For many sporting clays shooters, sharing the sport with others is even more rewarding than climbing the ranks of the top shooters. For others, it’s rewarding to share the skills and discipline learned while becoming a champion competitor. Whether you just want to share information and techniques with your shooting companions, teach shooters in a formal setting or club, or make a career of developing future champions, the National Sporting Clays Association’s Instructor Certification program offers the path to pursue your goal.
All Applicants MUST sign and return the Background Check Agreement with their application.
Level III Certifying Instructors for Level I Classes
| Don Currie, Chief Instructor, (FL) 407-697-6236 | David Dobson (FL) 904-571-8700 |
| John Alexander (VA) 540-270-2424 | Bill Kempffer (NC) 919-774-7080 |
| Russ Arnold (TX) 817-690-6194 | Dan Paxton SC) 803-667-2892 |
| Rhys Arthur (MD) 301-641-1531 | Craig Porter (TX) 210-573-8139 |
| Mike Bates (SC) 864-590-7874 | Clayton Rue (AK) 907-564-5111 |
| Adam Blair (TX) 281-733-4436 | Rick Smith (SC) 864-415-3161 |
| Dale Bouchillon (GA) 912-313-1270 | Kevin Sterk (NJ) 201-966-7057 |
| Luther Cutts (Canada) 403-700-2844 | Gary Walstrom (KS) 816-896-2252 |
Instructor Certification Class Schedule
Scholastic & Recreational Instructor
Scholastic and Recreational Instructor candidates learn the same skills as Level I instructors but have fewer prerequisites and less stringent standards. These certification courses are designed to train volunteer youth coaches to work with youth shooters and resort staff to work with beginning shooters in a safe and entertaining manner.
Level I
At the Level I course, our goal is to provide competent shooters with the knowledge and ability they need to teach the fundamentals of shotgunning to beginning or novice shooters. By the end of the course, candidates should be able to instruct a beginning or novice shooter on such basics as safety, ready position, proper alignment of feet and body, proper balance, shot planning, movement of the shotgun to the target, and using the eyes properly to acquire and break targets. Additionally the instructor should be able to “call a miss” and begin to understand the cause of a missed target. The tuition cost of the Level I Course is $500, plus shells and targets and a shared portion of the Certifying Instructor’s expenses.
Level II
At the Level II course, experienced instructors further hone their diagnostic skills and gain a deeper understanding of the mental game and what it means to evolve from instructor to coach. Instructors learn to create independent shooters by reinforcing the importance of pre-shot planning and a solid pre-shot routine. Instructors must demonstrate an effective coaching style, advanced diagnostic skills, and the ability to communicate and affect solutions to performance impediments. With a higher level of shooting proficiency and coaching ability required of the Level II graduate, he or she should be able to coach shooters up to and including higher level competitors. The tuition cost of the Level II Course is $750, plus shells and targets and a shared portion of the Certifying Instructor’s expenses.
Level III
The purpose of the Level III course is to produce an instructor who meets all the criteria for Level II and who can instruct up to the highest individual levels of proficiency in sporting clays and FITASC. They are encouraged to be active competitors, will encourage their students to compete in the sport, and will promote the sport to new shooters. The Level III instructor should be an excellent communicator, highly proficient at teaching the fundamentals, assessing eye dominance and basic gun fit, as well as proficient at calling a shot and diagnosing the causes of a miss on targets up to and including those of advanced levels of difficulty. Additionally, the Level III instructor will exhibit advanced skills in the areas of coaching competitive shooters, the mental game, goal setting, and practice planning. The tuition cost of the Level III course is $1500, plus shells and targets and a shared portion of the Certifying Instructor’s expenses.
