In a word, maybe. Experienced shooters are less impacted by
gender differences in style and mannerisms than new students. I apologize in advance for some
generalizations, not everything applies to all women, but there are things to
consider. The following information is
based on my experience as a student, as an instructor and interviews with other
women.
Women come to shooting for a
variety of reasons, but many come out of fear.
They may have had a threat, or be fearful because of the bad things
happening around them. The future of
their shooting is in the hands of the instructor. A caring, positive experience can help build
confidence and trust.
Many women are less likely to ask
questions in a class than their male classmates. You need to watch them and anticipate their
questions, make them feel that it is ok to ask.
Be careful with jargon or technical terminology unless you take the time
to explain it. They might not ask, but
you will lose them.
Women are less tolerant of macho,
alpha male style behavior and profanity.
Frankly, it can be a turn off, and once we turn off, your job as an
instructor isn’t getting done. So, dial
back a little. You can be professional
without being intimidating, aggressive or profane. Women, especially one who is there because
she has been assaulted or threatened, may be more sensitive to being
touched. Ask first, unless it is a safety
issue, minimize touching and ask. You
can get a sense of your student and know if it is ok.
Women often come into a class
with fewer bad habits or preconceived ideas.
But, also with less experience.
Take the time to explain and demonstrate, build the foundation. Many women are less confident and a little
scared so they need to understand before they do. Demos help, clear explanations are essential
to build the fundamentals. Generally,
women retain instruction better when they understand the “why”. Why do I do it this way instead of another
way that may feel more comfortable? Take
the time to explain the concept, the method, steps and why. This can be done with patience or even a
little humor. I take good natured
teasing because I’m fanatical about cleaning my carry gun. When people ask me often they should clean
their gun, I tell them if depends on a variety of factors, but that while I
might let some of my guns go without cleaning for a couple sessions, my carry
gun gets cleaned every time it is shot.
I tell them “I’ve never heard of anyone having a malfunction because
their gun was too clean”.
There are things that women need
to know but a new shooter, especially one who plans to carry, may not realize she
needs to know. First, purse carry. There is carrying in a purse and a carry
purse. Carrying in a purse is a bad
idea. Ask women how long it takes to
find their keys? Ok, that makes an
image. Now, point out that the gun is
the heaviest thing in the purse. Where
will it be? On the bottom. Oriented how…who knows? You reach in a pull it out and, gee, there is
that pen you were looking for, sticking out of the barrel. A carry purse has a dedicated compartment and
holster for the gun, and NOTHING else goes in there. This is “off-body” carry and still not
ideal. If your purse gets snatched, your
gun is gone. You can’t put it down, hang
it off the back of a chair…it needs to be in your control at all times. You need to be able to articulate this
without being sarcastic, it may take practice to be able to talk about women’s
accessories but this is important information.
Holsters…It is possible to carry
on body and not advertise. You also
don’t have to carry a derringer, which I like to compare to trying to shoot a
baby carrot, to conceal effectively. For
women, clothing makes a huge difference.
Prints hide better than solid colors. Ruching, which is stretchy gathers, also works
wonders to conceal a gun. She can
maintain a slim silhouette by wearing lose over snug to hide the gun. Jeans can be a problem if they fit snugly, men’s
jeans can fit the hips and leave a little extra room in the waist for the
gun.
Men and women alike need to find
what fits them, what is comfortable and fits their lifestyle. There are as many options as there are
guns. Some are better for men and some
are better for women, and specifics will be explored at a later time. It is important to remind a student that she,
or he, needs to pick a primary carry method. The last thing anyone wants is to do the body
pat in an emergency. Body pat referring
to reaching for your gun only to realize it is someplace else and you start
patting yourself trying to find your gun.
That said, there are times, especially for women, when your primary
carry method isn’t practical due to attire.
She needs to know it is important to practice with whatever method(s)
she chooses. Also, suggest getting
comfortable wearing her gun around the house for a couple days before carrying
in public. Once you can walk around the
house without fidgeting and adjusting, you can go in public and most people
will never know.
Range bags are another topic that
women often have questions about. Not
all of us want to advertise that we are shooters. It helps to know you can use almost anything
as a range bag, from a back pack to a beach tote, and not advertise to your
neighbors you are going to the range. Sometimes
a little discretion goes a long way.
It is important to have options
and be able to demonstrate them.
Understand the lifestyle, a mom with kids needs to know how she can
carry safely when her children are with her.
Discuss cover and concealment, as well as family practice drills for
their safety. Be prepared to discuss
safe practices in parking lots, how to protect herself and her kids. Generally, women don’t like to go there,
playing the kids card, but it does get their attention.
Women are less likely to spend
money on advanced training than men. You
need to emphasize the importance of practice and training, not just because it
is fun but because these are skills that deteriorate if they are not used.
Women and men do learn and
respond differently. The differences
blur with experience, but when you are working with a new shooter, it is
important to recognize that there are differences in motivation, needs, and
learning styles. Make her feel accepted
and comfortable, and you will have a student for a long time. One last thought, and this comes from my
experience. When you tell a student to
perform a task and they look at you for clarification, repeating the same
instruction in a louder voice is very much like the American who travels
overseas and speaks English louder, hoping to make themselves understood by a
non-English speaker. You need to have
more than one way to explain something.
There is your first choice, but if she doesn’t understand, repeating the
same words just frustrates your student and you.
More women are learning to shoot,
for a variety of reasons, including curiosity, encouragement or pressure from their
significant other, or yes, fear. You can
set the tone and help them to make a positive and safe entry into this world of
shooting.
