dictate the strategy, or what will be taught and the manner that it will be handled. However this global vision of the class requires assistance to achieve the maximum amount of success for the students.

This is where the “AI” and focus of this course comes into play. In keeping with the football coaching analogy, they perform the job of a position coach; taking responsibility for a smaller section of the group, carrying out direct instruction, and executing the plan as it was designed by the Lead. They act as the enforcers of the curriculum and ultimately exist to make the Lead Instructor’s, and therefore the students’, life easier.

Range Safety Officers differ from instructors in so far as they are only responsible for the safe operation of range activities, and therefore have no teaching responsibilities. In this way RSOs are very much like lifeguards at the local public pool. Unless there is an immediate safety concern, RSOs should stay silent throughout the course, leaving the instructors to do their jobs without interference. 

Coaches are the opposite side of the coin of an RSO. Coaches are instructors who have a laserlike focus on one or two students, dedicating a significant amount of time and resources to them, while neglecting the rest of the class. Unless there is a surplus of instructors at the event, it is highly recommended that Coaching does not occur in class setting, instead reserving it for a private lesson, so as to not derail the class as a whole. 

From there, we focused primarily on the 4 C’s of instruction: Communication, Coverage, Choreography, and Control, and how the presence of the first three all impact the fourth. 

First is Communication. The emphasis of Communication is not for instructors to be understood, but rather being clear and concise enough to minimize risk of being MISunderstood. There are no second chances on the range, and we cannot put gunpowder back in the casing after a communication error. If more than one person is uncertain, the failure is 100% on you as an instructor. 

It is also here where the majority of Assistant Instructors have the most difficulty, and that is SHUTTING UP. The Lead is in the driver seat and should be allowed to carry out their job. Interrupting or talking over the Lead is both highly unprofessional and extremely disruptive for the class, who now at best need to split their attention, or at worst, do not know who to listen to. This is especially damaging if the AI contradicts the Lead instructor in front of students. Hashing things out should occur out of hearing of students. 

Next is Coverage. Coverage is placing yourself or other instructors into positions where they can see and hear everything in a class, so they can make corrections immediately. We discussed the costs and benefits of different positionings and techniques, such as Roving, Wide Angle, Flanking, and Scanning. It is imperative that AI’s be able to reach everyone within their charge in “Two Steps and a Reach” so that we can get there in time to stop a dangerous situation.

We probably spent the most time on Choreography, which as they put it, is “actively conducting the symphony.” In reality this is structuring all of the “moving parts” of class so that they can be handled safely and efficiently, and improving the student experience. Aq and Tiff brought up a Gabe White quote that I had forgotten, that “Disorganization is the Enemy of Safety,” which I believe is highly accurate. A meticulously planned and highly organized class is predictable for the student and will not breed the chaos that lack of certainty can bring. 

In particular we discussed having SOPs for lane assignments, switching ammo, individual exercises, holster work, drills, changing targets, novel stimuli, team exercises, and ingress/egress from the range; and how they impact the class.

Finally, we covered Control, which is the sum of the first three C’s mentioned. This is where AI’s catch and fix problems can not be foreseen or avoided by Communication or Choreography. As a general rule, it is vastly preferable to begin class with an excess of Control, as we do not know the skill levels walking through the door. If a class has earned it, it is much easier and safer to release some of the Instructor’s Control of the class than it is to try to regain Control of a class that is beginning to get away from the instructor. 

We finished the day with some simulated exercises, where AI’s had to deal with common range occurrences while staying within their role. This is a great form of practice and would be much more beneficial than simply throwing an AI to the wolves and figure things out on the spot, which unfortunately is how most instructors learned the actual art of teaching.

In review, this was a very beneficial course, and I am glad I took it. Much of this class puts into words things that experienced instructors take for granted intuitively, but have never expressly put it into words to consider. In that alone, this course succeeded. Personally, it allowed me to look at how I run my own classes, and how I can improve the student experience by being more deliberate in several areas.

[Whisper]

Aqil and Tiffany are the best.