Taught by Zach Campbell (an IDPA multiple handgun Master and several time WA State Champion) this three-day, 1,000 round count course will take the Marksman’s or Sharpshooter’s performance to the next level (or even next two levels!). For Experts, no guarantee to get you to Master, but we will try!

Running from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day, the morning session will concentrate on developing your handgun shooting skills, then in the afternoon, we will concentrating on IDPA specific issues. Course content will cover ALL aspects of IDPA shooting, including, but not limited to: Concealed carry draw, tactical and speed reloads, multiple targets, moving targets, one handed shooting, low light shooting with and without flashlights, and position shooting as one might find in a typical match.

Taught in person by Massad Ayoob

A high intensity, four-day, 40-hour immersion course in rules of engagement for armed law-abiding private citizens, emphasizing legal issues, tactical issues, and aftermath management. Classroom topics will include interacting with suspects, witnesses, responding police officers, threat recognition and mind-set, management of social and psychological aftermath after having had to use lethal force in defense of self or others and preparing beforehand for legal repercussions and minimizing exposure to them. Situations in the home, at the place of business, or "on the street" will all be covered.

Many FAS students have asked for training in physically surviving the immediate aftermath of a deadly force attack. What can be done to staunch life-threatening blood loss and similar injuries after you have stopped the attack against you or against a loved one or companion?

It is one thing to carry a firearm for protection but it is another to be able to hit the areas on the threat that effect the quickest stop! Having the best knowledge of the equipment to fit your needs and the know-how to use your firearm effectively is critical. In addition to the role of shot placement in stopping an assailant, armed citizens are obligated not to shoot indiscriminately and endanger others.

Do you know how to defend your handgun against a large, aggressive attacker, or what to do if a street thug sticks a gun in your face during an assault and threatens to blow your head off? Once you complete this class, you will know exactly what to do.

An extension of our popular Handgun retention and disarming class, students will get a review of the core handgun retention and disarming techniques. Also covered: long-gun retention and disarming, dynamic non-scripted attacks to drawn and holstered gun, defending against multiple attackers, and low light retention. (Pre-requisite is the Handgun Retention and Disarming seminar AND the free re-take). 

An eight hour course in the use of the Kubaton mini-baton and oleoresin capsicum spray for self-defense, including when  pepper spray is effective and when it is not, footwork, tactics and practice with inert spray canisters.

In 2018, voters approved Initiative 1639, which among other things, requires any person who desires to purchase a semi-automatic rifle in the state of Washington, to have taken a firearms safety training course.  This special class has been developed and is being offered to satisfy this need. Course content includes Basic Firearms Safety Rules, Firearms and Children (including secure gun storage and talking to children about gun safety), Firearms and Suicide Prevention, WA State Use of Deadly Force Law, Secure Gun Storage (to prevent unauthorized access and use), Safe Handling of Firearms, and State & Federal Firearms Laws (including prohibited firearms transfers). Proof of training to satisfy the requirements of I-1639 will be provided at the end of the 4-hour course of instruction. Cost: $60.00

This is an intensive full three day (24 hours total) course that teaches candidates: modern adult learning theory; preparation, delivery, and documentation of training; development of training aids, including power points and others; coaching methodologies, diagnosing and correcting shooters’ errors; modern, effective gunhandling techniques, designed to work under stress; proper handling/operation of a variety of handgun types; and effective, efficient combat marksmanship techniques.

The course time is divided about equally between classroom sessions and range firing, and each student will fire approximately 1,000 rounds of ammunition. Students will act as coaches for other students, and each will be coached extensively in turn. Students also receive a 200+ page training manual, which is a valuable information and reference resource. To graduate from this course, students must pass a shooting qualification and pass a written examination.

This class is the pre-requisite for the advanced class.

The Advanced Firearms Instructor course picks up where day three of the basic instructor course ends. If we had five full days the advanced instructor course would be days four and five of the process. By making this a separate course the students can practice the skills learned, absorb the material covered in the basic instructor course and be ready to learn a whole new set of skills.

In the instructor course we have already covered the academic side of marksmanship and adult teaching methodology and given the students a thorough grounding in pistol marksmanship. In the advanced class this allows us to push students to even higher skill levels on the range. In the classroom we will cover subjects including different scoring methods; target design; course of fire design; instructor liability and how to limit it; and some of the psychological issues involved in teaching people how to fight for their lives.

For over 30 years, F.A.S. Director Marty Hayes has been teaching basic and advanced handgun skills, both to private armed citizens, law enforcement and military personnel. Beginning in 2008, Mr. Hayes decided to start sharing the knowledge developed while teaching over 20,000 people how to shoot (or how to shoot better), in hopes of sharing what he has learned (and what has made him one of the premier instructors in the nation) with the next generation of instructors.

Prospective enrollees in this class should possess a firm understanding of defensive handgunning developed from prior training courses they have taken as students. The amount of training they have received should exceed 100 hours, although this requirement is not hard and fast. Students should also currently be teaching defensive handgunning skills to either law enforcement personnel through their agencies, or to armed citizens through a commercial school or at an established gun range.

Taught in person by Massad Ayoob

This one week 40+ hour course of instruction is offered by the Massad Ayoob Group in conjunction with The Firearms Academy of Seattle, Inc. to teach and certify self-defense firearms instructors in the complicated and nuanced discipline of teaching the legalities of use of deadly force in self-defense. Teaching how to shoot is the easy part. Much tougher is teaching people when and when not to use force, including deadly force, in self defense. In addition to learning what to teach and how to present it, students will also learn how to take their expertise to court, to both serve as a material witness for their students, and perhaps an expert witness in other self-defense court cases.

This two-day seminar teaches how crime happens and the common types of conflict you can find yourself in. This information is essential to understand threat recognition, avoidance, de-escalation, scaling force and justifying your actions to the authorities in the aftermath. Success is more than the actions you take. It’s also about the actions you deliberately don’t engage in. You’ll learn which actions escalate a situation and destroy your self-defense claim.  This course complements your existing knowledge. Physical skills are critical, but there’s more to safety and staying out of prison for defending yourself. 

Taught in person by Marc MacYoung and Jenna Meek.