Training Videos

This Proving Ground Series explores one of the most challenging self-defense environments imaginable. See how responsible protectors can effectively navigate confusion, protect loved ones, and make critical decisions when every option carries consequences.

The Attorney Insider Series brings you expert legal insights from top attorneys specializing in self-defense and firearms law. Each quarter, we’ll feature an attorney who answers top legal questions, shares practical tips and helps you navigate the complex legal challenges of responsible gun ownership. Stay informed, avoid legal pitfalls, and protect your rights!

You could spend a lifetime studying self-defense laws in America. The legal repercussions of drawing your weapon to stop a threat are at least as complicated as the tactics and strategies you need to actually defeat violent attackers. Fortunately, there are those who dedicate their entire lives to this topic. While it might cost you hundreds of dollars for just an hour to sit down with an attorney, we’ve collected over 20 hours of in-depth legal analysis for you. Attorney Tom Grieve, a highly-awarded former state prosecutor and founder of one of the largest criminal defense firms in Wisconsin, joins Kevin Michalowski, executive editor of Concealed Carry Magazine, to explore everything from the legal use of deadly force to how to survive civil chaos such as riots and protests. They’ll answer hard-hitting questions from dozens of armed Americans across the country. This is your chance to hear honest, unfiltered legal and tactical advice about how the law of self-defense actually works for responsible gun owners.

Lifesaving training, critical drills, legal self-defense information, and top tips from industry experts - this video series is a training habit that will 5x your preparedness.

The USCCA, in partnership with Walk the Talk America, proudly presents the Mental Health + Firearms video series. This comprehensive health and safety series will provide training from licensed counselors on a variety of topics related to mental wellness, helping responsibly armed Americans with their mental health AND the people they influence. This 12-part series will release one new video each month beginning in November 2022.

“Drill of the Month” is your roadmap to consistent firearms training. Every single month, our expert trainers will provide you with drills to incorporate into your own training routines at the range. We will teach you exactly how to perform every drill in just a few minutes. This will allow you to follow the same training practices that have proven incredibly effective for our own firearms instructors at the U.S. Concealed Carry Association. Each video will help you build practical skills quickly: - Learn new live-fire drills to improve your speed and accuracy - Diagnose and prevent common shooting mistakes and bad habits - Break the mold and increase your confidence with diverse training drills - Enjoy an easy-to-use training routine that takes the guesswork out of your range visits No drill will ever be the same, but every drill will help you take your shooting skills to the next level. Drill of the Month is your blueprint to continued shooting success.

Tim Schmidt sits down with Shawn Ryan – former Navy SEAL and CIA Contractor and host of the Shawn Ryan Show, to talk critical 2A issues and share the impact the USCCA has on everyday Americans. Shawn also reveals the self-defense awakening he went through and how it led him to join the USCCA.

Novice, expert or anywhere in between practicing — and continually mastering — firearm fundamentals is essential if you want to survive a life-or-death situation. Join the USCCA Training Team’s Steve Fischer, Mark Critchlow and Gavin Glasenapp as they take an in-depth look at optimal stance, proper grip, establishing sight alignment and sight picture, and trigger control; helping you better understand the fundamentals of defensive shooting (and have a little fun along the way).

There is no substitute for safety and education when it comes to firearms. This is especially true in homes with children or first-time gun owners. But many people struggle to educate their families and friends about safe firearms handling and storage. This training series will take the guesswork out of keeping your family safe around firearms. Understanding how to properly handle and store firearms makes every member of your home safer. Learn how to have meaningful conversations about gun safety so you can help every member of your family feel more confident and comfortable around firearms.

What really separates you as a law-abiding citizen from the common criminal? You follow the law and want to protect what is good. You have the right to use deadly force to defend yourself and the people you love. But when can you use it? As a law-abiding gun owner, you have to understand when you can legally use deadly force. You also have to understand how to control your body so you can defend yourself and make the right decisions during an attack. As your family’s first line of defense, you need to know what to expect. This training series will prepare you to understand when you can use deadly force and how to control your body’s response to an actual attack.

