27 Reasons Why I LOVE Krav Maga (and 7 why I HATE it)
Picture by Marilyn Clevenger for KMG.
I guess it goes without saying I’ve pretty much fallen in love with Krav Maga. ;) Hence the blog, the Twitter account and the constant nagging at people to “come ooooon, at least give it one try”.
For me, it’s been one of those pivotal things in my life, for a whole lot of reasons, which I’ll list below. Why do you love Krav Maga? Let me know in the comments, on Twitter or on Facebook!
1. I feel really great about myself. This is sort of the end result from a lot of the things listed below, but it deserves the top spot. Feeling better, stronger and more confident makes me feel more in control of my life, which makes me more relaxed and happy. I love Krav Maga.
2. The techniques are easy to learn. You don’t spend months working on an obscure technique. You can pick it up and execute it properly within twenty minutes. Perhaps not super fast, instinctive or fluid yet, but it works. The results are immediate.
3. The techniques work. So, you’re facing a guy who’s taller and twice as broad as you? BAM! Kick to the groin, eye gauge and he goes down, because it hurts. You can’t take many hits to your sensitive areas and remain standing. A guy twice your size chokes you? Someone take you in a headlock from the side? BOOM! Counter technique works like a charm, for absolute newbie to veteran, for little ladies and manly men.
4. The techniques are easy to remember. The Krav Maga techniques are based on instinctive reactions. Because of the small alterations you make to your natural movements, these techniques are really easy to remember. Your body automatically makes half the movement, you just have to complete it.
5. The techniques become instinctive. Krav Maga trains under extreme and stressful circumstances and will constantly repeat certain techniques and moves. Because of the repetition and circumstances, your body is forced to learn these techniques as their new instinctive reactions in stressful situations. If someone tries to choke or grab me I’m half-way through the technique before I realize what’s actually happening. (A friend playing a joke.)
6. We fight dirty. It’s about survival. There are no rules on the street. Someone will come at you with intent to kill or rape you and you counter fully. No mercy. Fuck them! I guess I have some sort of sadistic streak, but I like that I have the knowledge to do some real damage to someone who means me harm.
7. The counters are quick and brutal – with the intent to flee. No time to think. You’re attacked, you counter brutally so the sucker goes down and then you RUN. It’s the efficiency and speed of your counter attacks which make me love Krav Maga. No bullshitting, you learn ways to take the other down fast and hard so you can run and survive.
8. “I know at least three ways to kill a man with my bare hands.” – Holy FUCK! How cool is it to be able to say this and MEAN it? I just feel so badass sometimes. ;)
Picture by Adam Lundquist for KMG.
9. I know how to make a fist and punch someone/something properly. For the first time in 23 years I’ve made an actual fist to punch something. It was scary at first, but it’s pretty cool to know my hands can deal some actual damage. Again, I feel so badass when I think of this. :P
10. Great physical conditioning & cardio work-out. I didn’t honestly think my condition had improved much in four months. Right up until I convinced a friend to train with us. Friend was out of breath and crazy exhausted after six minutes while I had a whole lot of breaths left in me. Four months ago, friend and I were at the same level condition-wise. A real eye-opener to the awesomeness of Krav Maga conditioning.
11. My abs have never looked better! The first time I wore a bikini since last year and HOLY FUCK. My abs have NEVER looked so good and non-pudgy! So relieved all those stupid sit-ups and crunches are actually paying off!
Picture by Kirsten Leavitt-van Loozen for http://www.institute-kravmaga.nl.
12. I can do push-ups no problem. To me this means so much. Four months ago, I didn’t have much definition in any of my muscles. Particularly my biceps and arm muscles looked flat and pudgy. :( Now, however? After a million push-ups my instructor (the sadist) makes us do? Defined muscles, baby. Oh yeah. Not hideously defined, but pretty defined, in a still feminine way!
13. I feel safer when I’m out and about. Krav Maga has given me the means to defend myself. And because I’m a girl, I’ll have the surprise effect of being able to defend myself. It’ll give me the time to deliver that crushing counter attack so I can get away ASAP. Knowing this makes me feel safer when I’m out on my own. (All the time, basically).
14. I’m more easy-going with strangers. Because I’m aware of how to defend myself, I am more easy-going with strangers. I am more relaxed, make eye contact more easily and don’t mind having a conversation. I actually really like talking to other people (I’m quite nosy and talkative) so being able to do so without being scared or worried means a lot to me. It just gives you more fun in life.
