In the late 1980s, the concept of a training academy operated by SIG SAUER began with a conversation between then-SIGARMS executive management and several officials from federal agencies. At the time, there was a strong need for a dedicated training outfit to facilitate armorer, firearms transition, and instructor training for agencies converting from revolvers to semi-automatic pistols. Now, 30 years later, the SIG SAUER Academy, located on 140 acres in Epping, NH, offers a comprehensive selection of more than 110 courses for the armed professional and responsible citizen. But what separates the Academy from other firearms training facilities in the country is the amazing mix of instructors and the teaching principles to which they adhere.

“We have folks with police and military backgrounds and several of our instructors have spent time in Iraq and Afghanistan,” says Scott Reidy, the Academy’s director of training. “They are all really knowledgeable individuals.” But, Reidy admits, when they first got to the Academy they struggled to relate their information to civilians. That’s where the four SIG principles came in. By adhering to these principles, Reidy says “our instructors have become teachers and that’s what really separates us.”

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The four SIG principles are:

1. Adult Learning
2. Objective based training
3. EDIP
4. Outcome vs. Performance

Adult Learning
Most adults can only take in one or two bits of information at a time and if you’re a guy, Reidy says with a smile, it’s really just one bit of information. For students who have prior military or police experience, they are accustomed to being overloaded with information or concepts such as the seven principles of marksmanship. Instead, Academy instructors tell students that to be successful shooting a handgun all you need to do is stabilize the muzzle and press the trigger to the rear. “We keep it simple,” says Reidy. “Simple is good. That’s what we teach. Instead of front-end loading the students with the seven principles of marksmanship, we give them one to two bits of information and then we let them go out and discovery learn it. From there, we get into objective-based training.”

Objective-based Training
Soldiers just getting back from deployment are often accustomed to certain techniques that have been proven to save another soldier’s life in combat. Academy instructors are likely not going to dissuade him or from using that technique. “And we don’t care,” says Reidy. “When we teach you reloads, we’ll teach you four ways to reload the pistol. When we teach you the draw stroke, we’ll teach you different ways to get the gun out of the holster efficiently.” Objective based training is broken down into four areas:

1.  Age: A technique that works for a 19-year old Marine, might not work for a 55-year old business man.
2.  Fitness Level: A young student’s fitness level is likely very different than that of a 55-year old.
3.  Experience: What works for an instructor who has had multiple years of experience might not work for the brand new shooter.
4.  Equipment: The use of advanced equipment carried by the instructor doesn’t always translate properly to students with lesser skill sets and gear quality.

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EDIP
As Reidy explains, EDIP stands for “explain the technique, demonstrate the technique, have the class imitate it, and then practice it.” Academy instructors explain every technique that they do including the whos and whys behind it, not because the instructor said so but because there might be historic perspective behind the technique. For example, why a SEAL Team in combat uses a particular technique. Then instructors demonstrate it. Instructors at the Academy demonstrate every drill. They won’t tell you to just go ahead and shoot, but they’ll demonstrate it, shooting the drill at 50% speed so students can see the beginning, middle, and end. This allows the student to see what instructors want you to do. Then students imitate the drill at 50% speed with instructors adding in talking points which help burn the drill into the student’s memory. For example, with the draw stroke, instructors say “grip, lift, drive” which helps students remember the three points of the drill. Finally, there’s practice. Students now practice the drill at 50% speed and as they become more proficient, they can increase the speed.

Outcome-Based vs. Performance-Based Training
The majority of military and law enforcement training in the country is outcome-based: how many, how much, and how fast? With performance-based training, Academy instructors break down the drills and then focus on the individual steps to accomplish it, as opposed to focusing on the end goal. As soon as instructors break out a timer or say “this is a qualification,” students get outcome based training. With performance based training instructors break down the drill step by step, which produces a more successful result versus thinking about an outcome.

“The emotional intelligence level of our instructors is tremendous,” says Reidy. “They can pick up a class with ten new students without knowing anyone’s background, go through introductions and quickly pick up the needs of each individual student.” And when many classes can have a mix of backgrounds and skill levels, this kind of attention is critical. “By mid-morning, the instructor is able to tailor the class to fit the needs of each student and still be able to get maximum performance out of them, regardless of the shooting experience level of the student.”