Overview
The FBI reports that the average armed encounter occurs at less than 7 feet and lasts under 3 seconds. Your range fundamentals — carefully aimed shots from a stable stance at a stationary target — are only the beginning. This course trains you for the reality: close quarters, movement, limited lighting, and the presence of other people.
Indoor Defensive Pistol focuses on the specific contexts you're most likely to encounter in a home defense or close-quarters defensive situation. You'll learn to move and shoot, use cover and concealment, work through doorways and around corners, and make rapid threat assessment decisions — all skills that standard marksmanship courses don't address.
Curriculum
Close-Quarters Fundamentals
Shooting at 3–7 feet — how your technique changes at contact distance, the role of retention shooting, and why your normal grip and stance may not serve you in a hallway or bedroom.
Movement & Shooting
Moving forward, backward, and laterally while maintaining accuracy. Breaking the static range habit. Shooting on the move vs. moving to shoot — knowing when each is appropriate.
Use of Cover & Concealment
The critical difference between cover (stops bullets) and concealment (hides you). Working from behind cover — how to minimize your exposure while maintaining the ability to engage a threat.
Doorways & Threshold Management
One of the highest-risk positions in any structure. How to safely approach, clear, and move through doorways. The fatal funnel and how to avoid it.
Low-Light & No-Light Shooting
Most home defense encounters occur at night or in reduced lighting. Flashlight techniques (Surefire, Harries, Rogers/Syringe), weapon-mounted lights, and decision-making in low-light environments.
Threat Assessment & Non-Combatants
Making rapid identification decisions under stress. The presence of family members, bystanders, and the discipline required to not shoot what you can't identify. Communication during a home defense event.
The Home Defense Scenario
Integrated scenario-based training that brings all skills together in a simulated home defense context. Debrief and analysis of decisions made under pressure.
What to Bring
- Your defensive pistol (with weapon-mounted light if you have one)
- A handheld flashlight
- 75–100 rounds of ammunition
- Holster and carry belt
- Eye and ear protection
Who This Course Is For
- Homeowners and apartment dwellers who want to be prepared for home invasion
- Concealed carriers who want to extend their skills to close-quarters contexts
- Graduates of Basic or Advanced Pistol Marksmanship ready for applied training
- Anyone who has taken the Fundamentals of Concealed Carry course
Who Should Consider a Different Course First
- Shooters without a solid foundation in pistol fundamentals — complete Basic Pistol Marksmanship first