15. I don’t spook easily when a (creepy but well-meaning) stranger talks to me. Just the other day, this random creepy guy walked up to me and said “You look absolutely gorgeous today!”, smiled and then walked on. I was a bit bemused, but not really creeped out. Before Krav Maga I would have been rattled and semi-afraid. Now I just smiled, thanked him and continued on my way, quite pleased with the compliment.
16. I have a better attitude, which results in better interaction with people. I’m more confident. I’m happier. I like walking on the street during a great day. I love being alive. This is the attitude I project when I walk on the streets. People notice this and react correspondingly with an equally positive/happy response, which makes me happier. :) A good cycle!
17. I’m not so easily intimidated anymore. I stand up for myself and I stand up for others. Before Krav Maga I’d generally just shut up and observe things. Now I speak up (in moderation, without getting into a fight) in an appropriate manner. Because what’s the worst that could happen? In my mind, that was always a physical attack because I was so unprepared. Again, now that I know how to do the initial defense, counter and follow-up I’m no longer so intimidated. Also, as it turns out, people are not actually very keen to get into a fight. ;)
18. I know how my body can be a weapon. Even if you’re in a situation in which you’re unable to perform any of the official Krav Maga techniques, I’ve learned how my entire body can be used in a fight. How your elbows, feet, your fingers, forehead and even your mouth are weapons to defend yourself with. Better yet, I know how to use my body when a guy twice my size has me pinned down tightly and I’m pretty much stuck. (Urgh!!)
19. I know how powerful a human body can be. Not only am I aware of the fragility of the human body, I’m also aware of the strength. The human body can take a LOT before it gives up. Knowing that I won’t go down with one hit or that I won’t go unconscious from hitting the ground hard (and being defenseless) did something really good for my self-esteem and confidence.
20. Pain no longer scares me. Oh man, I was such a wuss before Krav Maga. Pain scared the crap out of me. Now? I laugh in the face of pain. Hahahaha! No, seriously. After all the bruises and injuries, pain’s become very relative and it doesn’t scare me anymore. Because of this, I’m more assertive and no longer so afraid of being hit or attacked.
21. I’ve learned about my weaknesses. I never realized certain things in my life had made such a great impact on me. Some of those situations were repeated during Krav training where I learned that my emotional response sometimes overrules my physical response. I know this now, and I work on it during training. Also, I’m writing about it here on the blog so I can deal with some of the emotions associated with the response.
Picture by Marilyn Clevenger from KMG.
22. I won’t give up when I’m in a bad situation. Giving up could mean rape or death. Krav Maga has really cultivated my survival instinct and fighting mentality. No matter what, I’ll keep on going. I won’t give an attacker the satisfaction of giving up easily. He’ll have to be crazy-good in order to overpower my will. Because I’ll bet you that my will to survive is ten times stronger than his will to kill me. During training my instructor’s driven me to the brink, to the point that I gave up a dozen times, and then pushed me onwards and forced me to go. I keep on going as long as I need. The importance of the lesson was not lost on me. ;)
23. I’ve learned to accept my aggressive side. Krav Maga has focused a lot on pulling out every bit of aggression you have when you’re attacked and in a bad situation. This will help fuel your survival instinct and fighting mentality. It was hard at first, becoming so angry on command. Dealing with these negative emotions is not fun. But I’ve learned that it’s ok to become angry. Making the switch becomes easier (making the switch back to calm, as well). Aggression is a part of me that’s there (and boy, there was a lot of it) and it’s ok to feel it.
24. I know what it feels like to be attacked ‘for real’. Well, almost. But during Krav Maga training we train with actual force when practicing choke defenses, or when practicing defenses. I know what it feels like to have a man’s hands on my throat, squeezing so hard I can’t breathe. (AWFUL!) But: my counters have never so clean and fast as in that situation. I know what it feels like to be pinned down by a man, unable to move properly. (AWFUL!) And I know what it’s like to keep on going, to keep on fighting when in that situation. I’ve learned that there’s always something you can do, as long as you don’t give up.
Picture by Adam Lundquist for KMG.
25. I’m no longer scared to use force to defend myself. I won’t attack without reason, but I’ve overcome my initial doubts on using force during an attack. Because I’ve learned how the human bodies work, I’ve learned how my body works and my instructor’s been doing a good job of instilling a healthy sense of hatred against future (potential, but hopefully not!) attackers. It took a long time for me to accept that it is alright to use force in certain situations. My mom’s always ingrained in me that violence is never the answer. Well… sometimes violence is the answer.
26. Krav Maga is super effective and empowering for women! Already mentioned this, but whenever I think of my accomplishments I become so excited that I want everyone to witness Krav Maga and see how super cool it is. It works and there’s NOTHING more magical and awesome than seeing a guy go down after a good kick to the groin. Or watching him crumple after he tries to choke you in various ways. It makes you feel so empowered!
27. It feels crazy awesome to beat up multiple guys. Holding your own against multiple attackers is AWESOME and fricking badass. Even more so than knowing how to kill a guy or knowing how to land a proper (and powerful) punch.
BUT! I can hear you think I’m a hypocrite. There can’t POSSIBLY be only good sides to Krav Maga. Well, you’re right. There are negative sides too. Here they are:
1. Bruises and injuries. At first they made me feel bad-ass. Now that summer is fast approaching and I start wearing dresses, skirts and tops, they are getting really annoying.
2. Stress drills are really stressful. While I think the stress drills are great because they allow you to strengthen yourself mentally and physically, I hate undergoing them because of the stress. (No, duh!) I hate being placed in those situations because I’d much rather not think about being in them. Ever. I have a vivid imagination. :(
3. I’m becoming paranoid. I blame my instructor with all his talk of random attacks on the streets and knowing proper counters. It’s all about scanning and looking at your environment. I’m just not ready to be in a constant battle-ready state. I’m not paranoid all the time. But most of the times, I’m aware of my surroundings. Sometimes in a not so good way.
4. Aware of all the stuff I DONT know. God, the more I learn, the more I realise that I don’t know anything. Sure, I know counters A, B and C. But what if an attacker does D, E or even Z?! My imagination just runs wild sometimes, which has caused me quite a few sleepless nights already.
5. I’m sometimes too assertive/aggressive. Generally, after training my temper’s not so well controlled. I react more aggressively and immediately. The other day, during a party, this ended up with me going nearly (verbally) ballistic on one of my fucking slutty roommates. I had nearly told her to gtfo right then and there and thereby caused a huge scene, but I managed to vent against a different roommate. Didn’t make a scene, but the feeling wasn’t good.
Picture by Adam Lundquist for KMG.
6. Weary of men. This is really lame, and I actually blame some of my past experiences. However, Krav Maga’s making me hyper aware of all the bad things attackers could possibly do to me. And let’s be honest: the chance that I’ll be attacked by a man is probably about 90 percent bigger than being attacked by a women. I try to avoid mentioning Krav Maga whenever I meet new people (men) because I see it as my secret weapon. How sad is it to view the world in such a way? Yeah…
7. Loss of interest in my previous hobbies. This might not sound like a big deal, but it IS when my previous (current? D:) hobby is gaming (PC and consoles) and I’ve invested a ton of money in it over the years. Krav Maga and being athletic is so much more fun now. I actually like going out to exercise. WTF IS WRONG WITH ME?! o.o
Well, here you had a whole bunch of reasons on why I both love and hate Krav Maga. Share your own experiences with me in the comments section, on Twitter or on Facebook!
Krav Chicks: The reality of Krav Maga 
:D
I agree with all of them, although, since I started training in February, I’ve yet to experience the showing off of the bruises.
Really?? Lucky you! Whenever we do 360 defenses, my arms bruise like crazy. They look like (and ARE) defensive wounds on the outside of my arms. You should see the looks on people ‘s faces. ;)
Fortunately, doing choke defenses does NOT leave bruises. I don’t think I’d be okay with that, actually. I do wonder how hard you have to grip to actually bruise that area, as my sparring partners usually (but not always, re: your blog post) grip me full force.
I never have any issues during 360 defenses since we use Thai pads/focus mitts and gloves!
I used to get the awful ring-finger/pinky bruising from rolling onto my outer knuckles when I was just learning to punch and still get some on my upper arms from choking defenses. Eep!
Ahhh, nice! We don’t use mitts or gloves, which is ok, but painful. Our instructor wants us to learn how to deal with real impacts so we won’t flinch in a real situation. It’s all fine, but currently icing my arms. Again. XD
I sorta get some bruising on the knuckles of my index/middle finger. Never on my outer knuckles, fortunately. I’m still a bit hesitant to hit REALLY hard, because I’m afraid I’ll break a wrist or something. Never got bruises from choking defenses either. o.o Nasty! Which choke defenses give you bruises there?
He, nice reasons! About the bruises, you will use to get started to the pain and at the end you will see less bruises and feel less pain. It’s just a matter of time:)
I hope so. :( I have an entire collection of arm bruising, always at approximately the same areas. I really hope the bruises will stop, but not very confident about it. Hehehe. I will do a picture post some time in the future. :O
Thanks for your comment! :D
Yeah but the more a man gets kicked in the groin, the more desensitized he becomes. Some attackers even wear cups.
I don’t think it works like that, actually. The groin is one of the places you just can’t take much damage. Same for the eyes. It might be true that in situations in which you feel a lot of adrenaline, you’ll get slightly desensitized to the pain, but I’ve kicked the guys often enough to know that a hard enough kick can still make it through.
And if an attacker wears a cup, a kick to the groin still hurts. Of course there are other options of attacking too! We don’t just depend on one area to attack. That wouldn’t be very practical. ;)
Nice list. :) Since I’m a guy I cannot agree with ALL of them. But most are familiar. Especially Bad side #5. Although I never show it in any way as im a non violent guy anyhow. But its noticable when I evaluate my own thoughts. ;-)
When I saw your bruises on your photos I was kinda surprised. I allmost never have bruises..
Although sometimes have a little sensitive bump/spot on the bone for the next days. Guess I’m lucky. ;-)
Hope your bruises will be less during the rest of the summer!
So glad to hear it’s not just me! Thanks for posting your thoughts, I appreciate it so much! It makes me feel less like a freak. ;) When I started Krav Maga I was as pacifist as I could be, but somehow I gradually lost a part of that pacifist attitude. Now, when I think of someone who means to attack or harm me, I feel no pity whatsoever. The only thing I can think of is how to inflict as much damage and pain as possible without getting in trouble with the legal system. o.o How screwed up is that? D:
The worst part is that I realise this fully of myself and that I don’t even think it’s a bad thing. I think it’s a good thing I feel so aggressive towards future potential attackers. Because I’m not more aggressive in the rest of my life or towards friends or family (with the exception of Bad #5) I don’t care that I am able to feel this way. And THAT, in return, makes me sort of creeped out. XD I guess you can say that as long as you worry about it, you have nothing to worry about. ;)
Before Krav I never had bruises. NEVER. And now they just keep on coming. ;) I hope they won’t be so bad for the rest of the time as well! Thanks!
Also: are you ever going to start your blog? And what are you going to write about? I want to click on your name, but your blog is empty. xD
No problem at all, I enjoy reading your blog. So keep up the good work. I have read this reply yesterday and thought the ‘pacifist to merciless defender’ proces over a bit. I came to the conclusion that it is exactly what Krav Maga teaches you.
You are attacked, so it does not matter how life threatening the situation is. People should not attack you in any way, so if they decide to do it they could expect retaliation. By example : if a friend might attack you ‘for fun’ to see if the ‘Krav Maga stories’ where true, well.. to bad for him. He has heard the stories and he appearantly wants to experience it first hand. Let him experience it then. ;)
On the other hand is ‘to inflict as much damage and pain as possible without getting in trouble with the legal system’ not the message you want to send out with Krav Maga. Rather: Inflict enough pain and damage to ensure that you can get away safely. ;)
Does all this make you a freak? Hell yeah! Together with all the other freaks who learn to defend themselfs ofcourse. Krav Maga isnt just an excercise/defense system. Its a mindset as well. You learn to avoid confrontations, deal with the emotional side of an attack, to scan the area around you, etc…
The funny thing is that while you think that you do not care about how aggresive you have become, you actually do by telling me (us) that you are aware of your aggresive behaviour. So yes, as long as you worry about it you have nothing to worry about (well said haha). :)
The ability to bruise easily is different for everybody, some bruise easily…. some don’t. Maybe this is the first time you put your body to work in such a way. A bruise is nothing more then a blood vessel leaking into your skin tissue. Maybe try to use bandages for your wrists/hands during the summer. ;)
——
I thought of writing a blog… but it would be more of a ‘thoughts and experiences’ type of blog instead of a ‘informing and educational’ kind of blog you have created. By example; Talking about how unsettling it was that your Krav Maga instructor wore his mr. happy t-shirt (he just got his G4). And the unnerving feeling that one got by just looking at the t-shirt and the big ass grin he had on his face. We all had the feeling that we were going to suffer so badly! In our minds we added 5 pushups extra with each easy-going-minute passing…. But it didnt happen… at least.. not that lesson. The pain will start on friday. ;)
Thanks! I’ll definitely will try to keep it up. :P I want this blog to turn into a good resource for future kravists. Some articles are mainly aimed at women, but I welcome all men too, of course. XD
Also thanks for making sure to add a bit more nuance to my description of Krav Maga. ‘ Inflict enough pain and damage to ensure that you can get away safely. ;)’ Is, of course, the correct description. Sometimes I get a bit dragged away with the possibilities of Krav.
I wish I could reply to more in your post, but everything you said I agree with, so there’s no need for much argument here. rofl. How long have you been practicing Krav Maga?
And you should totally write a blog like that! It’s one of my favorite types. I just can’t do it myself. XD All my stuff always turn into essay-type posts. I sorta post anecdotal stuff on twitter, but I couldn’t write a decent blog entry on it if I tried. How did your training end up? Did your instructor torture you? Mine sure did, the other day. We made fun of him because he was too late and… well… yeah, let’s just say we were clearly reminded why he is the instructor and we are not. XD Hehehehe.
Its becoming a good knowledge base plus it might convince females (people) to take up Krav Maga.
No problem, it comes a bit out of my pacifist-self. ;)
Haha, well thank you. I see that as a compliment. Mostly I’m just publicly expressing my thoughts so other people can react so I could learn from them. So do not be affraid to respond if you do not agree to something I have said. :) I actually just started Krav Maga. Only for more then a year now. But I can’t remember being so enthusiastic about something like I am with Krav Maga. Since when do you practice Krav Maga? Am I right that I have read that you have your P1 now? Training in Nijmegen? Or up north? Why I wonder: If I remember right; you have written something about the exams of April. I can still remember that day. The rumours of the day, the heat of the hall, the tension everyone felt (and the victim whose nose was shifted a bit to the right due to uncontrolled movements).
I will start my blog soon-ish. I will begin to write this week (will see whats upon my mind). I saw facebook is now officially one of your media as well. Twitter… blog… facebook. Im glad I can keep track of FaceBook, twitter would be too much. Plus…. to quote ‘The Onion’: “Unfortunately, other CIA programs like Twitter aren’t doing so welll: “400 billion Tweets, and not one useful bit of data was ever transmitted.” To understand: http://www.theonion.com/video/cias-facebook-program-dramatically-cut-agencys-cos,19753/
Ah yes… love The Onion.
Eh yes… he did. That Friday was quite intensive and exhausting. At least, that was what I thought it was untill I experienced the training of last Friday. I was away for a couple of day last week, and was not able attend the training of Monday. From what I had heard there was too much talking, which ended up at a punishment expedition. I heard something about 60 push ups and more. Last Friday it wasnt any different, so the punishment was a bit more severe. ALOT of pushups… ALOT of situps… ALOT of shadowboxing in full speed and no breaks… ALOT of burpees, etc…
I just had to grin as my instructor awnsered the ‘I can’t go on’ and ‘Im so tired’ of my fellow students with: ‘You can not possibly be tired, 10 minutes ago you were still chitchatting’. It was an intense ending of a awesome training. The grin on the face of my instructor was priceless. The next class, that would start when we are done, really behaved well at their training as they saw us suffer at the end of ours.
Sounds like you have an awesome instructor as well. You just have to see the humour in such situations. It reminds of of our ‘ticking head-shoulders, back, thigh’-games where one would ‘tick’our instructor. He is not amused…. afterwards; So aren’t we.
Can you introduce me to your room-mate?
;-)
Great list though. Keep up the hard writing work!
-JY
If you don’t min 19 year old college students, then sure! Feel free to come on over. ;D
But seriously, thanks for your comment! :)
I’m booking my ticket right now ;-)
This is proving a popular post. Lots and lots of interesting comments.
Nice blogs! Interesting thing you’re saying about becoming more agressive. Since I’ve been doing Krav I notice I’m becoming less agressive. Now that I have a way to express all the anger and all other emotions I have within me, I have no need to express them any other way. So during training I’m agressive, during the week I feel a lot more peaceful and relaxed than I did one year ago..
Hey Dorieke!
Thanks for your comment and letting us know about your experiences with Krav! I’m always interested to hear about what others think of Krav Maga!
For me it goes both ways. I am both more relaxed in regular situations because I feel I can endure more. However, I won’t let people mess with me or let them walk over me. I’m way more assertive in that way, which I like. It’s not necessarily aggression. I do love getting some frustration out during training. I train as hard as possible so I’m exhausted by the end. That way I know I’ve done it right and just gotten rid of all the negative emotions.
After training I’m a bit more on edge, though. So even if I’m tired, I’m still a bit hyped up from all the mood swings we had to make in training. XD I’m a very energetic person, so even though I’m exhausted, I can still find new energy to unleash. Pffff. I get tired just thinking about it!
I’m planning to take it.. Any tips as to how I need to physically prep for it?
It might help to start up doing cardio and some basic strengthening training to get yourself quickstarted.
But Krav Maga is setup in a way that everyone can participate. The better strength and stamina are gained during the flow of the courses.
Oh hey! You already answered. XD Thanks! :D
Eh ye sorry. Hope you dont mind.
You don’t really need to physically prep for Krav Maga. It’s designed so that everyone can join in and easily pick it up!
Howeverrrrr, if you have some time to spare I recommend you work on your cardio and endurance. Maybe try doing some push-ups and sit-ups to get your muscles used to the work-out. Don’t wait until ‘you get into shape’ before signing up though! Just sign up and go for it, you’ll work on your cardio and muscles during training itself. I just started and my body got more awesome along the way. :)
Btw, GOOD that you’re going to take up Krav Maga!! Good decision!
I got so much bruises but they heal and I used to be afraid of pains and injuries but not so much anymore. I remember our belt test…. lasted 5 hours of almost non-stop stress (but it’s would almost approximate how a real street fight would feel like altho at most street fights usually last about 30 seconds). Feels great after though (ahh all those adrenaline thru my veins). @Laurize Just gotta be mentally/physically prepared. Your gym/school instructor will drill you with basic moves like punches and kicks (and the correct way to do them) over and over till you commit it to your muscle memory (then you won’t need to remember them anymore).
Hey Liddokun! How great to see you outside of twitter!! :D Thanks for leaving a comment! I always love seeing others’ insights. ;)
I’m really happy that I’m no longer afraid of pain. It makes such a tremendous difference in mentality and in the way you consider the world… it caused me to be so much less afraid of a whole host of things. It gives me a lot of mental peace, actually. :)
Thanks Kravlady and nocer. I can’t wait for my first day! :)
Have fun! Enjoy it! The rest will take care of its self.
It would be awesome if you would share your first experience here. I wonder what you thought of it.
Indeed! If you have the time, please let us know how it went. I’m aways curious to hear the first Krav Maga impressions!
I agree! I agree! But I still do it…
Glad you agree!! What do you like the best of Krav Maga??
Heej I also totaly agree!! Nice Blog!
When I first started Krav almost 2 years ago (really time goes fast) I was one of three girls in my group. I didn’t even know that I was going to sign up, I just went with my boyfriend for a try out lesson.. but yeah was hooked immidiatly :D
I’ve had some issues with going with the flow during the lessons I was thinking to much like I can’t do it and such.. so after a year, when i injured my ankle, I quit.
But well I’m more hooked then ever now! I past my P1 last april and I enjoy every training. For example those 60 push ups and more nocer talks about on june 6th I just joind that chatty group before starting my training LOL
Keep up this great blog!
Paula
Hi Paula! Thanks for sharing your experiences here!!
When I started I also had issues with thinking too much and wanting to do it exactly right… I’ve learned to take it more easy and just repeatedly work on my movements now. Now way you’re going to get it perfect in the first dozen tries or so. Heh.
Glad you managed to get back to Krav! Congrats on your P1. For me, push-ups are becoming easier and easier and I actually like doing them. Hehehe.
