Course Overview
Your home is supposed to be the safest place in your life. But for thousands of Americans every year it becomes the scene of the most terrifying moment they will ever face. A home invasion is fast, violent, and deeply personal — and the decisions you make in those first seconds will define everything that follows.
Home Defense Strategies is a comprehensive course that goes far beyond what firearm to keep by the bed. In four hours you will build a complete, layered approach to protecting your home and your family — starting with preventing a break-in before it ever happens, through the physical security measures that slow an intruder down, the tactics that give you the advantage inside your own walls, the legal framework that governs your right to defend your home, and the live fire skills that make your defensive firearm a tool you can trust under pressure.
This course is built for everyone. You do not need to be an experienced shooter or have completed any other Eastern Front Defense Academy course to benefit from it. Whether you are a first time gun owner who just wants to protect their family or an experienced shooter who has never thought systematically about home defense — this course will change how you think about the place you call home.
What You'll Learn
Detailed learning objectives for S1
by the end of this course, students will be able to:
Identify and address the physical security vulnerabilities in their home
Articulate the legal framework governing the use of deadly force in the home
Develop and communicate a family emergency action plan
Identify and apply basic home defense tactics including barricading and fatal funnel avoidance
Employ a weapon mounted light or handheld flashlight effectively
Apply shooting from retention at contact distances
Make the decision to hold position vs. move through their home during an intrusion
What You'll Practice
Hands-on drills and exercises in this course
Physical Security Assessment
Before you ever pick up a firearm we walk through the four layers of home security — deterrence, delay, detection, and response. You will identify the weakest point in your own home's security and leave with a specific, actionable plan to address it. The best home defense is the one that never requires a shot to be fired.
Legal Use of Force at Home
The Castle Doctrine is widely misunderstood — and misunderstanding it can cost you your freedom even after a justified shooting. You will learn the four pillars of justifying deadly force, what happens legally and procedurally after a defensive shooting, and exactly what to say and what not to say when law enforcement arrives.
Barricade vs. Clear
The most important tactical decision in a home invasion is whether to stay or move. You will learn why barricading is almost always the right answer, how to set up a defensible position inside your home, and the one situation where moving toward a threat becomes necessary. This decision framework alone is worth the price of the course.
Fatal Funnels & Hard Corners
Every doorway in your home is a fatal funnel — and knowing how to use them in your favor changes everything about how you defend your home. You will learn hard corner positioning, hallway defense, and how to slice the pie through your own doorways so that any threat moving through your home is at a disadvantage from the moment they enter your field of fire.
Family Emergency Planning
A gun without a plan is just a gun. You will build the framework for a complete family emergency action plan — safe room designation, code words, assigned roles, rally points, and age appropriate conversations with children. You will sketch your own home floor plan and receive individual feedback from your instructor on your specific layout and vulnerabilities.
Weapon Light Employment
Shooting in the dark is not optional in home defense — it is the reality of a 2am intrusion. You will run force-on-force airsoft scenarios using a weapon mounted light or handheld flashlight technique, experiencing firsthand how light employment changes your movement, your shooting, and your target identification in complete darkness. If you do not currently have a weapon mounted light, this drill will change that.
One Handed Shooting
You have called 911 and the operator needs you to stay on the line. You now have one hand occupied and a threat in front of you. One handed shooting at close range is not an advanced skill — it is a basic home defense requirement. You will fire with both your dominant and support hand independently so neither hand is ever truly your weak hand.
Shooting From Retention
At contact distance inside your home a fully extended firearm is a firearm a threat can grab and take from you. You will learn and fire from the retention position — keeping your weapon under your control while still delivering effective fire at the closest possible range. This skill applies the moment a threat gets inside arm's reach.
What to Bring
Required and recommended items for S1
REQUIRED
Eye protection (shooting glasses or safety glasses)
Ear protection (earplugs or earmuffs)
Closed-toe shoes
RECOMMENDED
A notepad and pen
A water bottle and snacks
Your existing home defense setup so your instructor can evaluate it
completion standard
After Course Completion
This is a completion-based course. Students who attend the full 4 hours and demonstrate safe handling of training weapons throughout all scenario blocks will receive their Home Defense Strategies completion card. The instructor reserves the right to remove any student from training who cannot safely handle training equipment during drills.
Don't have all the gear?
Contact us before your course. We may have rental equipment available or can recommend where to purchase quality gear locally. Contact Us
Ready to protect your home?
Join the thousands who've started their firearms journey with S1.
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Book S1 - Home Defense Strategies
Questions? Call/text: (260) 209-4178