Personal defense modules are customized playlists hand-picked by PDN editors to provide concentrated self-defense instruction and to save you search time. Use PDN’s modules to get step-by-step progressive instruction on the topics shown and a more well-rounded, in-depth perspective than a single random video. We hope you enjoy this PDN Premium Member feature.
APPENDIX CARRYShow More >
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10:52Part 1. Concealed Carry Pros and Cons
In recent years, there’s been increasing interest in the benefits of appendix carry. Rob Pincus looks at the appendix carry pros and cons in this video. On the plus side, it’s easier to conceal small handguns on the front of the body as opposed to on the side or back. You don’t even need to…
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7:26Part 2. Carrying Firearms: Safety During Appendix Carry
When carrying firearms, the concerns most commonly mentioned are that people don’t want the muzzle of their gun to be covering them while they are carrying and presenting the gun. Rob demonstrates how there is actually less chance of covering yourself during presentation from appendix carry than from on-the-hip carry. He also discusses safety during…
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12:12Part 3. Firearms & CrossBreed Holsters for Appendix Carry
In this valuable primer on firearms and CrossBreed holsters suited for appendix carry, Rob Pincus is on the range with a variety of both, to demonstrate options and solutions. Wearing an untucked t-shirt and starting with a bellyband holster concealing an S&W J-Frame, Rob tries to conceal progressively larger handguns until the “too much printing”…
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CONCEAL AND CARRYShow More >
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4:54Part 1: Trigger Control
One of the common misconceptions about firing a handgun is that you must have perfect trigger control.
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3:58Part 2: Dynamic Deviation Control
Rob Pincus discusses the errors that can be created when shooters training on static targets spend too much time, effort and energy trying to isolate their firearm unrealistically from moving at all while shooting.
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3:42Part 3: Two-Handed Handgun Grip
People in defensive shooting situations often use a one-handed handgun grip when they should use a two-handed grip.
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DEFENSIVE HANDGUN CONSIDERATIONSShow More >
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6:40Part 1: Advantage of Striker-Fired Pistols
There are several variations on the defensive handgun, from single-action to double-action, short trigger to long trigger, and hammer vs. modern striker fired guns.
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8:00Part 2: The ‘Any Gun Will Do’ Myth & the 9mm Pistol
Home Defense Weapons: .45 ACP vs. 9mm pistol Rob Pincus argues that mechanical efficiency dictates that the 9mm pistol is superior to the 1911 pistol for defensive purposes. His arguments against the 1911 include its lower capacity, higher recoil, more complicated operating system (which means it is less reliable to begin with due to operator…
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4:14Part 3: 9mm vs 40 Caliber
Wondering what caliber gun to get? Rob Pincus gives his expert recommendation and explains why he thinks 9mm is the best caliber for defensive shooting and why you should consider it.
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FUNDAMENTALS OF ARMED HOME DEFENSE FOR WOMENShow More >
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16:09Part 1: Developing Intuition: Intuitive Decision Making
Humans are hard-wired on a subconscious level to pick up on many of the threats in our environment. For women, recognizing potential danger is not the problem. Due to their cultural conditioning to be polite and kind, failing to act on their intuition of danger is. Kelly Muir gives an in-depth presentation on how women…
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8:44Part 2: Home Defense: Planning for Expected Strangers
Home is where people tend to let their guard down and relax. But there are times when people at home need to learn home defense and raise their awareness levels in order to keep themselves and/or their family members safe. Kelly Muir, founder of “Be the Wrong Woman,” analyzes one of those times: the Expected…
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12:52Part 3: Deadbolts and Home Security
In this expanded video, Jay Musselman, owner of Professional Lock, discusses the first line of security for doors: the deadbolt. Jay gives a detailed analysis of various deadbolts from low to high quality, how they work, what features they offer, and where their weak points are. One step to hardening your home against break-ins is…
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HANDGUN MODULE: GETTING STARTEDShow More >
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5:16Part 1. Test Driving Defensive Firearms
Before buying a defensive firearm especially if you are a first-time gun buyer, give it a trial run at the range if possible. The dual purposes of this test drive are to ensure the gun’s functioning and to confirm that it’s suitable for you personally. This is especially important if you’re a first-time gun buyer.…
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6:51Part 2. Choose a Good Concealed Carry Belt
We may need different types of belts when wearing different types of holsters, but there are some universal things to look for in a belt. Rob Pincus is on the range with a variety of belts and holsters.
