Fifteen women from across the country gathered at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) for A Girl & A Gun’s DRIFT Academy, a one-of-a-kind training experience designed to develop real-world skills, sharpen decision-making, and build lasting confidence.
Over three immersive days, participants progressed from foundational mindset training to high-intensity, hands-on vehicle applications. Day One began in the classroom, where students focused on situational awareness and countersurveillance, learning to recognize patterns, stay alert, and better understand their environment before action is ever required.
Training quickly shifted into dynamic application.
Students engaged in controlled vehicle contact exercises, learning how to use a car as a defensive tool when necessary, including how and when to ram another vehicle to create an escape opportunity. The experience was loud, intense, and empowering, pushing participants to expand their comfort zones while reinforcing control and intention behind the wheel.
On the skid pad, attendees developed critical driving skills, including managing traction, recovering from slides, and maintaining control in unpredictable conditions. These drills built both technical ability and confidence, preparing students for more complex scenarios.
Day Two culminated on the racetrack, where participants integrated awareness, vehicle dynamics, and decision-making at speed. Through evasive driving exercises, students learned to respond, adapt, and stay in control under pressure, demonstrating that true skill emerges when everything happens at once.
“This is about stacking layers of defense. Awareness comes first. Then positioning and movement. The vehicle becomes another tool you can use to solve the problem. When you put those layers together, you’re not reacting, you’re in control,” said Rick Henson, Lead Instructor, RFH Tactical Mobility.
The final day elevated training even further with advanced vehicle-based scenarios. Participants tackled high-speed kart training to sharpen reaction time, precision, and control. They experienced vehicle rollover simulations, learned about bullet velocity for various calibers, and worked in and around vehicles with nonlethal and lethal defense options. The day culminated with exercises on the realities of vehicle ballistics, gaining a clear understanding of how vehicles perform as cover versus concealment.
DRIFT Academy continues to set a new standard in experiential training by integrating mindset, mechanics, and movement into a cohesive, high-impact curriculum. Participants leave not only with advanced technical skills, but with the confidence to apply them in real-world situations.
Through programs like DRIFT Academy, A Girl & A Gun continues to lead the way in delivering innovative, experience-driven training that equips women with practical skills and lasting confidence.
Three days. Real skills. Real confidence.
You can watch it, or you can be the one doing it.
For more information about upcoming DRIFT Academy events, visit AGirlandAGun.org/drift.
The Women's Outdoor News, aka The WON, features news, reviews and stories about women who are shooting, hunting, fishing and actively engaging in outdoor adventure. This publication is for women, by women. View all posts by The WON
