Women are doing it for themselves!

Every three hours, a woman is killed in South Africa. What's more, the rate of femicide is five times higher than the global average. This is South Africa’s ‘other pandemic’. And half of the victims were murdered by men with whom they had a close relationship. Last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that South Africa was one of “the most unsafe places in the world to be a woman”. Protests against gender-based violence won’t help. “The time has come for women to take matters into their own hands by learning the ropes of close-quarter defensive training,” said Marksman’s Nest chief range officer Geoffrey Coetzee.

Women are taking control

Since 2020, scores of women have enrolled for the Marksman’s Nest Close-quarter Defensive Handgun Training course. One of these is Jo Poynton, who explained, “As a citizen, woman and mother, this course has empowered me with skills and the confidence of knowing I’ll be able to defend myself or another in the event of an attack. With the high crime rate in our country, every woman should prioritise this training.” Nicky Whitehead echoed the same message, “Unfortunately, as females we fall into the ‘soft target’ category automatically. But I refuse to be a soft target. Hence having completed the firearm/self-defence training has definitely been empowering."

Every minute counts

Geoffrey said being prepared was of the utmost importance. "Instead of waiting for help, women need to be able to respond. Their mindset and awareness should change and be developed in our well-structured close-quarter defensive training course. “Sadly, statistics tell us that women haven’t been equipped to defend themselves against an attacker. This paints a dark picture. However, learning close-quarter self-defence tactics and situational awareness is something women can and should act on.” Self-defence helps women protect themselves and their family. In short, it’s the difference between life and death. Also, having trained in close-quarter handgun self-defence, women are taught discipline and that discipline transfers to all other areas of their lives. Not only that, but being ready to defend themselves, women gain confidence. “That alone is a powerful weapon,” said Geoffrey. Another trainee, Geraldine de Jager, agreed. “During the months I’ve spent at Marksmans Nest, I’ve gained so much confidence that I’ll be ready for any situation that I may find myself in. Not only have I learnt to shoot, handle a firearm, or understand the consequences of pulling the trigger, I’ve also learnt a lot about myself in the process.”

Freedom from fear

Being equipped to deal with close-quarter self-defence opens up a source of freedom for women in an imperfect world. Building confidence in physical resistance skills, situational awareness and handgun training allows women to feel more capable and more at peace when in potentially dangerous areas or situations. Keeping yourself safe is a priority and every woman deserves to have the necessary self-defence skills if or when danger strikes. The close-quarter defensive handgun training classes at Marksman’s Nest will be the best investment you’ve ever made. To make this investment, contact Geoffrey.