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3:13Part 3. Advantages of a Quick-Release Holster System
Rob Pincus reviews the advantages of having a holster that holds your gun securely, but also allows for the quick removal of the holster from your body to secure it somewhere else when you cannot carry it, to change clothes, to use the bathroom or for any other number of reasons.
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PRACTICAL BLADE DEFENSEShow More >
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2:55Part 1: Knife Grip
The first step to knife defense is being able to grip your knife properly, and there are three basic requirements for using a combative knife.
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5:35Part 2: Stance
In a real situation that requires you to use a combative knife, your stance is going to be dynamic, but you should at least establish a solid foundation for practicing your knife-wielding tactics.
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11:30Part 3: Five Angles of Attack
Once you’ve learned how to hold your knife and the best way to stand, the next step is learning how to cut with it. This involves five basic angles of attack, which Michael Janich shows in this demonstration. The five angles serve as general guidelines for the quadrants or zones of your body that you…
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PUMP SHOTGUNSShow More >
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3:49Part 1: Shotgun Myths
Pump-action shotguns are incredibly powerful tools for personal defense, but Rob Pincus discusses a few of the myths about these weapons that you shouldn’t believe.
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9:14Part 2: Shotgun Setup
When you consider how you set up your home defense shotgun, you should be aware of the specs that make it optimal for close-quarters defensive situations.
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8:02Part 3: Fundamentals of Defensive Shotgun Use
Here’s the first thing you should learn about your defensive shotgun: it works best when you know how to use it. This is paramount. If you don’t know the fundamentals and you don’t how to be effective with your shotgun, you’ll have a much tougher time protecting yourself and/or your family. Rob Pincus demonstrates the…
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WOMEN: PHYSICAL DEFENSE AND TOOLSShow More >
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20:36Part 1: Basic Elbow Strikes – Self-Defense for Women
You just got off the late shift at work, and an unsatisfied customer wants his money back for a bad meal, so he gets too close and threatens you.
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8:59Part 2: Advanced Knee Strikes
Kelly Muir demonstrates the proper technique for using your knee as a weapon that can deal devastating strikes.
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10:50Part 3: Contact & Chemical Spray
For women who don’t feel comfortable carrying a concealed defensive handgun, there are other options for personal defense. Rob Pincus and Kelly Muir discuss the pros and cons of a couple of these options, and why it is extremely important that you know how each one should be used. One of the go-to defense weapons…
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ACTIVE SHOOTER RESPONSE: UNARMED RESPONSE CONSIDERATIONSShow More >
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5:09Part 1. Evolution of Proactive Strategies
The topic under scrutiny is responding to a spree attacker when you don’t have traditional defensive tools. The idea of having a proactive strategy toward this has been evolving among both law enforcement personnel and private citizens over the past couple of decades. What lessons were learned from the past, how are things done differently…
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3:44Part 2. Using a Fire Extinguisher as a Defensive Tool
A fire extinguisher can make a great defensive tool. In almost all public spaces you can find a fire extinguisher and they can be kept inconspicuously in virtually any environment. Few people question the logic of having a fire extinguisher close at hand, but most people don’t think of it as a defensive tool. A…
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3:39Part 3. How to Defend Yourself with Improvised Tools in the Workplace: Self Defense Weapons
Millions of people work in an enclosed environment and may not have access to a defensive firearm. Are they helpless if confronted by an armed bad guy? Definitely not, as a work environment offers a plethora of items that can be used as defensive tools or self defense weapons. Kelly Muir demonstrates several items that…
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ACTIVE SHOOTER RESPONSE: DEFENSIVE HANDGUN DRILLSShow More >
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3:20Part 1. Active Shooter Response: Drills for Defensive Shooting
If you need to act in order to assist someone else in an active shooter situation, how can you do it while maintaining your own safety? Rob Pincus shows how to recreate this scenario without role players so you can add this shooting drill to your mix of tactical firearms training strategies. Rob considers what…
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9:18Part 2. Pistol Shooting Drills: Alternative Target Area
A popular pistol shooting drill that can help you, if faced with a threat off the range, is the alternative target area drill or failure drill. The high center chest is the primary target area, but if the initial volley of shots to that area does not stop the threat, aiming somewhere else may be…
