Dr. Helen Smith
I am a forensic psychologist in Knoxville, Tennessee who enjoys commenting on popular culture, politics and psychological issues. I was pleasantly surprised when an outfit called DTI Publications Inc. ran an ad for a book entitled, Women Learning To Shoot: A Guide for Law Enforcement Officers. I immediately ordered a copy and spent this afternoon reading over this nifty little gem.
Anyway, my point here is not to go off on a tangent on the benefits of gun rights vs. gun control, but rather to focus on the great tips in this book written by two women, Diane Nicholl & Vicki Farnam. They focus on tips for female students who are learning to shoot and label their first chapter, "Risk and Opportunity". They talk to the female student about how to manage the mental risk of shooting and use a bit of psychology to talk to a fear of success that women may have when shooting.
The next chapters describe what a stance is and how to get a good stance, along with pictures and practice techniques. "Grip" is described in a subsequent chapter and I think, is quite important to get right, especially for women who tend to have small hands. The book describes a Modified Master Grip for women who have small hands or wrists which is a problem that I have had for most of my life. Technical tips for women are frequent throughout the book such as, "Women have sensitive ears. Make sure you have good hearing protection and it fits. Use foam ear plugs and muffs if necessary." I also like the section on emotional reactions to shooting and dealing with recoil--I know that I have a tendency to flinch at times which often knocks my front and rear sights out of alignment.
Finally, the last few chapters look at gun safety and gunhandling skills. The information is given in an easy to digest format that even the busiest woman can take in quickly. Overall, the book is quite good and I recommend it for women who want to learn to shoot as well as those who just need to perfect their technique.
Women & Guns Volume 17, Number 6 November-December 2006
Roger Lanny
This book is a companion and follow-up to their Teaching Women To Shoot: A Law Enforcement Instructor’s Guide. This time, however, the point of view changes from that of the instructor to that of the student, in particular, the female student.
Vicki Farnam has been teaching with her husband since 1986, traveling all over the country. One of her passions is teaching defensive shooting classes for women, and classes for firearms instructors regarding the proper way to teach women, especially those in the military and law enforcement.
Diane Nicholl grew up around guns, and has started (in 1996) and runs her own business, DTI Publications, Inc., where she teaches firearms courses and publishes books on firearms training.
As the book says, “Women differ in how they learn and how readily they develop new skills. We have found women tend to learn more quickly if the material is broken into several parts and mastered one step at a time. Hitting your target isn’t luck, it’s skill!”
Copiously illustrated throughout its 134 pages, there are multiple photographs on virtually every page. In that manner, there is absolutely no chance of misunderstanding what you should, and should not be doing.
Women Learning discusses and explains everything you’ll need to shoot a handgun accurately and safely. The chapters include Stance, Grip, Sight Alignment, Trigger Control, Launch Platform (that would be you), Recoil, and Safety. There is also a twenty-five page Appendix which details all the ancillary skills needed – everything from loading and unloading to drawing and cleaning.
Although Women Learning is written as though the reader is in law enforcement, it easily and readily transfers to the civilian practitioner.
A particularly nice touch, one that I’ve wished for over the years, is an Index to look things up. We’ve all had the vexing problem of trying to find a specific item in a book without one.
Replete with tips and hints garnered from teaching hundreds of classes and thousands of students, Farnam and Nicholl hit another bulls-eye with this book written by women for women.
Next best thing to in-person instruction, May 27, 2006, Judith Renfroe
Women Learning to Shoot, A Guide for Law Enforcement Officers, by Diane Nicholl and Vicki Farnam, should be a "must read, and reread until thoroughly absorbed" by anyone, of any age and any gender, wanting to shoot better or teach others to shoot better. It may help the teachers teach others by helping them understand why others are struggling and realize what many shooters do not intuitively understand.
It is not "first book of shooting," or a substitute for a class or other introductory course. It assumes a shooter has had those and is now practicing, perhaps struggling with accuracy or consistency or otherwise unhappy with his or her performance or progress.
Although written for women in Law Enforcement, it is helpful not only for women in Law Enforcement. It is not only for women and those with smaller hands and less upper body strength. It is not only for those whose basic instruction has been lacking in detail or understanding of their shooting issues. It is also for the hardheaded among us who keep doing things a little wrong until the light suddenly dawns that we should have been listening more closely all along to Diane's suggestions made in her quiet, unassuming way. It is for those of us who do not realize our bodies and brains have developed habits we need to change. It will be helpful for anyone who wants to improve their accuracy and consistency.
It is repetitive in places, just like a good instructor who has to keep repeating what they have already said a hundred times, which the student acknowledged, but which the student's performance shows was not really absorbed. That is not a defect in the writing. It is intentional. It repeats those important fundamentals most often not thoroughly enough understood, absorbed and engrained into our subconscious. The authors recognize that many do not understand the fundamentals even after the first few repetitions. And it takes even longer to break old habits. It is also a realization that many instructors did not explain or emphasize fundamentals adequately or made incorrect assumptions about the student's intuitive knowledge and understanding of the "obvious," which in fact was not at all obvious or intuitive to the student.
It is the next best thing to having Diane or Vicki standing over your shoulder, telling you again and again what they have already said regarding the fundamentals. It is easy reading, short sentences, short paragraphs, good photos and illustrations, good explanations.
If you absorb its content, it is worth far more than its price, which is equivalent to a couple boxes of ammo with which one might continue to practice without improving.
I've had the privilege of shooting under the tutelage of Diane and her husband for a number of years, and although it has taken a while for what she has said to really sink into my hard little head, I can say without hesitation that she gives excellent advice. This book is the essence of that advice. And you can read it again and again until you really hear it.
This will improve your shooting!, June 3, 2006, Jenny Higgs
I have been a target shooter for quite some time but when it comes to shooting fundamentals the fact is you can never shoot accurately without them. This book contains the knowledge all shooters need to be accurate and safe, laid out for novice, law enforcement, target or combat shooter, male and female alike. The steps are broken down, simple to understand and practice, with photos and illustrations that show every movement in the procedure of shooting handguns. I really like Chapter 4. Sight Alignment. It's one thing I have the most difficulty with. This subject is hard to explain, and even harder to achieve good skills, but has been covered clearly with text and photos.
The book also covers the mental attitude needed to overcome a fear of firearms, shooting with an instructor and in front of other shooters who may or may not be shooting as well as you are. This needs focus and ability, and this book will give you the encouragement and detailed information needed to perform well. The authors did a good job with this!
A Must have for ANYONE Interested in Firearms, August 18, 2006, Robb Ray
Don't let the title fool you, Women Learning to Shoot is a must have for anyone who is interested in firearms. Whether you are female or male, a firearms instructor or student, a long time shooter or beginner, you will find this book to be a valuable addition to your library.
Mastering the fundamentals is the foundation for any good shooter. Women Learning to Shoot does an amazing job of breaking down the fundamentals of shooting into easy to understand components. The book's appendix, which covers basic gunhandling skills, is second to none with a collection of illustrations that bring the text to life for the reader.
Congratulations to the authors, Diane Nicholl and Vicki Farnam!
Copyright © 2006 by DTI Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.