WHY TRAIN KRAV MAGA?
People start learning Krav Maga for lots of reasons. Some want a fun way to exercise, others want to learn how to defend themselves, and many want to feel more confident. Some people come to Krav Maga after trying other martial arts, and some want to learn how to keep their loved ones safe. Often, it's a mix of these reasons that gets people interested.
My own story with Krav Maga started after I spent years learning a sport-based martial art. I thought it would teach me self defence, but I found out it didn't really prepare me for real-life dangerous situations. This doesn't mean sports martial arts are bad - they can be great! In fact, Krav Maga uses some moves from sports. But I realized that learning to fight by rules in a gym doesn't always help when there are no rules in a real-life self defence situation.
I started Krav Maga because it gave me three things I was looking for:
- I believed what the teacher was telling me
- I enjoyed the training
- I felt sure the skills would work in real life, not just in the gym
These are the same reasons I keep training today. I train to survive - to be able to protect myself, my family, and others for those moments when we can't avoid danger. I believe in Krav Maga so much that I decided to become a teacher and help others learn too.
In Krav Maga, every technique is important. It doesn't matter if it's a simple move you learn on day one or a complex move you learn years later - they're all valuable. Think about a professional boxer: they might only use four different punches, but they practice those punches over and over, in all sorts of situations. They do this so their punches will work when it really matters, in a big match.
We should train in Krav Maga the same way. Every move should be practiced in different ways:
- From different angles and directions
- In different places (like dark rooms or small spaces)
- Against more than one attacker
- On the ground and while sitting
- Using your weaker side (if you're right-handed, practice with your left hand too)
- While protecting someone else
It's also super important to train with different partners. This might feel uncomfortable at first, especially if you're working with someone bigger, stronger, or more experienced than you. But feeling a bit out of your comfort zone is actually good! It helps you grow and get better at dealing with tough situations.
When you train with new people, you learn to handle different body types, strengths, and ways of moving. This is really helpful because in real life, you never know who you might need to defend yourself against. By getting used to feeling uncomfortable in training, you'll be more ready to face scary situations in real life.
Remember, it's okay to feel stretched or a bit overwhelmed sometimes. That feeling is a sign that you're learning and getting stronger. The more you practice dealing with these feelings in training, the calmer and more confident you'll be if you ever need to use your skills for real.
While it's great to earn new grades and move up in levels, always stay humble and keep trying to get better. Train like every move you learn, no matter how simple or complex, could be the one that saves your life, a loved one’s life, or someone else's life one day.
We can't know for sure which move we'll need in a real self defence situation. So, it's important to keep all our skills sharp and ready to use. Think of each technique as a tool in your toolbox - you want all your tools to be in good shape and ready to use when you need them!
To wrap up, remember that how you train is just as important as why you train. Every time you practice, focus on doing your best and remember that each technique could be super important one day. If you keep training this way, you'll be ready to face real-world challenges with confidence and skill.