Private “One-On-One” Classes
From $350.00
Description
Private One-on-One Survival / Self-Reliance Classes
For thousands of years, survival and self-reliance skills were not taught in large classrooms. Native American skills and knowledge were traditionally passed from one person to another—through personal instruction, demonstration, observation, and hands-on practice.
That same approach is at the heart of my Private One-on-One Survival & Self-Reliance Class.
This isn’t a large class where you are one student among many. For the entire class, you have the instructor’s full attention. The day is devoted to you, what you want to learn, and the questions you want answered.
Your Class — Your Interests — Your Pace
We can follow the same proven agenda I use in my regular Survival/Self-Reliance classes, covering subjects such as fire making, shelter, navigation, knives and sharpening, water purification, edible and medicinal plants, weather forecasting, knots, survival kits, and other traditional outdoor skills.
But in a one-on-one class, the agenda can be built around YOU.
Already comfortable with a particular skill? We don’t have to spend much time on it. Want to spend an hour mastering flint & steel, practicing a bow-drill fire, learning navigation, identifying plants, or discussing a particular survival situation? That’s exactly what we can do.
There is no pressure to keep up with other students—and no waiting while the rest of a class catches up.
We move at YOUR pace.
You Have the Instructor’s Full Attention
This may be the greatest advantage of one-on-one instruction.
In a larger class, an instructor has to divide his attention among everyone. Questions have to be balanced against the needs of the entire group.
Here, your questions ARE the class.
You can stop me at any time and ask:
“Why are you doing it that way?”
“Can you show me that again?”
“What happens if I don’t have that piece of equipment?”
“Would this work differently in winter?”
“Can I try it myself?”
Instead of simply watching demonstrations, you’ll have the opportunity to do the skills yourself, make mistakes, ask questions, try again, and develop confidence under personal guidance.
That is very close to the way practical outdoor knowledge was traditionally passed from an experienced person to the next generation: watch it, do it, understand it, and practice it.
Everything Is Included
Your class includes the instruction as well as the food, materials, and supplies we use during the class. For overnight or multi-day instruction, three meals per day are included.
Classes are typically held at Richfield Heritage Preserve in Richfield, Ohio, where I lease a portion of the approximately 380-acre property. The woodland setting gives us plenty of room to learn and practice real outdoor skills, while pavilions and nearby restroom facilities provide some conveniences.
For a multi-day class, you can camp at the Preserve for an even more immersive experience, or simply commute each day.
One Day—or an Entire Weekend
How deeply we explore the skills is entirely up to you.
A one-day private class can concentrate on the subjects that matter most to you. A two-day class gives us considerably more time to practice skills, explore different techniques, and cover much of the material from my Weekend Survival Class.
The important difference is that we aren’t racing through a predetermined schedule.
If you want to go deeper into a subject, we can.
Private One-on-One Pricing
$350 per day
This is YOUR private class. The day is built around you—your interests, your questions, and the skills you want to learn. Your fee includes personal instruction, hands-on training, food, materials, and supplies.
Want to bring someone with you?
You can add one additional person to YOUR private class for only $150 per day. Maybe it’s your spouse, a friend, an older child, or simply someone you’d enjoy learning these skills with.
First person — $350 per day
Second person — only $150 per day
Child (12 yrs. old or under) – $100 per day
That means the two of you (2 Adults) can enjoy an entire day of private Survival/Self-Reliance instruction for $500 total—or just $250 per person.
Most importantly, YOU decide whether to add that second person. If you prefer the traditional one-on-one learning experience and want the instructor’s undivided attention for the entire day, the class remains completely yours.
John Petz –
I took a three day private 101 class with Tom in December. I have spent a lot of time outside hiking and camping as well as watching many of the shows. I wanted to work with an expert to test my skills to confirm what I was doing or thought was correct, find out the right way or learn brand new skills I had maybe seen but never actually done.
I couldn’t have asked for more from the class with Tom (other than maybe better weather as we fought through weather in the low to mid 30’s and rain/sleet – fun conditions for fire making!). We covered a tremendous amount of material in just three days. I was extremely impressed with Tom breadth of experiences in native skills, survival, homesteading etc. The one on one attention and guidance was great, I was able to build and successfully test a bow drill to make fire, a figure 4 deadfall, spring snare etc. It’s awesome to be able to say I’ve now done that. It was great that Tom had an agenda for what was important to cover, but was happy to add new topics of interest or reduce the agenda to just an overview where I was more comfortable to really customize the training.
This experience was so much more than expected. Spending one on one time with Tom and his easy going style was invaluable. I enjoyed being able to pick his brain and ask questions on related topics or more details around what we were doing and he was happy to accommodate. An overall great experience with a great guy, I will be taking more of his courses.
Megan Shumaker –
Although I’ve been an avid backpacker for over 15 years, I wanted to take my skills to the next level. I’m also often in the woods by myself or with others who have little to no experience and are relying on me to keep them safe. I wanted to have a better idea of what to do if things don’t go as planned when we’re isolated in the woods. Plus, I love the idea of being more self-reliant.
I booked a 3-day, private class with Tom to cover the skills he teaches in his Survival 101 class. I requested an emphasis on navigation and we added how to properly use an axe. It’s hard to believe all the skills we covered in just that short amount of time. Tom has a kind and easy going approach to teaching that built my confidence to a level I never thought I could reach…and, I had an absolute blast doing it.
Tom was extremely generous with his time, his vast knowledge and resources. I got the skills I was hoping for with so much more. I left there excited to try out my skills and I can’t wait to sign up for Survival 201 when he offers it next year. The private class was definitely the best learning experience for me. I often take a little longer to learn new skills and can get frustrated if I feel like I’m falling behind. Having 1:1 time with such a skilled instructor was invaluable for me. Tom seemed to have just as much fun teaching as I did learning which helped a lot. I’ve never been able to pick up things so quickly and clearly and I attribute it 100% to Tom’s teaching style and ability. This was an incredible experience and I highly recommend it for anyone-whether you’re a complete novice or want to hone your skills. This is the best way to cater to your specific needs and pace. I’m so grateful for this experience!
Matt Deutsch –
My wife and I took a private one-on-one class with Tom, and it was an incredible experience. Tom’s teaching style is the perfect mix of encouragement and instruction, which allowed us to go at our own pace, but also forced us to break out of our comfort zone to learn new skills.
Tom’s passion for survival training is evident, and that passion was infectious during our class. He’s having fun, and he wants you to have fun, as well. Not only that, but he also enjoys seeing you experience success. He cherishes the knowledge and skills that he’s accumulated, and he genuinely wants to share them with other people.
Speaking of which, Tom is a fountain of knowledge and expertise, all of which he has amassed during a career that spans decades. In addition, he’s constantly seeking to gain new information and discover the latest trends and innovations in the world of survival. One of the most appealing aspects of the training is that it is rooted in Native American tradition, hearkening back to the Old Ways of not just surviving in the woods, but thriving. These are tried-and-true methods that have been literally used for centuries.
We were surprised and delighted that we found such a great school and great instructor in our own backyard of Northeast Ohio. We’ll be taking more classes with Tom, and we encourage others to do the same, especially if you’re a novice or you’re just starting out. When you leave the class, you’ll have more knowledge, more skills, and more confidence than you thought possible!