If I had to name the things I am most passionate about I would definitely name Krav Maga as one. Whether you’ve had a bad day or you just feel like you want to smash something for the fun of it, you can let it all out and just focus on perfecting your survival skills in training. Once you got into it this can be highly addictive, so be warned!
I have heard of Krav Maga about 4 years ago but didn’t pay more attention to it. On one of my visits in my former hometown in Germany I went to my sister’s KM basic seminar as a spectator and it became clear to me what the difference between self defence and martial arts is. They both have their place but if you are mainly interested in learning how to defend yourself in all sorts of circumstances and even as the physically weaker person, then Krav Maga is what you’re looking for.
Back then I had been practicing Shaolin Kung Fu in Valéncia with an ex shaolin monk for about two years and I liked the physically demanding aspect of it, but missed out on the self defence skills, which I wanted to achieve in order to have a fighting chance when being confronted with a life-threatening situation whilst travelling around the globe. At the same time I got a bit bored with the emphasis on aesthetics.
Nonetheless I sticked to it until I had to find a new school after I’ve had moved to another town, Frankfurt. I couldn’t find the kind of training I was looking for in the same style and decided to try what my sister had been recommending me.
It didn’t take much to convince me that I can find what I am looking for in Krav Maga instead of Kung Fu: Just take the practical bits and leave out tradition and appearance. Add a lot of sweat and smart techniques and there you go!
Before starting with No Fear Academy I trained 4 months in Frankfurt with two pretty good KMG instructors. I haven’t done any grading with them but learnt all the essentials, mainly the kick to the groin and scanning. It was great fun!
The good thing about training with an international federation like Krav Maga Global is that they have a uniformly structured system, which meant that I could continue with the same self defence principles in any KMG club. So, after another move, this time to Southampton, I was looking forward to trying out a test lesson at No Fear Academy with José. What an easy decision, I was determined to dedicate time and energy to his classes after one lesson.
In comparison to my former instructors in Germany he really has his own style of teaching: straight forward, hands-on and with a friendly push. I think it’s for a good reason that we’ve got a very familiar atmosphere in every training session, the classes are a reflection of the instructor. To be honest, it was perfect for making friends being new to the city and the ice broke very quickly. My first circle of friends was NFA! I simply enjoy myself in every session, it’s not that I had to force myself to go to training, quite the contrary: I hate missing training and I hope you are going to get the same feeling from the very beginning on.
Kidá
Debbie