U.S. Women's Shooting Academy

I was afraid to even be around guns for fear they would mysteriously go off and cause an accident. Sarah’s passion to help empower women to feel comfortable with guns and shooting techniques convinced me to give it a try and boy am i glad i did. I am now hooked. I love shooting as a hobby and Sarah has helped empower me enough to want my own gun and to take more lessons with her! Sarah has a natural talent, passion, patience and a true gift for teaching gun safety from beginner to advanced shooting techniques. If you have ever wanted to learn how to shoot or improve your techniques Sarah is the best teacher!

Ms. Sarah Williamson’s training provided me the safety tools and skills I needed to prepare myself for the Concealed Carry Weapon (CCW) certification course I just completed.  She was generous in allowing the students to use her own guns so that they could get familiar with how to hold, shoot and aim at the target. This is a huge benefit if you are unsure of what gun to purchase and what is best for you, and because of this, I found the hand gun best suited for me. She is ultra patient with beginners and assisted in building my confidence to be a gun owner. She also shares links to websites to assist in purchasing the right gear for the shooting range and for training tools. With Sarah, safety is always first and foremost! I highly recommend her. 

My 16-year old son had been wanting to learn how to shoot for some time and my husband and I decided last year that he was now responsible enough.  In addition, we had purchased a handgun and a shotgun that we wanted to learn how to use.    I researched many different training academies and all were much more than what I felt comfortable paying for a family package.  I learned about Sarah when I called a range where she was training.  It was affordable and she came with great recommendations. Immediately upon meeting Sarah we felt totally comfortable.  She allowed us to practice with her guns which were smaller caliber first and work our way up as we felt comfortable.  She is amazingly knowledgeable about all guns and has been shooting since she was a child and even competitively.  In addition, Sarah is fun to be around as well as being so encouraging.  When we were finished with our first 2-hour session we felt so confident.  My other teen son later went for lessons too after hearing his brother talk about how great it was.  We have since been back many times just to practice and get more instruction from Sarah.  We truly cannot say enough good things about her.  She is by far a 5-star instructor!

My husband and I took a four-hour gun class from Sarah and we were very pleased with the results. I not only improved my target shooting but learned I am an ambidextrous shooter. Sarah is very knowledgeable and covered some basic home protection as well as shooting techniques. I would recommend Sarah to anybody looking to take their shooting skills to a higher level.

Sarah’s unique ability to make you comfortable with your weapon is astonishing! Her dedication to make you as knowledgeable as possible and at the same time to be able in the matter of few hours learn valuable skills of how to handle your guns, as well as self defense techniques. Every class feels like an amazing, versatile experience of feeling strong and self improved. I took multiple classes and I am still looking forward for more private classes. 

From our very first class with Sarah, we never wanted to leave class!  Sarah was incredibly knowledgeable, patient and skilled at teaching my husband, teenage son and I how to shoot multiple handguns with precision.  My son was apprehensive picking up his first gun, yet Sarah made him feel safe and at ease.  Her passion for teaching shines through in every moment you’re with her and I feel like I’m constantly learning just being around Sarah.  She takes every opportunity to guide you and refine your shooting ability.  Not a moment is lost.  Sarah goes above and beyond what we would ever expect in a teacher. Thanks a million for training us how to keep our family safe!

I have trained with Sarah Williamson. I am a long-time gunner – who needed to improve my skills. Sarah has been instrumental in teaching me better accuracy (shot placement with actual live fire and laser training); to confidently shoot at moving and stationary targets. Sarah has a confident, firm, yet  gentle – yet positive-affirming, approach to teaching that is not intimidating. I look forward to ongoing training with Sarah Williamson – she is definitely worth your time spent training with her. Without any hesitation, I recommend her to train you to improve your shooting skills. .

Awesome experience. Sarah is a pro who introduced me to Steel Challenge.  I had never shot competitively and she spent two hours in a private lesson teaching me the fundamentals of drawing, target alignment, movement and trigger control under pressure.  She is personable and it was a joy to be coached by her. 

I did not find your courses on my own. My sisters went to your female only course and were so enthusiastic about how you instruct, I wanted to learn too. You were so confident and patient that I became confident.  I appreciated the background you gave on yourself and I was especially impressed by your respect for firearm safety and the grave responsibility of gun ownership.  After your course I purchased my own handgun and I feel confident I am better equipped to handle it.  I would enthusiastically recommend you to anyone wanting to learn how to handle firearms but especially to women that may feel trepidation on getting introduced to the skill. You showed we can still be 100% girl and handle a gun! I intend to see you yearly for a refresher. 

My shooting experience with Sarah was absolutely amazing. From a person that “cries” when she holds a gun, I became very comfortable and confident handling guns. Sarah taught me to love the sport and feel secure in my skills! More than that I gained a great new friend. 

Lori L.

“Defense Coach” best describes the lessons she provides.

I went to Sarah to hone my shooting skills after buying a pistol, it had been 20 years since I’d used a pistol. Sarah provided excellent physical instruction, (arm position, stance etc), and unexpectedly she provided “thinking” instruction. Scenarios and goals. This was so important, i realized, to gun ownership... always thinking and be aware of your surroundings.

Sarah also instructs on physical strengthening for weapon handling and hand eye coordination. Again, she was above and beyond my expectations; i now have confidence that I can handle my pistol and that itself is priceless and very necessary for all gun owners.

Sarah L.

I have done about 8 hours of training with Sarah now and I must say she is AMAZING!  I felt so competent after our training and knew immediately that I wanted more time with her.  She has the technical experience and knowhow to make sure you are doing exactly what you need to do to be your best with your firearm.  I can't wait to do many more hours of training with her.  You won't go wrong training with Sarah, she is the BEST!!

My sister and I decided to pull the trigger (pun intended) and take a women’s only beginning hand gun course at CTALA.  We were supremely fortunate to have Sarah Williamson as our instructor.  Some of us came with firearms, others like my sister and I rented a gun from the range.  Sarah put us at ease right away with her natural gift to instruct.  She took us through firearm safety and gave us detailed instruction on what we would need to pass the firearm safety exam.  Sarah brought a variety of firearms so we could have a chance to shoot different calibers. Most important for me Sarah took the mystery and fear out of firing and handling a weapon. Her great stories and sense of humor made the day all the better. After her instruction I took the firearm safety exam and I bought myself a GSG 1911.  Enjoyed the class with Sarah so much I invited my other sister to attend one of Sarah’s classes with me.  She too learned to shoot with Sarah’s skillful instruction. Now all three of us have our firearms and are looking forward to getting back out to the range soon.  I can’t recommend highly enough the combination of the woman’s beginning class and Sarah’s excellent instruction. 

We want to hear from you!  How was your experience?