Tradecraft Resource Center
Field Craft Academy's open training library. Tactical skills for homeschool families — map reading, disguise, dead drops, urban navigation, bona fides, surveillance, and more. Foundational tradecraft for serious young trainees.
Operation Trust: How To Verify Your Asset's Bona Fides
Master the art of verifying identities and intentions with this guide on bona fides. Learn how Field Craft Academy trains recruits to distinguish between genuine allies and deceptive double agents.
Counter-Surveillance: Active Measures
Distinct from detection — active measures to shake a surveillance team. Dry cleaning, the trap street, breaking the floating box, and using terrain and timing to your advantage.
Route Planning & Evasion
Chokepoint avoidance and primary/alternate/emergency route planning, plus evasion basics — the dry-clean, breaking contact, and never leading a tail home. The operational upgrade to basic urban navigation.
Escape & Evasion Basics
What to do if you're made — the abort signal, primary and secondary rally points, the evasion sequence, what 'made' looks like, and why safety always comes first.
Conducting a Surveillance Stand
Offensive surveillance — how to watch a target without being made. Covers the stationary foot post, the floating box, target handoffs, and how SDR discipline cuts both ways.
Interrogation Resistance
Age-appropriate 'don't give up the code word' games. Stay in character, never confirm the secret exists, and practice resisting casual, persistent, and bribe-based pressure through your cover story.
Observation & Memory
Situational awareness drills and description recall — the 'what did you just see?' exercise, memory palaces, chunking, and how to notice without staring. The foundation of every other tradecraft skill.
Cover for Action vs. Cover for Status
Cover for action is the moment — why you're doing what you're doing right now. Cover for status is the lifestyle — who you are and why you're in this area at all. Master the distinction that separates amateurs from operatives.
Caching & Cache Retrieval
How to place and service a concealed, pre-positioned store — distinct from dead drops. Covers buried, magnetic, and hidden-in-plain-sight caches, plus placement and retrieval procedures.
The Brush Pass / Brush Contact
The live-handoff counterpart to the dead drop — a fraction-of-a-second transfer between two operatives who brush past each other without stopping or acknowledging each other.
The Art of Being 'Grey': Mastering the Skill of Blending In
Become a stealthy spy by mastering the art of being 'grey'. This guide teaches you how to blend into your environment, making you virtually undetectable in any crowd!
Navigating by the Stars: Your Urban Spy Map to the Night Sky
Discover the art of celestial navigation with our essential guide! Learn how to use stars, planets, and constellations to find your way in the urban jungle after dark.
DIY Disguise Hacks: Transforming the Everyday into the Unseen
Unlock the secrets of disguise with DIY techniques that turn common household items into powerful tools for stealth. Perfect for aspiring young recruits, this guide covers quick and effective disguises for any mission.
Mastering Urban Terrain: Navigation Skills for Young Operatives
Unlock the secrets of urban navigation as you and your child learn to interpret maps and use landmarks to safely reach your destinations. Whether planning an outdoor adventure or a daily commute, these essential skills will have your family navigating like seasoned spies.
Silent Ears: Mastering Basic Eavesdropping Skills
Learn how to listen discreetly and gather vital intel with on-point surveillance techniques! This guide teaches families ages 8-14 how to master basic eavesdropping skills while emphasizing respect and ethics in real-world scenarios.
Silent Stealth Techniques: Master the Art of Quiet Movement
Unlock the secrets of silent movement and evasion in this engaging guide. Learn essential techniques like foot placements, breathing, and shadows to become a stealthy recruit in the world of spycraft!
Decoding Secret Messages: The Spy's Guide to Codes and Ciphers
Unlock the secrets of spy communication as you learn to decode messages using fascinating historical techniques. Perfect for family agents in training, this guide offers practical exercises to master the art of hidden communication!
Cover Story Crafting 101: The Art of Character Creation for Spy Missions
Unlock the secrets to crafting compelling cover stories that will help you blend seamlessly into any mission. Discover character development tips, contextual trickery, and the spy tradecraft behind successful deception!
Urban Caches: Mastering the Art of Hidden Supply Drops
Discover the secret world of caches used by spies to cleverly store and retrieve important items. This guide will equip families with the skills to create their own operational caches for urban navigation and fun.
Dead Drops: The Art of Hidden Communication
Learn how to set up and use a dead drop—a clever means of discreet communication used by spies for decades. This family-friendly guide will transform you into a budding spy, engaging your kids in fun, hands-on espionage activities!