Special Forces Home Defense Academy Review

Most people don’t think seriously about home defense until something happens on their block. That was me about eight months ago. Then somebody broke into my neighbor’s garage while he was at work.

He lives two doors down from me. It was the middle of the day when his wife was at home upstairs doing laundry. They took his bike, his tools, and whatever else was sitting in his truck.

The cops came, took a report, and that was it. My neighbor told me he was grateful that the burglar didn’t go into the house to find his wife up there. You never know what can happen in a moment like that.

That stuck with me longer than it should have. I know it wasn’t dramatic and nobody got hurt, but things like this happen every day all over the country. I want my house to be a safe place for my family.

I’d always assumed my street was safe. It’s a quiet block, and I’ve known most of these neighbors for years. But when that break-in happened two doors down, I realized I had no real plan in place to protect my home or my family. I had the same stuff most people have: a deadbolt on the front door, a motion light over the driveway, and a dog that barks when someone passes by.

The thing is that’s not really a plan. If somebody came through my door at 2 a.m., I’d have no idea what I’d do.

So, I looked around.

What I Tried Before I Found This Academy

I watched probably 40 YouTube videos on home security. The verdict? Some were decent, but many of them were exactly what you’d expect. Some guys in combat gear, trying to sell me a tactical flashlight.

The next thing I tried was a book I bought from Amazon that turned out to be 200 pages of common sense. I already know most of those things, so it’s not a purchase I am proud of. I also investigated a self-defense class at the local rec center, but the schedule didn’t line up with mine.

Then I came across Terry Schappert’s Special Forces Home Defense Academy. Terry’s a Green Beret with 25 years in the military. He’s got a video on the page where he walks you through what the Home Defense Academy is and why he made it. I watched the whole thing. I figured out he knew what he was talking about, so I bought it.

What You Get

It’s a video course. You get a login, you watch the modules online, and that’s it. No DVD in the mail and no live classes. This is what I loved most about it. And let’s be real for a second, who even owns a DVD player these days anyway? This academy is practical. It gives you the information you need when you need it, everything at your own pace. I watched most of it on my laptop, but you can pull it up on a phone or tablet too.

The whole thing is broken into short modules, each one covering a specific topic. I liked this structure because I could watch one or two at lunch without committing to a full hour. You just watch what’s relevant, in whatever order makes sense for you. I skipped around at first and then went back and watched the stuff I wasn’t sure I needed. Turned out I needed most of it.

Access doesn’t expire either. You pay once and you have access to the Academy for life.

What I Liked

There’s a lot of info in there, so I won’t walk you through all of it. But there were a few things that stuck with me and made me change stuff around the house.

The zip tie trick is the first one I tried. You take a regular zip tie, the cheap kind, and wrap it around the emergency release on your garage door opener. That’s the whole thing. Apparently, it blocks one of the most common ways burglars get into garages, which is called “the coat hanger trick”. I took care of this the same night I watched the video. Just 30 seconds of effort and my garage had a layer of protection I’ve never thought about before.

But the one that got me the most is what you’re supposed to do if you wake up at 3 a.m. and hear footsteps in your house. I’d thought about that scenario plenty over the years, but every time I thought about it, I just kind of froze up and hoped I’d figure it out in the moment. Turns out there’s a first move you’re supposed to make, and it’s not what you’d expect.

Here’s what else you’ll find:

How to clear your home room-by-room if somebody’s hiding inside;
7 items you should never (ever!) have in a first aid kit. As they’re a waste of space, time, and money;
How to make your dog as good as a K-9;
The ONE thing you should do to survive a carjacking.

If you want the full rundown of what’s covered, you can see the whole list here.

About Terry

I already mentioned I watched his video before I bought it. That was my first real impression of him, and after I got into the Academy itself, the impression improved.

He talks like a normal person. There is no weird jargon and he’s not trying to impress anyone. He’ll say something like “here’s what we did over there, and here’s why it works at your house,” and then he just shows you.

He also doesn’t make you feel dumb. Terry treats you like you’re a regular guy and he’s just explaining the things he knows best. His whole thing is just making you harder to mess with.

He’s casual about it, but at the same time, he does his job properly. You’ll pick stuff up without thinking about it.

The Free Guides Are Great Too

You also get three free guides with the Academy. At first, I thought they were all junk because, from my personal experience, most free bonuses are junk. Turned out they were amazing resources and delivered useful stuff if you’re into that kind of thing.

This is what I got:

A wild edibles guide that shows you what’s edible in your backyard or on a hiking trail.
A stockpile list of 75 things worth having around before a real crisis hits.
An old-school remedies guide with the kind of stuff our grandparents used before everything came from the drug store.

Is It Worth the Money?

In my opinion, yeah, for sure. You won’t find most of this stuff on the internet. Or, if you do, there will be important details missing. There’s one thing to get the info from a random guy on YouTube and another thing to learn it from someone with hands-on experience. You can check out the Academy here if you want to see what’s in it for yourself.

I still hope none of the bad things I prepared for will happen, but now I at least have the peace of mind that I did my best. Having a well-thought-out plan matters more than you might think. I’m confident that I now know what to do if someone breaks in, and this is a really big step forward for a guy like me.

If you’ve been putting this off like I was, don’t wait until something happens on your block. You can grab your spot in the Academy and be done with it today.

You may also like: