Krav Maga

            Krav Maga? Yes, you read that correctly. I went to a Krav Maga class. I probably would never have ventured into a situation like this had Tom not convinced me that I was perfectly capable of attending. All I knew was that it was an Israeli street-fighting martial art. In fact, I found it comical because of an episode of “The League” I watched, where Kevin’s Krav Maga teacher (played by Eliza Dushku) is constantly hitting on him. Without a clue about what I would walk into, I headed out to the gym in my spandex. Tom was bombarded with questions the whole walk there. Will I get hurt? Can I be partnered with you? Will advanced students get mad at me for being a beginner? The last martial arts experience I can remember having is back in Australia. I was ten years old and our classmate’s father was teaching us Judo in what we got away with calling “gym class.”

            Upon arrival, I immediately realized there was absolutely nothing to worry about. I was not the only person there for my free first lesson (there were at least three of us). Further, our ages and physical fitness ranged DRASTICALLY. Of the thirteen students in the room, the youngest person looked like an eighteen year old boy, while the oldest man was probably sixty-five. Also, as we warmed up, running around the gym, I was definitely lapping a large, middle-aged woman. The teacher, Kelina, was a muscular, badass woman with long dreadlocks, gages in her ears, and a dragon tattoo on her forearm. Tom informed me that she used to fight MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) until getting a knife pulled on her. That’s when she realized she needed to learn fighting tactics that successfully resulted in self-defense.

I appreciated the techniques I learned in the short hour I spent with Kelina. It was thrilling to practice defending and attacking, especially once I understood how simple certain moves were. It also wasn’t too shabby having a partner that has been taking Krav Maga for a few months. I learned how to defend myself from oncoming punches, a standing and ground strangulation, and a headlock. Unfortunately, we ran out of time, and did not get to do the intense drills that really make everyone sweat at the end of class. More than anything else, I’m proud of moving outside of my comfort zone. Fighting, even in a controlled environment, has always made me a touch uncomfortable. But today I gained some valuable knowledge about how to win a drunken bar fight one night! I mean…responsibly defend myself and walk away from any brawls.