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6:36Part 3. Lateral Movement Deceleration Drills
Moving quickly to get off the line of fire is important, but that alone will not stop a threat. Getting the gun into a shooting position and firing on the threat are what ends critical incidents. The faster and better you can decelerate and get into a stable shooting platform, the more easily you’ll be…
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ACTIVE SHOOTER RESPONSE WITH A HANDGUNShow More >
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2:09Part 1. Active Shooter is Present: Use a Vehicle as Rest
One of the standard rules of fighting around a vehicle with an active shooter is to never go over the top of cover, because you can be struck by incoming low-impacting rounds that may ricochet off the trunk or glass. But under what circumstances is it appropriate to come out from behind that cover and…
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5:44Part 2. Shooting in a Crowd: Responding to an Active Shooter
Kelly Muir and Rob Pincus examine some specific considerations for responding to an active shooter or other bad guy in a crowded environment. Hitting innocent bystander(s) in addition to — or worse, instead of — the bad guy will only compound an already tragic situation. And many variables exist in a crowd that can affect…
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5:12Part 3. Shooting From The Ground
Because dynamic critical incidents are spontaneous and unpredictable, you could find yourself
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FUNCTIONAL FITNESSShow More >
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9:51Part 1: Introduction to Fit-Shot Concept
Rob Pincus discusses a training implementation called FitShot, which combines the exhausting workouts of functional fitness with shooting practice.
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4:09Part 2: Kettlebell Workout for Defensive Fitness
Kettlebells have been a standard fitness tool in Eastern Europe for a long time, but have only become popular in the US over the last decade or so. Kettlebells have some unique features that make them outstanding tools for those interested in defensive fitness, because they give you an opportunity to work your entire body,…
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3:11Part 3: Fundamental FitShot Exercise: Push-Up Technique
FitShot™ is a program designed to promote fitness in the shooting community. FitShot™ exercises are not meant to be “defensive shooting training.” The push-up can be done slowly or quickly, and with the feet or knees on the ground. After the push-up is completed, a shot is taken, then the process repeated.
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PISTOL SHOOTING DRILLSShow More >
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6:11Part 1: Pistol Shooting Drills: The Rhythm Drill
Chris Collins of ATAP Training is on the range to demonstrate the rhythm drill, one of many pistol shooting drills for speed and accuracy. After getting a few hits on target, find the rhythm with the trigger to continue getting consistent hits. In this way, you can shoot faster by applying the same fundamentals. See…
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6:20Part 2: The Flow Drill Firearm Assessment
In the Combat Focus Shooting Advanced Pistol Handling Course, the Flow Drill is used as a firearm assessment tool to see how students put together the skills they have learned in isolation. Paul Carlson of Safety Solutions Academy presents this drill, which requires students to move back and forth among unorthodox shooting positions while still…
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4:35Part 3: The Hidden Number Shooting Drill
This shooting drill forces the shooter to do a little bit of reading, process some information, and then fire a certain number of shots. It’s called the Hidden Number Drill and can be done several different ways. One of the easiest ways to do it is to have your training partner write a number inside…
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DRYFIRE TRAINING DRILLSShow More >
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3:16Part 1: Separating Live Fire and Dry Fire Training for Safety
Rob Pincus talks about the necessity of separating your live fire training from dry fire training to avoid a tragic accident. When people switch back and forth between the two without a specific procedure, they run an unreasonable risk of pulling the trigger on a live gun when they did not intend to. See other…
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8:15Part 2: Dry Fire Training Drills Off the Range
The objective with dry-fire training is to do it in short increments throughout the day. Distributed learning works orders of magnitude better for motor neuron learning than block learning. Mike Hughes of Next Level Training shows how he grabs short blocks of time while at work or at home and does his dry-fire practice. Safety…
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3:20Part 3: Dry Fire Presentation from Your Holster & Reloads
Mike Hughes of Next Level Training demonstrates drawing from the holster or appendix carry. Instead of using a lot of power from the hips and core, he leads with the fingertips, minimizing unnecessary movement from the shoulders and neck and employing a relaxed, natural method of drawing. The draw should be practiced static, with movement,…
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