This summer, when asked what I was planning on doing, my answer was basically "work and relax". Once I had gotten tired of giving such a boring response, I decided I needed to do something else with my time. I wasn't working enough to have no free time, and I had too much free time to justify relaxing during all of it. So, in order to stay fit and learn something new, I signed up for Krav Maga classes.
Krav Maga is, as defined by Google, "a form of self-defense and physical training, first developed by the Israeli army in the 1940s, based on the use of reflexive responses to threatening situations". It literally means "contact combat".
1. It is practical defense.
Krav Maga is meant to be effective for street situations, and the instructors remind us of this every class. It has been proven to work because it teaches practical, intuitive defense. It works to form your automatic reflexes to deflect more effectively and fight back explosively, both of which in combination gives you a much better chance in a hostile situation. You also learn how to take a punch and react to contact, which will help you keep your focus if you're caught off guard in a real situation.
2. It can be taught at any level.
Krav Maga Worldwide is where I took my classes, and their adult classes start at Level 1, which assumes little to no previous experience in any kind of fighting or martial arts training. I, for one, had absolutely no martial arts training and had very little idea of how to effectively fight or defend myself. They even have classes for kids that start teaching them the basics of the defense system. The structure of the classes allow for beginners to learn new material or people who have been training for a long time to brush up on the technique and strengthen what they already know. They also have a belt system, in which you test up to Level 2, Level 3, etc. based on how many classes you have taken and how effectively you can use what you know.
3. It's a great workout.
Once again, for multiple levels of fitness, Krav is a good workout. It works most parts of your body, from the warmup at the beginning to the various exercises throughout an hour long class. If you're looking to stay fit and get stronger, this is the workout for you. It also offers more entertainment than running on a treadmill for an hour, which was a major perk for me.
4. The people are great.
In my experience, because you have to pick a sparring partner for every class to practice your technique with, the people are mostly extremely friendly and encouraging. Some exercises are very draining, and it's awesome to have someone cheering you on even though they don’t know you! Being a girl, usually I gravitate towards partnering with another girl (and there is usually a good amount of women in the room!), which is nice because it's more comfortable. However, partnering with a guy is equally good, if not even more effective, because it pushed me outside of my comfort zone and allowed me to spar with someone who is more likely to be attacking me if (God forbid) I was ever attacked outside. The increased strength was helpful in giving me a more realistic look at the kind of strength I might be up against, which was a valuable experience.
5. It is a confidence booster.
No doubt about it, you feel powerful when you're in that training room learning how to fight. It is empowering to know that I have some tools at my disposal should anything potentially happen to me or my friends. It is also proven that exercise generally just makes you feel better and more confident, which doesn't hurt.
Go out and try it! It's an amazing experience that will leave you wanting more...
