Level 1 Course

 

What are the benefits of taking the Level 1 Instructor Course?

 

There are many reasons why shooters are motivated to sign up for the NSCA Level I Instructor Course, and the benefits are typically related to the reason each candidate enrolls. Obviously, most want to learn how to effectively teach others how to shoot a shotgun. Some who already have coaching experience enroll because they want to improve their effectiveness as a shotgun instructor. The candidates we see at Level I are an incredibly diverse group, from the young experienced shot who wants to start coaching in our sport, to the retiree in his 60s who wants to start sharing his love of shooting by teaching others.

The goal of the course is not to make you a better shooter, although many report afterward that the course did indeed make them a better and more methodical shot. The purpose of the Level I course is to turn shooters into instructors by educating them on the fundamental principles of shooting a shotgun and how to effectively communicate those fundamentals with beginning and novice shooters.

The benefit of attending the Level I course is that, while you already know how to shoot upon entering the course, you will now understand how to instruct others in a safe and entertaining way and to communicate effectively with students. It will also be the beginning of your journey as a diagnostician, able to identify and address the obstacles to a shooter’s progress. While only a small percentage of graduates will move on to the Level II Certification Course two or more years hence, we expose Level I candidates to the techniques that advanced instructors use to recognize the root causes of misses, rather than simply helping them identify where the shooter missed. While knowing where the shooter missed a target is an important starting point, discerning the root cause of a miss or pattern of misses allows the instructor to effect positive change and a steady path of progression for the student.