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Aaron Israel

Aaron Israel is a certified Combat Focus Shooting Instructor, a Texas Concealed Handgun License Instructor, and the owner of Fundamental Defense in Midland, Texas. He is an eight-year veteran of the United States Army with experience in Psychological Operations on the enlisted side and as a Captain in the Field Artillery branch on the officer side. He deployed to southern Iraq in support of OIF in 2008-2009 with 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. He left the service in 2011 and now works full-time in the oil and gas industry while teaching defensive firearms classes on the side. His passion as an instructor is to show average working men and women how to train in context for defensive situations with only limited time and resources. Aaron can be reached at fundamentaldefense@gmail.com.

Alessandro Padovani

Alessandro Padovani has been practicing Martial Arts since childhood. This passion and quest for better ways to prepare for self-defense brought him to Blauer Tactical Systems, where he became a Personal Defense Readiness Instructor in 2007. He has also taught defensive firearms classes for Delta Firearms Academy and is currently a Combat Focus Shooting and I.C.E. Training instructor as well as a CrossFit trainer. In 2011, he started Safer Faster Defense with the mission of giving clients the knowledge and tools to stay safe and prevail in dangerous situations through education and training. In 2012 he finished developing the Safer Faster Knife Defense program which provides a simple and intuitive knife training program that quickly makes students more confident and efficient in deploying and using a knife for personal protection. Alessandro is also known for the programs he has developed with others: FitShot, which strives to inspire a higher level of fitness in the shooting community, and the Reality Based Training Instructor Development course for civilian firearms instructors. You can learn more about Safer Faster Knife Defense and contact Alessandro through his website at saferfasterdefense.com.

Andy Loeffler

Andy Loeffler is the lead handgun instructor at Black Wing Shooting Center, an NASR five-star rated range and gun shop located in Delaware, Ohio. He has been teaching in the private sector since 1999 and is a certified Combat Focus Shooting instructor. A U.S. Army veteran, Andy retired from the Ohio Army National Guard, where he served as the Senior Small Arms Instructor for the State’s Master Weapons Training Team. Andy teaches full-time for Black Wing Shooting Center and can be reached via blackwingsc.com.

Barret Kendrick

Barret Kendrick is the founder of and lead instructor at Bearco Training in Covington, Louisiana. As Louisiana’s premier reality-based training center, Bearco Training specializes in providing practical defensive skills for everyday people. As a full-time instructor, Barret has dedicated himself and his company to provide realistic defensive training to responsible armed citizens, law enforcement, and members of our armed forces. Throughout his region and nationally, he works with hundreds of students annually in defensive shooting and force-on-force training. Barret carries numerous instructor-level certifications for defensive shooting, LE range/shoot-house operations, and scenario-based force-on-force training. He can be reached at barret@bearcotraining.com.

Caleb Causey

Caleb Causey started his career riding out with Medstar ambulance services in Fort Worth, Texas as part of the Boy Scouts of America Explorer program at the age of 16. After high school, he joined the U.S. Army as a Combat Medic. Caleb has deployed to various locations in the Balkans where he has worked as a line medic with the 82nd Airborne and in the ER of the 212 MASH. He especially enjoyed his duty as an OPFOR Medic while stationed in Louisiana. After serving his country, Caleb joined the City of Benbrook Fire Department and served there as a volunteer Firefighter/EMT. Over the next several years Caleb was involved with the department's rescue dive team and worked as the Tactical Medic with local area SWAT team. Caleb also has worked with multiple Private Military/Security Companies. Caleb completed Paramedic school in College Station, Texas. This is where he attained his American Heart Association‚Äôs BLS Instructor, Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support certifications, Heartsaver Instructor, and Emergency Medical Services Instructor for the state of Texas. Caleb has proven to have a true passion for teaching medicine to people of all walks of life. Most of his classes are full of knowledge, experience, and laughter.

Cecil Burch

Cecil Burch has been pursuing his passion for Martial Arts since he was 16. He has trained in a number of fighting methods and held teaching certifications in such diverse arts as Jeet Kune Do, Savate and Muay Thai. He is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Megaton Dias. He was also one of the original select group of people authorized by Rodney King, creator of the Crazy Monkey Defense (CMD) boxing system, to teach CMD. He is currently one of the four highest-level CMD trainers in the world. Cecil has worked with law enforcement officers, military special operations troops, and private citizens on the functional utilization of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, boxing, and clinch-fighting in close quarters combat.