Choosing to be responsibly armed is an incredibly personal choice. Everyone has their own reasons for becoming a responsible protector. We explored what drives the responsibly armed American. This series dives into the personal reasons people choose to carry a firearm and how they navigate the concealed carry lifestyle. From the EDC gear they carry to their guns of choice, discover how ordinary Americans are taking control of their safety and security. Let’s look at what responsible gun owners rely on to protect themselves and the people they love.

Mastering situational awareness is your first step to defeating an attacker before one ever strikes. Many people walk through life assuming someone else is responsible for providing their safety and protecting the lives of the people they love. But when an attack actually does come, you cannot count on someone else being there to defend you. This training series will teach you how to make a few small changes to your daily life to become a hard target. - Make yourself a hard target by never looking like an easy victim - Arm yourself with the “Cooper Color Codes” of awareness - Learn how to live in “Condition Yellow” - Detect threats before they strike - Defeat attackers with superior planning

Do you know how to rapidly address the penetration wounds of a bullet, knife or debris? Did you know duct tape is actually an effective first-aid tool? Understanding how to immediately treat severe injuries is an essential skill for any responsible protector. That knowledge can give you the confidence to calmly administer first aid to yourself or another person when you only have minutes to make life-saving decisions. Follow along with Kevin Michalowski, Executive Editor of Concealed Carry Magazine, and Anthony Lambert of ACT Training as they review the essential steps of trauma care. Discover how to treat serious injuries ranging from gunshot wounds and broken bones to severe bleeding. This series will teach you how to quickly assess injuries. You will then learn how to apply tourniquets, cravat bandages, slings and even create improvised bandages. These modern first-aid techniques include valuable lessons learned from front-line military personnel and EMTs, including the use of pressure points to stop severe bleeding. At the end of this training series, we will also teach you how to create emergency trauma kits for homes, cars and personal carry.

It’s time to dive into the messy reality of real self-defense situations: Carjackings, home invasions, road rage and even random attacks while out walking. There’s no shortage of possible threats out there. So we ran some through some rapid simulations of actual self-defense situations. The end result? A wealth of self-defense insights that unfold in mere seconds. We’ll dissect each scenario so you can take the key learning points and add them to your own self-defense arsenal. Remember, the body can’t go where the mind has never been. Now it’s time to put yourself in the shoes of people facing heart-pounding self-defense situations. Your hosts for this training series will be Kevin Michalowski, executive editor of Concealed Carry Magazine, and Attorney Tom Grieve, a highly-awarded former state prosecutor and founder of one of the largest criminal defense firms in Wisconsin.

Choosing to confront a threat can be a sure way to put your own safety at risk. Self-defense situations can rapidly deteriorate into a hornet’s nest. They’re confusing and highly dynamic situations. We gathered real video footage of self-defense situations from around the world for our expert panel to explore: Road rage, home invasions, dog attacks and more. Kevin Michalowski, executive editor of Concealed Carry Magazine, and Attorney Tom Grieve, a highly-awarded former state prosecutor and founder of one of the largest criminal defense firms in Wisconsin, examine these dangerous situations to highlight key learning points that you can use to avoid dangerous threats in your own life. Discover what happens when ordinary citizens find themselves in life-threatening situations.

Effective, relevant training made for women by a highly qualified woman instructor. That is what you get with “The Complete Concealed Carry & Personal Protection Guide for Women.“ First-time firearms owners are at an all-time high, and women are leading the way as one of the fastest-growing groups. Beth Alcazar, author of Women’s Handgun & Self-Defense Fundamentals and associate editor of Concealed Carry Magazine, has more than two decades of experience teaching and working in the firearms industry. As a USCCA Certified Instructor, Beth also understands how to break down firearms and self-defense training into their most essential and practical elements. Avoid the frustrations of time-consuming trial-and-error. Empower yourself with the training you need to save money and skip buying gear and holsters that just do not work for you. Find a gun you can be confident and comfortable carrying every day as a woman. Then arm yourself with the situational awareness skills you need to keep yourself and your family safe and out of harm’s way. Featured Experts: Beth Alcazar and Kevin Michalowski

