Any Advice For Teaching A Woman To Shoot?

[gnbrotz]

My advice: get someone else to do it. Men do a notoriously horrible job teaching their significant other to shoot.

Agree completely. My dad asked me to take my mom to the range for that very reason.

[YBNORMAL]

Take it reaaaaallly sloooow and don't do any correcting unless she breaks one of the 4 rules. You should be able to get by with being firm about them because she will realize safety is number one.

Once she is shooting safely, introduce some competition into it. Then when/if she needs some help getting more proficient (assuming you are yourself proficient), then you can giver her some "pointers". Even then though, you have to go really slow.

Like somebody else posted, she will set the pace, and before you know it, you won't have a single round of ammo left when you go to the range, at that point yer gonna have to get her to start buying ammo .

Show her this website too, she will have some fun at your expense, but she should open up a little. My wife did anyway.

http://corneredcat.com/Men/wifehateguns.aspx

[P-11 shooter]

My advice: get someone else to do it. Men do a notoriously horrible job teaching their significant other to shoot.

Fantastic advice.

The coupls times I taught a girl to shoot for the first time I just focused on safety, and hot to properly hold, and fire the gun. Don't start with small targets like cans or small bullseye targets. Start with a bigger target and don't worry about accuracy. That will come later.

If you can the best option is a one day handgun course. FIRE institute does some amazing classes.

[smithwessn]

+1 to starting out with a .22.

Patience is key on your part and her's.

[mike231]

The first time my fiance shot it was with my father and I.When we got there he told me to go over to the pistol range and don't bother them !He started by telling her to treat the firearm like a running garden hose and to not get anyone wet with the hose.After go over the basics of loading and firing the gun he handed her a .22 rifle bolt action and had her shot at targets at 25yrds.She did great.After about 50 rounds w/the 22 they came over to the pistol range and kicked me out again.After going over the basics of a .22 S&W semi pistol she was firing away.I was very impressed with her shooting at 10yrds.After they were done he told me you have to make it fun low stress and safe.She has aquired a LTCF.We have been to the range atleast 20times since,she has shot a .25,357,40,9mm 12guage and a 243 she won't shot my Glock30 she says it doesn't feel right in her hand.I have never pressured her to shot any gun she doesn't want to.The 1 thing I hate more than anything is the assbag who hands a first timer a 44mag or a 12guage w/3.5 mag slug in it.Just make it fun and safe and you will more than likely have a pro-gunner for life.

[mauser]

Let me ask a question before I can weigh in on this one:
Who was doing the yelling, you, her, or both of you?
If it was both, who started yelling first, and why?

In any event, if there was yelling there was way too much tension and it wasn't a good time to start. She has to be a willing participant and you have to be a patient teacher. If you don't have those 2 things in place you shouldn't proceed at all.
At this point, if she has any interest or desire to learn you should follow the advice that seems to be unanimous, get someone else to guide her into it.
If she had little to no interest in the first place you were doomed right from the start. It's kinda like sex, (or anything else for that matter) she has to want to do it rather than be forced into it.
If it was an all around bad situation you may have to just back off and wait until she decides she wants to learn. If you're putting pressure on her to do something she isn't ready to do it won't make a difference who tries to teach her.

[GRIZ]

My advice: get someone else to do it.

Good advice. I've been a firearms instructor for over 30 years. I did teach my wife to shoot but maybe that's because of my style or whatever as I know other competent instructors that had similar results to yours. I actually prefer teaching women if I had a choice because they will listen to you and p[ay more attention to detail than most men and usually learn quicker. They don't have that macho bs in them that makes all guys feel they know more than the instructor (and all guys have that to some degree).

The best advice I can offer is make it enjoyable. The first step to that is don't be a range Nazi. In running a line people are more receptive and attentive if you don't get overly regimented. Yes you have to gear safety towrad the lowest level in a group but that doesn't mean shouting someone down like R Lee Ermey all the time (although there are times for that too). Someone's learning curve skyrockets when they're relaxed as a rule.

If your wife, husband, son, daughter or whoever has no interest don't try shoving it down their throat. I see too many gun people get so wrapped up in what they like they ignore what others don't like.

[steviesterno]

i've taught probably 10--12 girls to shoot, and even turned a few into competition shooters. I always stress safety and never wig out unless they violate that.

I don't correct anything right away, unless their grip is unsafe (ex used to put her thumb on the back of the slide when she wasn't paying attention).

then let them hit a big target in close! when they want to start doing a little better, they will ask. then you make MINOR corrections in stance, grip, sight picture, all that. this self discovery is way better and they will usually take you up on it and excel.

I also advise no low-cut shirts, since hot casings down into happy valley lead to some interesting dances but lack of muzzle control...

[FUNDAMENTALS]

Women, when taught "Correctly" become excellent shooters. They are
attentive and competitive, they want to do it safely. With forty years
as an instructor in civilian, military, law enforcement programs, I have
seen women become competent to outstanding shooters. Find a decent
.22 cal pistol(Ruger Mk II/III or Browning Buckmark Target). If possible,
find a Shooting Club that offers NRA Intro shooting programs to learn
the basics. Some Clubs have just women only classes. However I
completely agree with going step by step slowly. Being patient is the
key to success.

[TRB]

Women learn differently than men. Almost all failures in training a woman to shoot are due to the lack of understanding this fact. If you want to eliminate the frustration, arguments, and hostility that can come from teaching a woman to shoot as if she were a man, follow this three step program.

1. Obtain a copy of Teaching Women to Shoot.
   
2. Commit it to memory.
   
3. Use the tools in the book.

Vicki Farnam is one of the foremost trainers of female shooters in the country. Her methods are based on research into the differences in the way men and women learn. Following her protocol will produce excellent results quickly and easily.

Be prepared to purchase twice as much ammo as before.