Defensive Solutions

Norm Hood, the lead instructor at Defensive Solutions LLC, brings real-world credentials most training facilities can't match. He's a retired Army Command Sergeant Major (24 years) and spent 6 years with Alaska State Troopers as a Field Training Officer. He's trained with Blackwater Worldwide and brings decades of pistol, rifle, and shotgun instruction to every class.

Norm is certified by: - NRA (Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, Defensive Pistol, Chief Range Safety Officer) - Illinois Concealed Carry Firearms Instructor - Glock Armorer - FEMA Active Shooter Responder Trainer - Alaska Police Standards Council - State of Indiana Emergency Medical Responder - Regional Master Instructor for Second Amendment Foundation (Indiana, Michigan, Ohio) - 5th Dan Shihan in Hojutsu-Ryu (exclusive Midwest instructor)

"When you receive training from Norm, you are learning from someone who has been there and done that. He knows what works and when it should be used."

Defensive Handgun 101 (8 hours) — Introductory course covering firearms safety, environmental awareness, basic marksmanship, loading magazines, stance, grip, trigger manipulation, and sight usage. Includes lecture, hands-on with training guns, and live-fire drills.

Defensive Handgun 201 (8 hours) — Builds on 101. Students learn close-distance handgun handling, on-the-street and home defense tactics, positional shooting, and the combat triad. Prerequisite for advanced courses.

Defensive Handgun 301: NRA Advanced Defensive Pistol (8 hours) — Intermediate level progression. Adds movement techniques, low-light encounters, injury drills, ground fighting, and advanced live-fire simulations. Requires completion of 201 or equivalent.

Defensive Carbine / Carbine-Handgun Transition — Fundamentals with semi-auto carbines (5.56, 7.62x39). Covers zeroing, loading, malfunction clearance, firing positions, use of cover, multiple threats, and handgun transition drills.

Defensive Shotgun / Shotgun-Handgun Transition — Safety, mechanics, maintenance, marksmanship, zeroing, loading, malfunction clearance, firing positions, cover use, and multiple threat scenarios.

Skill Builder Defensive Shooting Practice Sessions (2-3 hours, 100 rounds) — Tailored to attendees' needs. Work on malfunction recovery, trigger control, sight usage, shooting from retention, concealment, and cover. Drills vary based on participant skill and goals.

Illinois and Michigan Concealed Carry License Classes — Satisfies prerequisites for Defensive Handgun 201. Customizable for families, groups, or women-only sessions.

Force on Force with Airsoft — Test your defensive skills using airsoft. Reveals strengths and weaknesses beyond static range shooting.

GLOCK Maintenance Class (3 hours) — Complete disassembly, assembly, cleaning, and inspection. Familiarizes you with internal parts and function.

AR Platform Technician Class (Field level maintenance) — AR rifle owners learn operation, diagnosis, accessory installation, bolt carrier replacement, and springs. Extractor upgrade kit included. One week notice required for material ordering.

Get Your Guard Up: Personal Safety & Awareness Lecture (3 hours) — Review real-life violent encounters (robberies, mass shootings). Discuss "what would I do?" scenarios and create personal protection plans for avoidance, response, and legal aftermath.

Church, School, Workplace, Personal Safety Training — Custom-tailored to your location. Includes less-lethal options (OC/pepper spray, flashlights) and unarmed self-defense techniques.

Trauma Casualty Care — NSC First Aid/CPR/AED instruction. Learn modern tourniquets, clotting agents, and shooting response kits to save trauma victims' lives.

4-Hour Women's Personal Protection Course — Designed specifically for women. Part 1 covers awareness, boundary-setting, predator intent, and verbal deterrence. Part 2 is hands-on practice resisting slaps, grabs, chokes, and invasions of personal space. Can be held at workplaces, churches, schools, or the affiliated Suibukan of Indiana karate dojo.

Defensive Solutions teaches Hojutsu-Ryu, an ancient Japanese martial discipline that combines modern firearms technique with traditional budo. Unlike sport shooting systems, Hojutsu is combat-focused: handgun, rifle, shotgun, submachine gun, precision rifle, plus empty-hand defense, impact weapons, edged weapons, and ground fighting.

Combat-Proven Results: - 99.6% documented hit rate (vs. 16% national police average) - Widely used by SWAT teams coast to coast - As of 2019, 27 Hojutsu-ka (students) have won gunfights - 100% hits with 100% results in pistol encounters

"Our arena is the street, not the competition range. No other firearms training system can claim the combat effectiveness of the Modern Technique."

John Gemmer (Owner) — Ranked Shodan (1st Degree Black Belt), NRA Certified Instructor. His son Colten, 16, is a Junior NRA Instructor with 1st Degree Brown Belt in Hojutsu-Ryu.

Norman Hood (Lead Instructor) — 2015 USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame inductee. 24-year Army career. 6 years Alaska State Troopers. Member: International Law Enforcement Educators & Trainers Association, Church Security Alliance, Illinois Tactical Officers Association, Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network.

📞 574-213-8270 📧 [email protected] 📍 South Bend, Indiana

Classes fill via Eventbrite. Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/o/defensive-solutions-llc-76631772553