Chris Fry

Chris Fry is the owner and director of training and curriculum development for Modern Defensive Training Systems in Utica, New York, where he conducts courses in reality-driven practical combatives, extreme close quarters physical defense, tactical folding knife, edged weapon combatives, and combative pistol, carbine and shotgun skills. Chris has been an active instructor with Progressive F.O.R.C.E. Concepts in Nevada since 2003, servicing law enforcement, military and select government agencies. Chris is a certified AR-15/M4/M16 and Glock armorer, a contributor to various online firearms resource websites, and a frequent presenter at national and international personal protection and small arms training conferences for both citizens and law enforcement. Chris Fry can be contacted at cfry@mdtstraining.com.

Claude Werner

Claude Werner is a retired U.S. Army officer. He served in Airborne, Ranger, Special Forces and Mechanized Infantry units and commanded a Special Forces A-Team and Bradley Infantry Company. He is an NRA Certified Instructor for Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, Personal Protection in the Home, Home Firearm Safety and is a Certified Refuse To Be A Victim Instructor®. For five years, he was the Chief Instructor at the elite Rogers Shooting School. Claude is a Four Gun Master in the International Defensive Pistol Association and has won several sanctioned IDPA championships in the revolver division using snub-nose revolvers.

Craig Douglas

Craig Douglas is the founder of ShivWorks. Craig retired from law enforcement after 21 years of service, with most of his career spent in narcotics and SWAT. Since 2003, Craig provides instruction globally under the ShivWorks brand and has conducted coursework on entangled shooting skills in nearly 49 states, 9 foreign countries, Special operation units, all branches of the military, federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, and to three branches of the U.S. military, holds a small contract within the intel community organized under the DOD.

Daniel Watson

Daniel Watson (aka TAC) is the sole owner and operator of Tactical Awareness Concepts, LLC. Operating out of northeast Texas, he teaches a variety of firearms courses along with the Texas Concealed Handgun License Course. Daniel is a U.S. Army Warrant Officer who retired in 2011 after 22+ years of service. A decorated combat veteran, he now serves as a U.S. Contractor in Afghanistan. TAC is an NRA Certified Handgun instructor, former reserve police officer, professional airplane pilot and helicopter pilot. He can be reached through his website, tacticalawarenessconcepts.com, or by email at tacticalawarenessconcepts@hotmail.com.

Dave Grossman

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman is a renowned scholar, author, and speaker, known for his expertise in human aggression and the origins of violence. He's a former West Point psychology professor and Army Ranger, blending his experiences to pioneer the field of ""killology."" Col. Grossman has made groundbreaking contributions to understanding warfare, its psychological toll, the roots of global violent crime, and the recovery of violence victims in both war and peace. Lt. Col. David Grossman has authored nine books, including a New York Times bestseller co-authored with Glenn Beck. His book On Killing is a worldwide bestseller, translated into five languages, and a mandatory read at prestigious institutions like the FBI academy. He also co-authored Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill, acclaimed internationally and translated into Norwegian and German. Col. Grossman's On Combat is another significant work, featured on the US Marine Corps Commandant's Required Reading List and translated into multiple languages, including Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. His book Warrior Mindset applies sport psychology to military and law enforcement, while Assassination Generation is his most recent publication.

Deryck Poole

Deryck Poole is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and the founder and director of training for Echo-5 Training Group. He is also a senior Combat Focus Shooting instructor and works for I.C.E. Training as a staff instructor and outside instructor liaison. He also holds certifications from I.C.E. Training and Glock Inc, plus multiple NRA instructor certifications. Deryck has 17 years of experience as an instructor. He conducted training for both combat and non-combat personnel while serving as a rifleman and range safety NCO in the Marines. He continues to work with both armed professionals and lawfully armed citizens as a firearms and defensive shooting instructor. He believes all instructors should consider themselves a student first, so he regularly attends training from some of the world’s top instructors. He is a member of the Association of Defensive Shooting Instructors.

Don Edwards

Don Edwards is a 20+ year veteran of US Army Special Operations. He began his career in the 3rd Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment where he was a participant in Operation Just Cause in Panama. Retired from 20th Special Forces Group where he served as Team Sergeant during combat operations in Iraq and Intel Sergeant while deployed in Afghanistan. He served for five years as the Use of Force training manager and primary instructor at the ATF National Academy in Glynco, GA instructing in tactics and firearms as well. Mr. Edwards has worked as tactical adviser in the field to the Department of Defense since 2008 serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan and is a FLETC certified firearms instructor and is the former Director of Training and LE sales for Tactical Night Vision Company.

Edgar Antillon

Edgar Antillón es el propietario de Armas Para Todos (Guns For Everyone). El cuenta con 15 años de experiencia en el uso de armas de fuego, y a enseñado a 100,000 personas como ser dueños responsables de armas de fuego.