Handgun marksmanship begins with the fundamentals. Creating that foundation is the path to mastering your firearm and effectively using it in a real self-defense situation. This series will give you proven drills and expert advice to sharpen your skills from the ground up. George Harris is a leading firearms instructor with more than 40 years of hard-earned experience and knowledge. He is also the co-founder of the internationally recognized SIG Academy. In this series, he will walk you through a wide variety of topics, such as: - Understanding the mechanics of handgun functions - Shooting techniques for revolvers and semi-automatic pistols - Maintaining proper sight alignment and picture - Identifying and solving accuracy killers - Shooting drills such as the “Reset Drill,” “Noise Involulation Drill,” “Bullet Hole Drill” and more.

Owning a firearm for self-defense is merely the first step on a powerfully rewarding journey to becoming a confident protector for the people you love. This comprehensive training series will introduce you to the essential skills and knowledge every gun owner needs to truly be a responsibly armed American. Take the next step on your self-defense journey with Tim Schmidt, president and founder of the USCCA, and a team of world-class self-defense experts who will empower you to build a rock-solid foundation across a wide range of topics. At the end of this series, you will be armed with a deeper understanding of a wide range of self-defense topics: - Essential firearms gear - Proper firearms handling - Understanding real-world threats - Deadly force decision-making - And surviving the legal aftermath of self-defense Featured Trainers: Tim Schmidt, Dave Young, George Harris, Steve Fischer, Kevin Michalowski, Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, attorney Tom Grieve

We use the term “responsibly armed American” a lot at the USCCA. But what does it actually mean? It is a reference to a certain type of person, someone who has made the choice to bear the responsibility of protecting the people he or she loves. It takes grit, independence and dedication. Being responsibly armed means you take your role as the ultimate protector seriously. You are more than just a gun owner. You are your family’s first line of defense when it matters most. But the world of responsible gun ownership can be daunting. This training series will equip you with the essential knowledge every armed American needs. Tim Schmidt, president and founder of the USCCA, and Michael Martin, author of *Concealed Carry* & *Home-Defense Fundamentals*, will host your training videos. Consider this your roadmap to becoming a more confident and capable protector, with enhanced knowledge about all of the following topics: - Home security and home defense - Developing a personal protection plan - Gun laws and you - Selecting a firearm - Top 10 concealed carry mistakes - Gun range and gun shop etiquette

*Proving Ground* is self-defense training transformed. There is no substitute for experience, so *Proving Ground* uses scenario-based training to put real people through unscripted, heart-pounding self-defense situations. Realism, grit and heart-pounding self-defense training: That’s what you get with *Proving Ground*. Our expert trainers throw participants into dozens of scenarios that force them to put their training into actual practice. We dissect every decision and every mistake. This training will reveal what it is really like to face a violent attacker and pull the trigger. *Proving Ground* brings you realistic simulations of mass shooter attacks, carjackings, home invasions, violent muggings and attempted kidnappings. Experts then train our participants and you, the viewer, to improve self-defense skills at every level. **These are just some of the scenarios you will experience in this training series:** - Stopping violent muggings in a parking garage - Restaurant robberies with innocent bystanders - Carjackings with your family in the car - Attempted child abductions at the park - Surviving ATM robberies when your attacker is bigger and stronger - Mass shootings at an office - Church attacks in the middle of religious services - Home invasions in the middle of the night - Knife attacks at a store

Join Kevin Michalowski as he reviews footage of some of USCCA’s most popular live training scenarios. We’ll take a look at real concealed carry permit holders' reactions when forced to defend themselves. Kevin will also walk through a variety of firearm drills that work with the body’s natural reaction when under stress and tips to keep you prepared for the unthinkable.

Learn how to secure your home and choose the best self-defense weapons in this practical home self-defense course. Steve Fischer and Julia Valencia address exterior vulnerabilities, offering advice on how to enhance your home’s security without relying on a gun.