Shooting/Firearm classes for women, what would you want?

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After seeing how full a lot of the women only "Women on Target" and similar local NRA certified training classes have been lately, we hit on an idea: She could provide training specifically geared towards women! This would work out for everyone involved, since she has been out of work for a while.

So before we run off and setup some classes doing what we think would be of interest, we would like to ask for your input as to what you would like to see in a shooting / firearm class. Please also include anything that you would find un-attractive about such a class.

We're asking these questions to try to get a good cross section of what would be attractive to women that may like some formal training.

We would appreciate getting feedback from "what women want", so this means if any male wants to answer, please only reply after talking directly to a woman that you know, and don't reply with what you think she would want. [smile]

Some questions that we have so far (but feel free to provide any and all feedback):

  • Would you like a personalized class with just you and a couple of your friends, or would you prefer to join a class of other women that you may or may not not know?
  • Would you prefer a class that does not allow any men at all? Or you don't you care if there are a few men in the class?
  • Would you prefer daytime (mother's) hours for such a class? Nights? Weekends?
  • Would you feel more comfortable if we came to you, perhaps in your own home, or would you prefer to come to a classroom? Of course, live fire would be done at an appropriate shooting range!

Our current thoughts are to put on a series of NRA Basic Pistol classes, but we could also offer other classes if there was enough demand.

If you don't know, the NRA Basic Pistol class teaches the basic knowledge, skills, and attitude for owning and operating a pistol safely. No prior training or experience is nessessary. So the basic class is at least 8-hours long (and may be spread over more than one day/or evening) and includes classroom and range time learning to shoot revolvers and semi-automatic pistols. Students learn NRA’s rules for safe gun handling; pistol parts and operation; ammunition; shooting fundamentals; range rules; shooting from the bench rest position, and two handed standing positions; cleaning the pistol; and continued opportunities for skill development.

If you prefer not to post publically here, feel free to send a private message via the PM tool.

Thanks for your input!
 
Thoughts from my personal experiences and several years of working with Second Amendment Sisters, as well as keeping in mind what level of training you plan to offer:

Hold it in a public or business environment. There is no way I would have been comfortable having a stranger in my home for this and holding it in your home would have screamed "unprofessional" to me when I was at that stage.

You would do well to offer a variety of class times. "Mothers hours" never have been and never will be of use to me and most of the women I am close to until we hit retirement. I imagine they are awesome for a subset of SAHMs, people with nonconventional work schedules, or ladies-who-lunch (guns for all the ladies =yay!). It seems weekends usually work better than evenings in my experience. Not everyone gets off at 5 and committing several partial days seems to be harder than carving out one full day.

Group size - If you are going ladies only, larger groups generally seem to be the way to go. The women concerned with avoiding co-ed classes for these events generally seem to love the social festival atmosphere. I personally don't gravitate to that as a student, but I also didn't give a fig about who else was in the class with me. Women who come in preformed groups didn't seem to mind having strange women around - their group will keep its cohesion within the larger cohort.
 
I think all of your ideas are good because we all like different things. I know some women who would prefer smaller classes but others who would like a bigger setting. Everyone is different. I personally liked my class where it was just me and one other person.

I also liked starting off with a .22 rather than an higher caliber. I do think that starting off with a 9 would be too much for some. You just don't feel any recoil at all and it really makes it enjoyable. I would offer a variety of classes here or there, but I do agree most would not want you to come to their house.

One other thing that you may want to consider is maybe having class about target shooting for the casual shooter, not for competition. I know of some women that after they got their license were so frustrated about hardly ever hitting the bullseye.

Good Luck with it all!
 
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Just asked my fiancee, here is her reply:

1) Do not care. 2) Men can be part of it if they want. 3) Nights or weekends. 4) Classroom
 
You might want to talk to Aware.org. They run classes that are geared towards women, though most of their classes are open to men as well.
 
Thanks for everyone's input so far. It does help!

Conservativegirl, as to your caliber concerns, we always start with a .22 and in fact, usually use a pie plate or a blank sheet of paper as a target so as not to have people worrying getting a 'bullseye'. The idea is to get comfortable and learn the basics before worrying about any 'score'.

Nicole, we also have concerns on how to offer 'private lessons', and that's why we decided to ask here. We not only want to be professional, but also don't want people to feel uncomfortable with their instructor(s) and the training.


If anyone else has input, feel free to add it here or PM me, including if you attended a class and didn't like some part of it (not to bash others, so don't identify the class, but only to learn what works for you and what does not work well also).
 
Conservativegirl, as to your caliber concerns, we always start with a .22 and in fact, usually use a pie plate or a blank sheet of paper as a target so as not to have people worrying getting a 'bullseye'. The idea is to get comfortable and learn the basics before worrying about any 'score'.

That sounds great, but I was actually talking about having a class for new shooters after they get their ltc. I bet there is a market for it. I was lucky to have my husband work with me to become proficient, but not everyone has someone to show them the ropes, so to speak.
 
My wife would like to see a class for women that focuses on methods of concealed carry, holsters, drawing from concealment, etc. Her biggest complaint is that most of the popular carry methods just don't work for her. Other than that, she would not be particularly attracted to a "special" women's shooting class. She would rather be right in there with the guys, no special consideration. But that's just her.
 
That sounds great, but I was actually talking about having a class for new shooters after they get their ltc. I bet there is a market for it. I was lucky to have my husband work with me to become proficient, but not everyone has someone to show them the ropes, so to speak.

Oh, sorry I missed your point!

There are more advanced classes that would follow the basic pistol. I suppose asking the questions that we did here on a shooting forum, we should have expected to get people asking for something beyond the basics.

I just wonder how much interest there is in more advanced classes as a lot of people seem to 'know someone' once they get started.
 
My wife would like to see a class for women that focuses on methods of concealed carry, holsters, drawing from concealment, etc. Her biggest complaint is that most of the popular carry methods just don't work for her. Other than that, she would not be particularly attracted to a "special" women's shooting class. She would rather be right in there with the guys, no special consideration. But that's just her.

Scatter,

There are classes for concealed carry, drawing from the holster, etc. But before you/she can take the concealed carry class, which is the 'Personal Protection Outside the Home' (PPOTH) class, one would have to have already taken both the 'Basic Pistol' as well as the 'Personal Protection Inside the Home" (PPITH) class.

NRA training standards require the prerequisite classes.

Our thoughts would be that some may prefer a "Women's Only" class also for concealed carry (the PPOTH class), as the methods of concealing can be much different for a woman than for a man, focusing on some things such as a purse holster, flash bang holster (Google it if you are curious), etc.

Thanks for the continued input!
 
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Scatter,

There are classes for consealed carry, drawing from the holster, etc. But before you/she can take the concealed carry class, which is the 'Personal Protection Outside the Home' (PPOTH) class, one would have to have already taken both the 'Basic Pistol' as well as the 'Personal Protection Inside the Home" (PPITH) class.

NRA training standards require the prerequisite classes.

Our thoughts would be that some may prefer a "Women's Only" class also for concealed carry (the PPOTH class), as the methods of concealing can be much different for a woman than for a man, focusing on some things such as a purse holster, flash bang holster (Google it if you are curious), etc.

Thanks for the continued input!

Yep, we've been to all of those--and she has a flash-bang too! (doesn't use it though). Just an opportunity to share lessons learned with other women would be good, things they've tried that work and don't work well, but at something beyond a beginner level. Sounds like that's what you've got in mind.
 
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