Gander Mountain

Grant Cunningham

Grant Cunningham is a renowned gunsmith, author and trainer noted for his expertise with the double-action revolver. His work on Colt, S&W, and Ruger revolvers has been featured in several national magazines. When he’s not building fine revolvers, Grant can be found on the range teaching proper handling and operation of the double-action wheelgun. Whether for sport or defense, Grant passes on to others the skill of shooting what he calls “the quintessential American firearms.” His engaging teaching style earns rave reviews from his students. Grant is the author of The Gun Digest Book of the Revolver, released in Fall 2011, and also writes a popular blog dealing with a wide range of self-defense and shooting topics. He can be reached through his website, grantcunningham.com.

Jarrod Needs

Jarrod Needs is the owner and lead instructor for Trigger Time LLC, located in the Mansfield, Ohio, area. He has been shooting since he was about five years old and learned marksmanship from his father. In 2012, Jarrod began teaching firearms part-time, but soon found himself extremely busy with students driving from all over Ohio for his courses. Jarrod is a constant student and loves training and learning new concepts in defensive firearms. He is currently NRA Certified in Basic Pistol and Personal Protection, and recently completed the Association of Defensive Shooting Instructors’ Intuitive Sighted Fire Instructor Development Course. Jarrod’s courses focus on concealed handgun self-defense, and his students range from beginners to retired law enforcement and military. He can be reached at info@triggertimeohio.com.

Jerah Hutchins

Jerah Hutchins is a firearms trainer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. After receiving her first shooting lesson at the age of 12, she became hooked on the sport and the idea of women being better ambassadors for their safety. She founded “Clearing the Chamber” in 2010 and began to train women in the art of self defense. In 2019 she founded “WADE”, the Women’s Awareness & Defense Endeavor, a nonprofit specializing in training low income women, single mothers and abuse victims on life skills and personal safety.

John Brown & Jeremiah Miles

John Brown is a former Navy Seal and one of PDN’s first contributors. He owns and operates Crossfit Agoge with his Wife Kelly in Colorado and has been a educator in the tactical, self-defense and fitness world for over a decade. Jeremiah Miles is a PDN contributor.

Julie Loeffler

Julie Loeffler, owner and operator of Mid-Ohio IMB, is an Associate Instructor in the IMB Academy, the school founded by Richard “The Iron Dragon” Bustillo and which continues to teach the concepts of Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do. She is a brown belt under Supreme Grand Master Cacoy Canete in Filipino Eskrima. She also teaches handgun basics to women and is a published author for The American Woman Shooter as well as PDN. Julie believes that empowering individuals to identify and adopt what works best for them in armed and unarmed defense is the most practical approach to personal safety. Contact Julie at julie@midohioimb.com or via her website, www.midohioimb.com.

Justin White

Justin White began training in the martial arts at age 15 and never stopped. Upon his wife’s entrance to U.S. Army active duty in 2010, he expanded his focus to defensive applications of armed and unarmed combatives. He is certified to instruct Basic and Tactical Modern Army Combatives and is active in the combatives program at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. White founded Mad Science MMA to share his passion for martial arts and prepare U.S. service members and their dependents for both the competitive arena and the world stage. He has helped train hundreds of soldiers, including military personnel from more than ten allied nations. He is an NRA certified Pistol Instructor, Jujitsu black belt, and recently became the first civilian trained and certified in the U.S. Army’s Special Operations Combatives Program.

Kelly Muir

Kelly Muir has over 30 years of experience in Martial Arts. She began training at the age of 9 and holds Master Level certifications in both Shorin-Ryu Karate and Korean Tae Kwon Do. Kelly competed as a fighter in the PKA and was sponsored by the Olympic Committee in 1989. In 1992, she opened her first Martial Art Training Center in Porterville, CA, specializing in Tae Kwon Do. Her journey into instructor development started there. By 1994, she was already recognized as a pioneer in curriculum development for martial art centers, with her instructing philosophies featured in various publications. In 2010, she authored Instructor Revolution, a book that delves into her evolution as an instructor, particularly in the context of children's programs and curriculum.

Ken Crawford

Ken Crawford is the Range Manager and Senior Instructor at Reno Guns & Range, which has received Congressional recognition for being the most advanced indoor training and shooting facility in the northern Nevada region. He is an active Combat Focus® Shooting Instructor, FitShot Coach, and Defensive Firearms Coach, certified through I.C.E. Training. He also holds pistol instructor certifications through the NRA. Ken is part of the leadership team at Reno Guns & Range and helps develop and integrate training programs for youth, civilians, and armed professionals.

Ken Murray

Ken Murray is a reality-based and scenario training guru and author of the book, Training at the Speed of Life. Ken founded the Reality Based Training Association in an effort to address issues specifically related to Reality Based Training safety. The RBTA is an organization dedicated to the unification of the trainers and organizations tasked with supplying the soldier on the battlefield, emergency services worker or officer in the street with the most current information availble with regards to training philosophies, systems and products.