Junior Ria Rajasekharan hopes to teach her peers that self-defense requires more than physical tools. 

“As much as we would love to say, ‘Oh, I have my pepper spray, I’ll be fine.’ That’s not always going to work,” said Rajasekharan.

This student-led club helps students start early in learning self-defense, teaching students to be confident in their ability to protect themselves.

Club meetings focus on practicing a series of Krav Maga moves, a form of self-defense designed for real-life situations, while also teaching when it would be appropriate to use those moves.

“I do teach basic moves, but they extend a lot with different variations, which means the moves that I teach are applicable to a lot of different scenarios,” Rajasekharan said.

When students take the time to learn self-defense, they are taught how to protect themselves as well as how to respond to potential danger. These skills will be useful for everyone as they enter adulthood.

“Once I got to high school, I realized there are dangerous places in Fort Collins,” she said. 

Rajasekharan has adapted her lessons to comply with district policies while still ensuring students can fully learn how to protect themselves.

“The district does not allow us to make contact when fighting,” Rajasekharan said. “So, instead of chokes, we use shirt grabs. That way, we’re not making contact, but it still has the same learning effect.” 

Rajasekharan believes all students should be able to know self-defense regardless of their situation.

“I wanted to have this as a more accessible option, because not everybody is able to afford self-defense classes and gear,” Rajasekharan said. 

 Sophomore Jiay Iren, who attended the first session last week, said this club has helped her feel safe in tense situations.

“When I go out at night, I now know how to defend myself,” Iren said. 

Self-defense is an important life skill for students to learn, said Fossil counselor Nicole Alvarado, the club’s staff monitor.

“I think it’s an awesome tool and skill that, unfortunately, people need to know. It’s a scary world at times, so they have to be prepared,” Alvarado said

Knowing self-defense will protect people beyond high school.

“I think once you kind of get it ingrained, it’s going to be there for a lifetime,” Alvarado said.