3 more things and then you are on your own :)

1) pay close attention to early laps and the amount of room between you and the driver in front. I have found more students get fixated on the rear bumper of the car in front......and follow, good bad or otherwise. They don't realize they're even doing it until to call them on it.....back them off that rear bumper and the sessions will go much better.

2) once you've gotten them to a certain point (you'll know what I mean when you get there), and think they can go faster, allow it, but get them to talk themselves through it. Every corner they should be talking themselves through what needs to happen. It makes sure they are ready, it really settles what you've taught them.

3) one last thing is to establish GOOD hand signals before you get going. I have a few and thats it. Clinched fist - brake, shaking clinched fist - brake really hard :D
Waving like the old Braves wave (forward and back), - keep going don't lift
Palm up, raising up - lift (off the gas)
Palm up curling fingers (come here style) - back off the bumper of the guy in front of you.
Other than that point the entire hand to which ever direction I want them to go.
I do all these at a level so that it doesn't scare them and they dont have to take their eyes off the track.

...................Oh and teach them to watch those mirrors! Nothing worse then getting stuck behind the "train" :D

Nice thread. I enjoyed reading it...Remember one of my Manny stories..Ask you student if he is color blind before you get in the car..Makes flag discussions more meaningful..
See you all at Sebring 2007.
Pete

No wonder I can't ever see the black flag....night blindness! :roflmao:

:) Terrific thread, keep the advise coming. Only 2 weeks until sign-up for VIR.

As someone who started soloing last year and certainly not in a position to give advise....let me make one point.

A calm instructor is more effective than one who, for whatever reasons, likes to SCREAM!

I was at VIR in '05 with an instructor who was not used to the braking capabilities of a Porsche (he had a vette) and kept screaming for me to brake at the 4 marker going into turn 1 (I had been braking between 3 and 2). It was actually painful to my eardrums. So one one lap where there wasn't any traffic in front or behind me I did threshold braking at marker 4 and came to a COMPLETE STOP before turn in. I then completed the lap and pulled into the pit where I told him I didn't appreciate his yelling at me and if he couldn't appreciate my braking capabilities to get the F--- out of my car. He was fine the rest of the session and he signed me off in the next session.

We are all adults here and it is important to treat your student as such and for him to reciprocate..

Off my soapbox.

Some things to keep in mind (and yes, I am likely repeating others good advice):

1) Adhere to the K.I.S.S procedure, especially for a first timer. Plan out the vocabulary you will use and don't deviate from it. Make sure the student understands the terms as well, this way your instruction can be understood EVERY time.

2) Search out your student if possible. Its always nicer to get into a student car AFTER you have the chance to build a repoire and have a chance to see their car up close and ask them questions about the car and themselves.

3) Figure out as quickly as possible, the type of learner they are. Is it be reading a book? Watching a video? Taking a reduced speed ride with you? People learn at different rates and in different styles. Figuring out the type of student you have will influence the type of instruction you provide.

4) Plan ahead. You've driven the track before. You've had an instructor before. You know when to apply the brakes, turn and apply the gas. Don't ASSUME your student will know what to do. Remind them when to do these things, taking into account the amount of time it will take to tell the student and have them react to your instruction. Have that mental plan in YOUR head about everything.. not only about how to drive the line but what to do if the car infront does something unexpected (lays down oil, or a waving yellow is out, (or worse, a red); what if the car you are in catches fire? etc)

5) Anecdote. After a day of working with a student and discussing corners we struggled with we were chatting at a track dinner. During dinber, up came the story of how he had given up sailing after an accident (someting about a "boom" hitting his head") that caused him to loose most of the vision in one of his eyes. Hmmm. That would have been nice to know beforehand. plus, it explained why he thought he was hitting the apex when he was still several feet away. Needless to say, I have a new question I ask students before we get in the car ;)

There is way to much to sum up, but with all the other good posts, this thread makes for a good reference.

Someone else may have already said it, but, make sure YOU have fun. Be enthusiastic. Be excited about teaching. Ask them for some feedback. Maybe the student can't hear you; maybe they think you talk TOO much; maybe they think you talk too little.

There is a lot of good advice that I agree with. Here are a couple more things...

Control the situation from the start. I always made students take the first two laps very easy. Lap one, they are to point out all the corner stations to me. Lap two I want them to talk me around the track with what they are thinking and trying to do. They don't usually do that part very well, but it keeps the pace controlled at the start.

If you have a lot of feedback, bring them into the pits fo a short talk - stay in the car. You will overwhelm many if you give them too complex an idea.

Finally, (and this is what led me to stop instructing) take a hard look at safety equipment. Make sure the belts are properly installed, seats are mounted, Roll bars are actually roll bars and not exhaust pipe, etc. Make sure that belts actually adjust and fit you correctly. You would be shocked at what some people will do.

(Student here; never an instructor.)

Great point, and very much a two-way street as so much of this is a matter of temperaments. If you can, find some way for the student to tell you how they want to learn.

At the PDE several years ago I eventually realized I was the only student in the class with any prior DE experience. That was not an issue as the idea was to just learn something and have a little fun. After all, it wasn't racing school. Nevertheless, it was apparent that the instructors--all pros by any definition--were yucking it up and making sure the kids didn't hurt themselves. I felt like I was getting putting lessons from Tiger Woods, when what he really wanted to do was belt a 300 yard drive.

So on the last day I turned to the passenger seat and asked, "Hey Hurley, what am I doing wrong?" My instructor lit up like a Christmas tree and said, "Nothing, but you're doing it too early." From there he proceeded to pound on me like a piece of cheap meat and we finally got the P car rolling.

I had a story related to me during mentoring that I did not believe until it happened to me. If you feel that your student needs to be constantly directed on when to brake, turn, etc - be sure as an instructor not to stop the directions cold turkey. I experienced on day 2 of an event with a student similar to what John described above that the one lap I did not tell him to "break" before T1 at the Pocno North Course - so he didn't break and took the NASCAR bail out. When I asked what happend, he siad "you did't tell me to break" :eek:

If your are going to change you communication style/technique mid event - communicate this to the student before the run. Do not assume that they can do what they have been doing w/o your imputs. Make them show you that they can handle the situation.

Mark- I inspect every car before I ride. I ask who installed the safety eqt. I ask who performed the pre-event tech. I also look at the brake pads myself. I have been taught that if I have any uneasy feeling about a car, DO NOT GET IN. Great point about safety that you brought up.

I'm not shocked at all. That is one reason I think you instructors are heros.

Hand signals
 

+1 on the hand signals.

Once I was with an instructor who was using a Chatter Box and didn't go over his hand signals with me. The box cuts out and I have no idea what he wants me to do. We are coming down the hill at Lime Rock, nice and easy, me on the perfect line, and he starts karate chopping the air! :confused:

Noob that I am, I stuck my fist out the window and headed into the pits. Him: "What's wrong? You were doing great!" Me: "Didn't you just give me a "cut" signal?" Him: "Don't you know a "go for it" signal when you see one?" Me: "I do now." D'oh!

Well again thanks all for the continued great input. I really feel this thread has given me more experience than one year of instructing could have!!! The willingness to communicate and teach on this thread is truely amazing and all should be highly commended!!

I do like to respond hope it doesnt waste anyone's time so................

Kurt...I like the "I will be watching from turn X" I will put that in my little black book! thanks.

Larry..."them vocalizing and me quite" good advise I'll try!!
GO EAGLES!! Born and raised Philly boy myself!!!! (how bout that Cowboys game!)

Mark K. ...good stuff thanks again.

John H. WOW, that really does mean alot coming from you my adopted cyber instructor!! Before I took my first instructing school I downloaded and memorized the "Pilot Emeritus Program" and will be forever in you debt for that great info!! I direct all my students to it as well!

Chris...please dont sign me off yet!! I'm not ready, you still have too much to teach, thanks for all the good stuff!! The hand signals are great I will use them.

Eddie thanks...I WONT SCREAM!! Learned that from screaming in the OR when a patient was bleeding to death........never really worked there either!!

Racer, good stuff thank you for the input.

Mark, thanks again and sorry to hear about your decision not to instruct anymore, however you make a good point.

gbaker, good point, hope to see you around the florida tracks!?

Thanks again all, this thread has been invaluable to me and greatly advanced my instructing knowledge without even leaving the house!!!!

Hey;

We've talked about communication being the key, and indeed it is. Also make sure that the student realizes it is a two-way street. After I have impressed upon them that I am in control, that I am indeed God, and that they must do it my way, I always make sure to tell my students in the interview that this is a collaberative process, and that we are a team. I impress upon them that there is no room for missunderstanding or missinterpretation, so if there is anything that they do not 100% understand, that they should pipe right up and say so. Don't assume the obvious to be so.

Along those lines, there are some students that will not respond verbally. They have heard what you said, and are processing it internally. I make sure that they acknowledge when I have made a point to them.

The hand signal thing is something I have started doing more. As you begin to see different learning styles, you will find this working for some people quite well, either by itself, in conjunction with verbal commands, or some combination of both. True visual learners are the hardest to teach because they must SEE it done, so if it seems you are not getting through to someone, it may be due to this phenomenon, and then hand signals can be quite effective.

That's a good one!

There's another good, IIRC originally from Mark (Sunday Driver), goes something like this:

"If you chrash, I'll kick you ass before we even hit the wall!" :D
(correct me Mark how the line actually was, I heard this from Kim many many years ago)

I've used it once, student laughed first but when I told him with straight face that I'm serious, he got serious too.

LOL. That one was from DJ. Something like...
"You are going to crash. I hate to crash. If you start to crash, I am going to beat you to death before we hit"

Mine is:
"Don't try to impress me - you can't.
Don't try to scare me - I already am."

edit - My other favorite, that was a sticker on the dash of the passenger side of my Radical:
"When in doubt, go full throttle. It may not get you out of trouble but it will end the suspense sooner."