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Cowboy Preacher, I'm unaware of any law against carrying cuffs in VA. As mentioned above, zip ties are probably a better option anyway (not so bulky and less suspicious). Also, I see no reason to carry brass knuckles or blackjacks when other legal options are available. I always carry OC spray and a knife or three in addition to a handgun, and sometimes an ASP baton. I can't think of a situation when these tools would be insufficient. There's really not much difference between what I carry and what a cop carries, including means to call for backup (cellphone).
As far as training, there's the Kelly Worden "Tactical Baton" video (quite good) and similar videos for other tools. LFI offers kubotan and handcuff training in their upper-level classes. In fact, most training available to civilians goes far beyond that at the police academy. At the end of one LFI class, you reach instructor level and actually train police officers.
LFI recommends against using cuffs, but teaches them anyway because some people want/need to use them. If you live in a very remote area, you might need to make a citizen's arrest while waiting hours (or days!) for the cops to arrive. As mentioned above, if you cuff someone without a legal reason (citizen's arrest) you will be in serious trouble. We citizens have one option that cops don't: we can let the bad guy go rather than attempt to restrain him.
(I agree that "citizen" isn't the best term for "not a police officer" but I haven't heard a better suggestion. Plus, it's the standard as used in terms like citizen's arrest.)
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