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“I knew this course would be good when I first started reading and Lt. Col. Dave Grossman was cited. I have read Col. Grossman and am a fan of his material. I’ve been involved with the arts for over 50 years, and I’ve both taken and taught self-defense. I was pleasantly surprised that much of what I’ve learned and professed was contained in this course. I especially like the attitude toward continued learning — ‘A good instructor must be the eternal student.’ Thank you for this course.”

Gerald’s credentials:

  • WITS Personal Trainer, since 2004
  • American Academy of Health and Fitness – Senior Fitness Specialist, 2008
  • SilverSneakers Certified Instructor, 2014
  • ATF (American TaeKwondo Federation) – 2nd Degree Black Belt, 1981
  • KiToshaKai International – 9th Degree Black Belt, 2013

I took the home study Personal Safety & Self Defense Training. It is a very thorough and practical course with excellent videos and manual. I have martial arts experience but I think the techniques are effective and easily learnable for everyone. Great course!

I recently completed the Personal Safety & Self-Defense Instructor Training course through EmpowerUSA.

The program is an excellent solution for those with demanding schedules, focusing on both situational awareness and physical techniques.

The head trainer, Tim, is highly knowledgeable and approachable; his teaching style makes the material accessible, and he remains committed to student success even after the course concludes.

I found the experience to be professional and empowering. I highly recommend this course to anyone interested in practical self-defense or instructor training.

The self defense courses are easy to understand and follow and Tim was very helpful and quick to respond with any questions I had. Courses have a lot of detailed information to equipped trainers to run affective self defense classes

I’ve taken Empower USA’s self-defense course as well as the kickboxing instructor course and I can say these have been the best online coursework experiences I’ve ever had! Tim is extremely knowledgeable and is quick to respond to any question or concern. The material is thorough and the videos offer excellent demonstrations. I’ve greatly appreciated their support and encouragement along the way. I can’t say enough good things about Empower USA! 100% recommend.

I’ve had the opportunity to participate in Tim Rochford’s personal safety training and review his Personal Safety Handbook, and I can confidently say that Tim is passionate about helping people become safer, more aware, and more confident in their daily lives.
What I appreciate most is that Tim’s approach is practical and empowering. He focuses on real-world situations, awareness, prevention, and simple strategies that anyone can use. His training isn’t about fear—it’s about preparation, confidence, and making smart decisions.
Tim is knowledgeable, professional, engaging, and genuinely cares about the people he works with. Whether you’re looking for personal safety training for yourself, your family, or your organization, I highly recommend EmpowerUSA.

Thank you, Tim, for your dedication to helping others stay safe and strong.

Wonderful, thorough material with video demonstrations. This course is very practical and comprehensive; it will absolutely help equip you to feel safe and confident and teach others the same. I highly recommend pairing these study materials with physical application practice.

‘Kickboxing Fitness Instructor Training’ course – I am a repeat customer (previously completed the Personal Safety & Self-Defense Instructor Training course) because I know the material will be very comprehensive with an emphasis on safety and proper progressions! Very well done!

Personal Safety & Self-Defense Instructor Training – “Enjoyed the course, from the fantastic and thorough Manual to the fun and interactive videos! Loved the positive vibe and am proud to be certified under EmpowerUSA!”

Course was excellent in all regards! By far the best correspondence course I have ever taken. Awesome experience. Gained great new insights, knowledge, and skills!

Personal Safety & Self-Defense Instructor Training – “This has been the best course material. I’ve learned so much and everything was broken down and explained well!”

Neuro-Motor (C4-A-R-B) Training – “I teach exactly as you explained in your course. It is a great reminder of how valuable the clients are to us!”

Neuro-Motor (C4-A-R-B) Training – “It was thoroughly enjoyable to learn!  I have already encouraged a coworker to take this course – thank you!”

Personal Safety & Self-Defense Instructor Training – “Great course – I wasn’t expecting to learn much since I’ve been very involved with martial arts all my life. But I definitely got a lot out of this course, after all. Material is well organized; I like the way it was formatted. Excellent customer service (we had some technical difficulties with the online course platform)!”

Active Aging Fitness & Wellness – Boxing-Kickboxing-Martial Arts – “Hello Mr Rochford, I have completed the course. Thank you for your dedication to the martial arts. You are obviously very knowledgeable and experienced in our art. I found myself wishing I could have studied under you at some point in my journey. The course was very good. Thank you.”

I am really impressed with the amount of material, background, and philosophy in this course. I have studied self-defense for about 20 years through various Japanese, Korean, and Israeli martial arts, being more concerned with learning than with rank (although I did earn a black belt in Tae Kwon Do). I’m an NRA certified firearm instructor and was Senior Chaplain with a town police department for five years, through which I received extensive use-of-force training. Your course is right on the money. Thank you.

