73 Employees of Centurion Eye Hospital in Pretoria attended a 3 hour C.O.B.R.A. self-defense training session on 1 & 2 December 2016. Many of this highly regarded hospital’s employees work abnormal hours and often have to work or go home when the risk of crime is highest. As a responsible employer the hospital decided to empower their employees by training them in reality based self defense.
The training, which was split into 4 sessions over two days, involved an hour long presentation on the psychology of self defense to teach employees how criminals think and select their victims as well as equipping them with knowledge on how to identify pre-attack indicators and what to do to avoid becoming a victim. The presentation further covered improvised weapons where employees learned how to use everyday items found at home or at the workplace as a self-defense weapon. Practical advice were provided on how to secure your residence against home invasions. The advantages and disadvantages of various commercial self-defense weapons were also covered.
The theoretical session was followed by a practical session where participants learned how to effectively use simple techniques to defend against multiple weapons and how to get out of various holds, grabs and chokes. Throughout the course the employees  were highly motivated to learn how to protect themselves and they had great fun while doing so.
