Hi. I'm Ben.
A civilian who chose to teach this — carefully, patiently, and to a real standard. Still a student myself, still growing. I built the academy and the app I always wished I'd had, because I am both.
↳“Shooting is simple. It's not necessarily easy — because the work isn't the firearm. The work is you.”
I built what was missing — from both chairs.
Too many ranges are intimidating, transactional, or full of ego. I wanted a place where a nervous first-timer and a seasoned carrier are both genuinely welcome — taught to a standard, not just signed off for a permit. And I wanted the tools I never had: as a student, drills I could actually practice and a way to see I was improving; as an instructor, a way to give feedback that means something. So I built both — the academy, and the app. It's how I keep coaching you when you're not on the range.
Why before how. Always.
I explain the reasoning before the technique, meet you exactly where you are, and welcome every question — especially the ones you're embarrassed to ask. There's no single “right way” and no rushed pace. And I'm still a student myself — I am both, and always will be. The day I stop training under people better than me, learning, and perfecting the craft is the day I stop being worth learning from.
The short version of a longer road.
The academy I wished I'd trained at — and the app I wished I'd had. Built for the student and the instructor, because I am both — still learning, still growing, still perfecting the craft.
I didn't grow up an expert. I came to this as an adult, a little intimidated, asking the questions I now hear from new students every week.
What changed everything was good instruction — patient, principled, and honest. It turned something that felt overwhelming into something I could actually do. I decided that if I was going to teach, I'd teach to that standard, and make the door wider than the one I walked through.
So I trained. I certified. I kept training under people better than me — and I still do. Integrated Defensive Solutions is the result: principle-based instruction, an open door, and a guarantee that I'll keep working with you until you're satisfied — or give you your money back.
What I believe.
The principles every lesson is built on — and the ones I'll hold myself to with you.
Everyone starts where they are.
No ego, no rushed pace, no canned curriculum. The nervous first-timer and the seasoned carrier both belong here.
Why before how. Always.
You'll understand the reasoning before the technique. Understanding is what survives stress.
Trained is a state you maintain — not a status you keep.
One class doesn't make you ready. That's why the coaching continues between sessions, in the app and on the range.
We track training, not firearms.
Your progress is yours. Your privacy is built into how we work — never an afterthought.
Not satisfied? Train until you are — or your money back.
Not fine print. A promise. I'll keep working with you until you're satisfied — or give you your money back.
Who I train under.
One of the questions I tell students to ask any instructor: “Who do you train with?” Here's my honest answer — because I am still a student too.
- USCCA Certified Instructor
- NRA Certified Instructor
- Additional carry & discipline certifications
- Advanced instructor-development training
- Continuing education, every year
- Ongoing, by design
- Double Tapp Range (our home)
- Regular live-fire practice
- First-timers to advanced shooters
You'll be nervous. Your hands might shake. That's normal — and it passes faster than you think.
You won't be the worst person in the room.
The room is full of people whose first session looked exactly like yours. We'll go at your pace, I'll explain everything, and you can ask me anything — the question you're embarrassed to ask is the one I'd rather answer now. By the end of the first half hour, the nerves are mostly gone. By the end of the session, you'll wonder why you waited.
Let's get you started.
100% Satisfaction Guarantee — train until you're satisfied, or your money back.