Last weekend, I traveled to Florida to take the NRA Instructor Basics of Personal Protection Outside The Home Course (PPOTH). I was asked by several people why I would want this particular “Basic” Certification in light of my background and training experience. It’s simple,

I like training new shooters.

My colleague Grant Cunningham made a pertinent blog post about this shortly after I took the PPOTH Student Basic and Advanced Student Course. Experienced instructors often shy away from training the newest students. There has been a massive increase in people licensed to carry firearms over the past few years. In addition, several States have adopted Constitutional or Permitless Carry. That market base probably needs experienced trainers and coaches.

And I don’t feel the need to reinvent the wheel. It’s unfortunate that the NRA Training Department’s best marketing statement for its Personal Protection training is contained in the PPOTH Instructor manual. “The NRA Basic Personal Protection Series is based on the building-block approach, moving from the simple to the complex.” The most effective training courses I have taken over the past two decades have used a step by step approach to skill building.

The Training Department sees the progression of the courses for new gun owners interested in learning how to defend themselves and their loved ones as follows.

• NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting Course, the first course, develops the basic skills of handling, shooting, and cleaning the firearm, as well as a thorough grounding in firearm safety.
• NRA Basics of Personal Protection In The Home Course, the second course, teaches:
  • the defensive or flash sight picture,
  • firing single shots and/or aimed pairs from various shooting positions
  • shooting using a center-of-mass hold,
  • effectively using cover and concealment,
  • employing point-shooting and multiple target engagement techniques.
  • techniques for improving awareness and promoting mental preparation,
  • methods of enhancing home safety without a firearm, and
  • legal aspects of the use of deadly force in self-defense.
• NRA Basics of Personal Protection Outside The Home, the third course in the series, covers:
  • Introduction to Concealed Carry Safety and The Defensive Mindset,
  • Introduction to Self Defense and Concealed Carry,
  • Legal Aspects of Concealed Cary and Self-Defense,
  • Carry Modes and Handgun Concealment,
  • Presenting the Handgun from Concealment, and
  • Presentation, Position and Movement.
• Another offering in the series is the NRA Defensive Pistol Course. This is a shorter course than PPOTH. It teaches:
  • How to apply the NRA Rules for Safe Gun Handling when carrying a concealed firearm,
  • basic principles of concealment,
  • drawing from a hip holster
  • levels of mental awareness,
  • developing the proper mindset when using a pistol for personal protection,
  • flash sight picture
  • reloading
  • clearing common stoppages,
  • shooting a qualification course,
  • use of pocket pistols,

In addition to the Courses themselves, the Training Department provides additional Skill Development Exercises for NRA Instructors to use with students after PPITH and PPOTH.

And the NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program has even more exercises that interested shooters can use to increase their skills and earn awards from the NRA.

Looking at all the topics covered, that’s a really comprehensive training program. Those who are interested in a defensive firearm as more than a talisman to ward off evil can really get a lot out of such a “Basic” program.

There are a number of aspects of the NRA’s series that I really like. First of all, the classes are between 4 to 9 hours long. Because they’re constructed in modules, even the 9 hour classes don’t have to be conducted in a single day. Most people’s lives are quite busy and asking new shooters to take an entire weekend or even week of training is both difficult and sometimes counter-productive.

The NRA’s program is really the only one in the industry that is built around the student’s capabilities and time constraints rather than a trainer’s weekend convenience. Mea culpa; I’ve done both the traveling trainer and hosting trainer routines, so I’m as guilty of it as any of my colleagues. It’s something I want to try a different approach to.

There’s a place for both newer trainers and experienced trainers in the NRA’s Personal Protection Series. I’m very much looking forward to seeing how I can implement that.