S14E5: Top Ways to Get More Out of Your Next Training Class

By Riley Bowman • Published August 19, 2026

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Episode Sponsors:

CCW Safe – CCW Safe is a self-defense coverage provider that helps cover legal costs if you're ever involved in a self-defense incident. All the training in the world sharpens you for the fight itself — CCW Safe is there for the legal fight that can follow. Visit ccwsafe.com to learn about their coverage options.
Defense After Dark Online Course – Today's episode is also brought to you by Defense After Dark, our online course built around a reality most training ignores: the majority of violent encounters happen in low light. If this episode has you mapping out your next class, this is a great one to add to the list — learn to identify threats, run a light, and defend yourself when you can't see clearly.

About This Episode:

Today, Riley Bowman and Jacob Paulsen step off the range and into the classroom — because signing up for a training class is the easy part; actually getting your money's worth out of it is another story. Whether you're booking your very first class or your fifteenth, this episode breaks down the habits that separate the students who walk away transformed from the ones who walk away with a certificate and not much else.

We get into how to choose the right class for where you actually are, what to do in the days before you ever set foot on the range, the mindset that makes instruction stick, and the step most students skip entirely once class lets out.

As always, any questions or suggestions for future episodes can be submitted to [email protected]!

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Video Recording:

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