We are in the golden era of good self-defense and firearms training for the armed citizen. Still, what people need, as opposed to what they find more entertaining, remains an issue within this small, niche industry. High-round count classes that seek to shave hundredths of a second off your red-dot presentation are what a lot of people seem to want to take. While improving shooting skills is important, it accounts for only one part of the overall skillset needed to defend one’s self and loved ones in an increasingly dangerous and complicated world. There are far fewer classes being taught that focus on the skills that are truly critical for self-preservation on the street, and one of the best such options is Street Encounter Skills and Tactics, taught by John Murphy of FPF Training.  

I took Street Encounter Skills and Tactics in Virginia two weekends ago prior to this writing. I also took this class quite a few years ago when it was a fledgling one-day offering, and it was excellent back then as well. Now, in the two-day format, this class covers an overall skill set that I have not seen presented so efficiently anywhere else. Street Encounter Skills and Tactics is a must-take class for anyone, regardless of your prior training experience. However, I submit that it is the best class available to be taken following an initial defensive handgun class. If the individual with limited time and resources to dedicate to training wants to take a single class beyond just their initial pistol skills training, this is, without reservation, the best class to take in order to be prepared for violence on the street.  

John Murphy, the lead instructor of FPF Training and the creator of this course, has a military background, but this curriculum is entirely geared towards the armed civilian within the United States. John has trained with legions of other nationally-known instructors and has been teaching for many years. I have trained with him in the past, and I have also taken many classes with other instructors that John hosts at his training facility in Northern Virginia. John teaches all over the United States and offers several classes, but Street Encounter Skills and Tactics is his flagship, two-day offering.  

This class contains a good bit of shooting but is not just a shooting class. Rather, it exposes the participant to the many other pressing concerns related to self-defense. In fact, as part of the preparation for this class, John sends participants links to six hours of video material that cover legal, medical, tactical, and other related issues to set a baseline of understanding before the in-person class even begins. John talks extensively about legal considerations and the importance of avoiding conflict at all times possible. For anyone paying attention, this is an increasingly pressing concern. This class speaks to the legalities of using force more than any other class I have taken, short of classes that are specifically focused on only self-defense law. This alone is one reason why I adamantly believe this should be the single class any armed citizen takes beyond just a basic shooting course.  

John teaches not only the legalities of using appropriate and reasonable force but also addresses how to communicate with 911 and first responders. He even speaks to how the self-defender’s verbal commands to a threat should be well considered and rehearsed, as witnesses or camera footage will draw conclusions based on what is said. Clear and concise commands to “stop” and “get back” are taught, and the importance of avoiding saying things that escalate violence or lead to misinterpretation of the incident is discussed. Essential considerations.  

This class also offers a significant amount of training in the skill of managing unknown contacts. The modern paradigm of managing unknown contacts (MUC) was synthesized by a well-known instructor named Craig Douglas, and John incorporates many of these principles into his training, with his own insights and interpretations on the subject as well, to offer an excellent overview of the skillset that is necessary for dealing with encroaching, and possibly hostile, individuals when on the street. John demonstrates a wide variety of tactics and ruses used by criminals to close distance. For anyone who might think such scenarios are only hypothetical, I assure you, if you spend as much time as I have on the streets of Baltimore, Atlanta, and a variety of other large cities, you will hear all such examples in real life. John has synthesized a curriculum that focuses on a realistic skillset for dealing with the true nature of criminality.  

John also teaches the use of OC Spray in this class, and he speaks about the enormous value of carrying a less-lethal tool. While I have taken other training in the use of OC Spray, I must say that this class really teaches the most essential elements of using that particular tool, and it leaves the participant well equipped to work OC spray into their defensive plan. The practicality of pepper spray becomes self-evident when training to deal with criminal encroachment, and this class teaches that intersection particularly well.  

Yet another skill of paramount importance that is worked into both days of Street Encounter Skills and Tactics is the basics of tourniquet and pressure bandage application to mitigate life-threatening bleeding. John’s rationale with this is on point, as most students he works with are unlikely to take a dedicated TCCC or other such medical class, and the basic trauma skills that he teaches within the scope of this class go a long way towards preparing the individual to apply life-saving medical treatment to themselves or others. On the first morning of the class, John gave a thorough overview of the why and how of applying tourniquets and pressure bandages. Following the initial practice with these tools, John calls out, at random times for the remaining two days of training, prompts such as “right arm spurting, etc…,” at which point all participants will apply the appropriate tool to the designated limb. John provides an ankle med kit to each student to wear for the duration of the class that contains a tourniquet and pressure dressing, and the numerous iterations of use with these tools proves immensely valuable.  

Pertaining to the shooting in the class, understand that this is not a shooting fundamentals course. Rather, the shooting exercises revolve around the use of force to address real-world violence. John gives one of the best overviews of targeting for rapid neutralization that I have seen, explaining the parts in the body that must be hit to quickly terminate the violent actions of an attacker. The class also gets the opportunity to shoot at a 3D dummy from all different angles, a consideration not addressed when only shooting at flat paper targets. Movement drills are worked into the shooting, as well as shooting moving targets; an opportunity not afforded in most classes.  

All shooting in the class commences with visual stimuli. John uses an ingenious combination of red and green lasers to call the response, such as a draw to a low ready, or draw to shooting, or less-lethal response, etc… This is far more applicable to real violence compared to an auditory timer, which has great value, but the human response to a visual stimulus that they must first interpret and decide on is measurably slower than simply reacting to the beep of a timer. The use of the visual stimulus further introduces the need for the participant to think and make rapid decisions before acting, which is an incredibly valuable training activity.  

So, in closing, I will simply say that we live in a rapidly deteriorating world in which factions that seek to empower criminals also throw the book at law abiding self-defenders. If you take on the responsibility of arming yourself for personal protection, you need to avoid problems at all times possible, and you need to do everything right, within the bounds of the law, in order to not end up in prison following even the most righteous of defensive gun uses. This is a topic of the utmost personal responsibility and importance, and you should train for it. This is the single class to take to learn these essential skills. If you only take one class beyond just basic CCW requirements and shooting, this is the course that the armed citizen should take, bar none.