When I seriously began exploring firearms as a teenager, there weren’t many opportunities to learn or pursue this interest. Our knowledge mainly came from television and through trial and error. Years later, when I moved to the US, I wanted to expand my knowledge and, most importantly, carry a firearm, as I lived in a very dangerous area and often found myself in life-threatening situations.

A foreigner wanting to carry a firearm in the US without a green card, and in California of all places? Yes, that’s quite unusual, and everyone says it can’t be done.

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Wrong! It is possible if you know and follow the laws, rules and demonstrate the right attitude.

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I started attending various courses and quickly realized that not only do the courses vary greatly, but so do the teaching methods, which often didn’t meet my expectations. I frequently returned home with a certificate, yet I had no idea why I had earned it. I was left with a seemingly endless list of unanswered questions. I attributed this to the language barrier and tried to answer my questions through research and reviewing the course materials. But within a few days, everything was forgotten.

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The knowledge and the valuable drills I had learned—and for which I had paid so much money slipped away. Of course, everyone advises you to practice, but who is there to help and correct you? Practicing something incorrectly over and over doesn’t make it right. In fact, it made things much harder in the classes I attended later. It was especially frustrating when an instructor would point out what I was doing wrong without offering a plausible explanation of why and how to correct it. It’s amazing how many trainers out there approach their work with incredible arrogance and condescension, believing that their way is the only right way.
 

This undermined my confidence and, in turn, my competence, and I lost all motivation. In short, as an eager immigrant trying to learn, it was extremely frustrating. But it wasn’t just me, countless other students have reported similar frustrations across numerous courses. The common advice was to find a teacher with military or law enforcement background. I invested an enormous amount of time and money only to discover that these paths also have significant shortcomings.

one day I met the right people who encouraged me to forge my own path, to improve, and to address all the things that had frustrated me. Around the same time, others began to approach me, asking if I could help them since they knew I was knowledgeable. One thing led to another. I decided to focus on quality, not quantity. 

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I am convinced that an instructor must be able to do much more than just present a PowerPoint presentation and read from a pre-prepared curriculum. It doesn’t have to be a soldier with ten years of frontline experience. What’s more important is engaging with each student, understanding their needs and learning level, and providing them with the skills they need to achieve their goals. This can’t be done effectively with twenty different people in a single class.

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This is why i do what i do!