by firearmtraining | May 25, 2022 | Uncategorized
Never has it been a better time to consider self-defence training in the workplace. And we here at Marksman’s Nest Firearm Shooting Range believe that self-defence training in the workplace is all about empowerment-first safety training. Just consider the fact that empowered employees will undoubtedly perform better on the job. But importantly, this empowerment carries beyond the office, classroom or clinic.
Workplace safety issues
There are many workplace safety issues to consider. For instance, these may range from sexual harassment to active shooting events which dominate South African news articles.
Countless employees who have never been on a shooting competency course do feel continually vulnerable and anxious. In a post last year, Marksman’s Nest member Geraldine Burke said, “I work long hours and drive a 200-km round trip to work every day. The route is fraught with hijacking hotspots. Which is why I decided to put a stop to the constant fear while driving. Thanks to Geoffrey and Hein’s training and patience during the self-defence training, I’ve learnt all the aspects of the law on gun ownership, handgun maintenance, alertness and preparedness.”
A skills-first approach
Our workplace safety training follows a skills-first approach in which we teach employees how to respond to harassment and threatening scenarios. So, by providing hands-on skills to trainees, we emphasise empowerment-first in our training modules. Typically this includes: cultivating intuition; talking about the emotional, psychological and physical aspects of stressful work situations; and most importantly, the legal aspects of using a firearm in self-defence.
In our skills-first training, trainees become competent in reacting purely through muscle memory techniques. It’s by far the best way to ensure fast and effective responses. But in the case of trauma survivors, we adopt a one-on-one approach addressing the emotional, psychological and social factors to safely work with these delicate trainees.
At the end of the training, employees will be equipped with safety strategies and knowledge; boundary-setting skills; and physical self-defence skills.
Ongoing training
Some organisations with the necessary resources might consider ongoing safety training for their employees. In this instance we provide skill-specific training after the empowerment-based safety training.
In short, our goal with self-defence training in the workplace is to change employees’ mindsets to a fearless can-do approach.
by firearmtraining | May 12, 2022 | Uncategorized
A little known fact is that you get health benefits at a shooting range. Just think about it: it’s cardiovascular, increases muscle strength, ups stamina, exercises your eyes, improves brain health and lightens your mood.
Cardiovascular work-out
Moving from target to target and walking about the range get the blood pumping and your heart will thank you for this cardiovascular work-out. Holding and firing a weapon also is exciting. That means your adrenaline spikes. Increased adrenaline levels signal your liver to break down glycogen. The latter provides your muscles with glucose, the primary source of body fuel.
Building strength
To aim and shoot your target require steady arms and hands. So this builds arm strength. In addition, remaining still in your shooting stance while aiming your gun exercises your core muscles. Strengthening the abdominal muscles allows the weight of the upper body to be evenly distributed over the front and back, improving balance.
Improving eye sight
Although target shooting can’t fix eye deficiencies, it does exercise your eye capabilities. What’s more, you’ll be giving your eyes a break from staring at computer, TV and phone screens, thus relieving constant eye stress.
Brain health
By keeping your eyes on the target, you need focus. That means you’ll find yourself in the present moment. And health experts the world over are forever stressing the importance of present-moment living.
Then there’s the matter of setting goals and achieving it. As you start checking these goals off of your bucket list at the shooting range, your confidence will surge. This is the perfect antidote to fighting off depression and feelings of inadequacy.
Add to this the fact that shooting sports and self-defence training are entirely mentally-orientated. As a result, you’ll sharpen and expand your concentration levels. Also, there are many problem-solving activities involved in shooting. This further sharpens your brain to think outside the box.
Taking responsibility
Because shooting requires responsibility, you’ll learn a lot in terms of both safety and skill development. That means that shooting sport cultivates personal responsibility, courage and confidence.
So yes, you get health benefits at a shooting range. If you want to start receiving these benefits, sign up today.
by firearmtraining | May 4, 2022 | Uncategorized
We want to reiterate: be prepared because crime is out of control in SA. The most recent 2021/2022 Quarterly Crime Statistics makes for very uncomfortable reading.
Compared to the previous financial year, there was an increase of a whopping 60.6% in contact crimes such as murder, attempted murder, sexual offences and all categories of assault. Murder alone showed a gut-wrenching 66.2% increase. However, when compared to 2019, it’s a 6.7% increase.
Burglary at residential properties is South Africa’s most committed crime with 39 477 occurrences in the second quarter of 2021. Meanwhile, common assault is the second most perpetrated crime with 39 406 instances reported between April and June. Rape is another area of concern. It showed an increase of 2.8% when compared to pre-lockdown statistics. This amounts to 10 006 rapes between April and June 2021.
Learn to defend yourself
Without going into a whole debate about the causes of crime, the number one priority is to learn handgun self-defence.
In a CDC (Centers for Disease Control) study, entitled “Priorities For Research to Reduce the Threat of Firearm-Related Violence,”, it found consistently lower injury rates among gun-using crime victims compared with victims who used other self-protective strategies.
Many gun owners keep a gun simply for the sake of having one. They don’t even start to think that they’ll need to defend themselves one day, so don’t commit to self-defence training. Big mistake!
Self-defence training starts with safety
At Marksman’s Nest, self-defence training starts with knowing the law and the rules. Never assume that you know all there is to know about firearm safety. If you’d like to conceal carry, always be low-profile. Don’t let criminals know you have a gun. We’ll show you how.
Always train with a certified instructor – so do your homework.
Good courses include demonstrations on safe gun handling, maintenance, shooting stances, grip, unholstering, sight alignment, sight picture, trigger press and reset, dry-firing safety protocols, rifle and pistol positions and basic shooting and other gun-handling drills.
Advanced courses include mindset, moving safely and tactically with a gun indoors and outdoors around objects and people, firing positions other than standing, and shooting while walking.
Register today
The synopsis is: be prepared because crime is out of control in SA. So, if you’re serious about defending yourself, your loved ones and property, take a step in the right direction by signing up for a course in self-defence.
