Testicular self‐examination (TSE) can lead to early diagnosis and treatment of testicular cancer, the third leading cause of death in young men. We evaluated the effectiveness of a brief and specific checklist for teaching TSE skills. Ten men were videotaped while performing testicular self‐examinations before and after training. The TSE training resulted in large and significant increases in the number of TSE steps completed and duration of the TSE. Two urological validation measures supported the improvements observed in the mens' self‐examinations. Subjects reported continued performance of TSE during a follow‐up telephone interview. This pilot study indicates that a brief and specific checklist is an effective strategy for teaching early cancer detection