One of the hardest aspects of police firearms training is the lack of time. Even for agencies that hit the range more than required minimums, it often means that a police officer will only get 8-16 hours/year on the range. There are obvious exceptions such as officers on specialized units or those that train and practice on their own time. That last group is pretty rare though.
When you have a trainee on the line, that time is critical. If that trainee is having any issues it is important that they are corrected immediately. I've seen some instructors simply let things slide or assume that the trainee will just "figure it out." The problem is that often that trainee is just building bad form and imprinting it more heavily by virtue of repetition. As has been said before, practice makes permanent, not perfect.
If I could offer any piece of advice to my fellow police firearms instructors, it would be to be proactive in terms of form correction. Even if it doesn't all stick, try and get your trainee to improve. Each repetition under instruction is worth so much, as that may be the only practice and help they get before a critical incident that would require those skills in the future.
Another piece of advice, if as an instructor you have a trainee with issues that you're having difficulty sorting out, don't let your ego get in the way, ask another instructor to help. Even the best instructors don't see everything, and sometimes a team approach yields better results. Often the way that one instructor states things doesn't get understood, and the simple approach of another voice with slightly different verbiage does the trick.
I don't say these things from any position of superiority, I too am still learning. If I ever come to you and tell you that I have all the answers, you'll know it is an imposter.
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Check out my youtube channel for more regular content. I've been slacking on writing, but I have taken up a new life when it comes to running my mouth and showing things in front of a camera. I'm sure my mother wouldn't be shocked at that.
Take care and stay safe guys!
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