Personal Safety & Self-Defense Instructor Training – “Thank you so much!  I found the course full of helpful information and some moves to add to my repertoire.  I have been teaching martial arts for almost a decade, and it is always good to be able to learn some new things to show students.  I also started teaching a women’s self-defense class and have already incorporated some of the techniques you demonstrated in class.”

Kickboxing Fitness Instructor Training – “There were lots of examples for drills with a variety of equipment and lots of circuit/interval style class plans that are great for programming entire workout classes. Thanks again for the help, I’m excited to put my certification to use. I’m currently working at the fitness center at the University of Nevada, Reno coaching group fit classes, but I’m trying to start a cardio kickboxing class and this course will definitely help me with the programming! The course was super helpful and I hope to use it in many classes in the future.”

Neuro-Motor (C4-A-R-B) Training – “I teach exactly as you explained in your course. It is a great reminder of how valuable the clients are to us!”

Neuro-Motor (C4-A-R-B) Training – “Thank you very much!  I received my CEU. To begin with, I teach Silver Sneakers classes.  My favorite thing about  your course is how you stress SAFETY.  Absolutely a MUST.  How you stress working the BRAIN.  Using cognitive  training in my class is very important!  I hate to disappoint you, but there wasn’t anything I disliked.  So much information I can use!  I also appreciate your availability to be able to help.  Thanks so much!  Have a great year!

I teach martial arts and am an ACE certified fitness professional. The material in this kickboxing fitness course was an excellent resource and presented a sound base of fundamentals.

This kickboxing fitness instructor training course took my teaching experience and ability to the next level. It was an awesome course!

This was as good as it gets for an off-site training. Stays to the point – excellent for a personal protection class I teach. The test will be a great reference forever.

This kickboxing fitness course was a very enjoyable and educational for me. It allowed me to combine theory with practical experience. Thank you!

Not only did I learn how to kickbox and how to teach kickboxing, I learned how to do it safely and correctly. Tim Rochford is an excellent instructor/teacher.

I have never given all high scores before! In honesty, the course deserves the highest scores! It held my attention from beginning to end. It repeated very important information – I will not forget it! It was challenging but everything made sense! It provided more than I had hoped for.

Active Aging Fitness & Wellness – Boxing-Kickboxing-MartialArts – “Thank you, Tim, for your email and certificate. I enjoyed your training very much. It’s very thorough and easy to follow along. It’s obvious how much you love what you do. Thank you for all the people you have helped, including me!When it’s time for me to recertify I’d love to study any other programs you teach.”

This is the best self defense course I have ever read. Everything is clearly explained and easy to understand! Phases 1 & 2 are very complementary and greatly enhanced my knowledge of self defense training. IMPECCABLE WORK!

Exceptional study and reference guide for kickboxing fitness – well organized, easy-to-follow. Pictures, step-by-step, following descriptive material were very helpful! As a mind/body fitness instructor, these materials provide an additional opportunity to teach ‘whole body’ exercises, which improve coordination, balance, core strength, endurance, and optimal range of motion.

You totally deserve all the praise you receive! You are an amazing instructor. Thank YOU. You maintain a professional and informative manner throughout the entire video, but I love the way you keep it light with the others in your videos and manage to have a few laughs while presenting valuable material thoroughly. That makes it more personal, not robotic at all. Kudos to you Tim!

Tim,

After completing EmpowerUSA Personal Safety & Self Defense training, I felt more optimistic in taking a trip to San Diego, CA with my 21-month-old son. Anxiety is something I’ve struggled with in my life, especially when it comes to new experiences. However, this course has greatly helped me to feel more confident in my personal skills and abilities. The invaluable safety tips and expert advice, especially those focused on travel and hotel stays, gave me the confidence to navigate unfamiliar territories. By being proactive, aware, and trusting my instincts, I turned my knowledge into real-world experience. Whether strolling downtown with my little one or exploring new sights, I felt secure in my personal safety and self-defense abilities thanks to Mr. Rochford and EmpowerUSA’s life-changing materials. We had an amazing adventure, and I’m forever grateful for the gift of safety and self-assurance this information has given me & my family.

Thank you again for the handbook, it will be put to good use!

Personal Safety & Self-Defense Instructor Training – “Hi Tim! Happy 2025 and I hope this email finds you well! I have [finally] finished your course. There was so much content and detail, and I do feel as though I have learned a great deal. I understand what you told me, much better now – about the need for live training to fully grasp the movement patterns and techniques. I feel as though this could take thousands of hours of personal practice before I would ever feel comfortable instructing others with the physical skills from the course, however I do think I could pass along some of the broad ideas and concepts, and possibly develop fitness programs to complement more formal self-defense training done by someone with more experience. I agree with you 100% that it is imperative to spread the word and encourage others to be more proactive in their health and safety. I do feel exponentially more aware and empowered now! Thank you so much for providing this course and for your encouragement and availability along the way!”

Master Tim, you Rock! This is the best and most comprehensive course I have EVER taken! As a fellow martial artist Black Belt and fitness professional, I want to state that the course was excellent! The quality of the material presented exceeded my expectations!

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