One comment about the paranoia: The best way that I’ve found to deal with that is to get together with someone for some serious body language training. A lot of what is termed “street smarts” involves understanding and reading people’s body language. Good body language training should be cuing you to look for people shifting their body weight in a sub-conscious preparation to hit you, shifting eyes as they check to see if you have friends or police close by or as they pre-plan escape routes, touching their face and eyes, moving their hands anywhere around their belt or pockets where they could have weapons. These along with a number of other things can be taught and worked on through scenario training where two people role-play attacker and victim while the trainees stand to one side and point out the danger signs they’ve been trained in. Step two is having the trainee be the victim and decide to hit or not hit pre-emptively based on the other person’s body language. Geoff Thompson from England has a good bit about this in several of his books. This ends up giving you the tools you need to correctly assess situations and judge when to use your skills without having to actually wait to get hit or attacked. That in itself will end up leaving you much more confident both in your every day life and when dealing with random passerbys who really have no intention of attacking you. One reason why Krav and other combatives are so simple is to then allow you to spend a good deal of time training in how to apply them and pre-/post- fight training is essential.
You have to have mindset, skills, AND tactics.
I’m glad you’re enjoying Krav Maga. I’ve done Krav Maga and another type of combatives for 3 years now.
Hey Jon, thanks so much for your comment and for your advice!
It sounds EXACTLY like the type of thing I want to learn (and then write a blog post about). I’ll shop around to see if there are any seminars around that teach this! Sometimes you just need someone to put a name to concepts and things you subconsciously know. You just did that, so I really appreciate that! :D
I recognize so much of this! Especially the part about being paranoid on the street, I do feel more confident (and I walk more confidently, too) since I started krav maga last year, but I am increasingly paranoid to people around me. Especially when I’m walking ot cycling and somebody approaches me from the back… There’s always this moment of wondering ‘is he going to attack me?’ But thankfully, so far that hasn’t happened :)
The bruises also sound familiar… I actually didn’t have all that many until other people in my group started mentioning them (power of suggestion and all that?). But I don’t mind them so much, actually, because they’re for a good cause, so to speak :)
Glad you recognize some parts of it!!! That’s why I wrote it, hoping it would capture some of the things we deal with while doing Krav Maga (or other sports, I guess).
I actually sorta like being ‘aware’ of my surroundings, because it helps me practice scanning and thinking of possible solutions to situations. It makes me more aware of what I can do and how I can apply my skills in a real situation and for that I’m grateful. I do feel I’m more prepared. ^,^
I wrote a different entry on bruises! LOL. So take a look at those pics and we can compare. So if you’ve got it worse than I do. :D
Nice blog! I am also a fan of Krav, and avid practitioner =)
Thank you! Glad you like it. ^^ How long have you been doing Krav Maga??
Great post, Kravlady! I am a 49-year old woman, have been doing Krav Maga at least 3 times a week for the last 12 years, and still love it! Had a few private lessons in the early days with Marni Levine, the highest ranking Krav Maga woman in the US. She lost her fight to breast cancer in 2006 but remains a great source of inspiration for me.
Keep up the good work in Krav!
Wow, Bien! Thanks so much for sharing that story with us. That’s great! I’m glad you like you blog posts. You have so much experience! I hope that I’ll still be doing this for the next 12 years. :O
Hey KravLady, I think you ROCK! Keep up the good work! I can relate to being more aggressive outside of Krav Maga after starting training with it. I’m not afraid of anyone anymore. At all. Umm…… unless they have a knife or a gun, but knifes are SOOO dangerous I don’t want anything to do with them.
Check out my badass Krav Maga T shirt. Here is the link:
http://www.zazzle.com/krav_maga_the_more_you_sweat_in_training_the_less_tshirt-235718602758069546.
Anyway, Great article! Train hard, and go home safe!
Truly,
Blake xoxo
Hey KravLady, I think you ROCK! Keep up the good work! I can relate to being more aggressive outside of Krav Maga after starting training with it. I’m not afraid of anyone anymore. At all. Umm…… unless they have a knife or a gun, but knifes are SOOO dangerous I don’t want anything to do with them.
Check out my badass Krav Maga T shirt. Here is the link:
http://www.zazzle.com/krav_maga_the_more_you_sweat_in_training_the_less_tshirt-235718602758069546.
Anyway, Great article! Train hard, and go home safe!
Truly,
Blake xoxo
ROFL for the reason 27 !!!! I’m in the same case, I play a lot less video games since i have started krav Maga , don’t have time to do both ! ahahaha But it’s ok, i prefer to spend my free time in Krav maga training anyway :p