Mile High Success with COBRA Fort Collins .
At first glance, Brenda might not look like she’d be too much of a handful to a criminal. She is petite, works at a library, and is a mother and grandmother. The criminal would be wrong. Brenda has taken self-defense seriously since receiving her own wake-up call about how important it is to insure your ability to protect your life before the bad guy makes their first move. She was one of the graduating members of The Dojo in Fort Collins’ COBRA Academy 1, and she is a leader of the Northern Colorado Chapter of the Well Armed Woman.
One of Brenda’s first steps when choosing to not be a victim was to obtain a firearm and learn how to use it. A weapon can be a great equalizer in a fight with someone physically much stronger than you, but she came to see the limitations of her gun as well. Clearly not content with “good enough,” she added to her arsenal the skills and scenario training of the 10 week COBRA academy.
Brenda contacted me several months after her graduation from the academy. Her request was that Elizabeth, another certified COBRA instructor, and I demonstrate some of the COBRA techniques to the members of the Well Armed Woman of Northern Colorado. There are plenty of situations where a gun is not accessible, and she wanted her members to know that there is more they can do to empower themselves and she urged them to enroll in the academy. She also wanted women speaking to women. What techniques work for a man might not work for a woman, so they needed to know that COBRA worked for Elizabeth, myself, and Brenda.
Absolutely most important, however, was this message: You have the right to defend yourself. No weapon will work if you won’t use it. Whether that weapon is a gun, knowledge of self defense techniques, or your mind’s ability to assess danger and avoid it, when the time comes YOU have to be there for YOU.
We met the well-armed women at the gun range. Members varied widely in age and background, but they were curious, open, and full of questions. We discussed TPM, hard and soft targets, awareness, and much more. At the end, they invited us for range time and Elizabeth and I squeezed off a few rounds next to an 80-year-old marks-woman who was doing serious damage to her target.
The Well Armed Women of Northern Colorado were a wonderful group. I am continually impressed by the community and camaraderie that exists when people come together to make a choice to be stronger, to be nobody’s victim. I am especially proud of the women that make that choice. For every COBRA graduate and Well Armed Woman out there, we make the world a little safer, a little harder for the criminals and bullies. That’s something to be proud of.
For Training Information at the Colorado C.O.B.R.A. Center:
