I have to admit my first session was an intimidating prospect. A group of friends were looking for a bit of a challenge and some extra fitness. One of us had been training in Krav Maga for a short time and had convinced us to give it a go.
I was really weary of it and to be fair I didn’t really think it was me. After a load of nagging and a bit of peer pressure I finally made the plunge. Now when I was in college I’d done the fight back self defense courses, some Muay Thai and a little jeet kune do but nothing else and not seriously, I’d never even heard of Krav Maga and really didn’t know what to expect. Well the first thing I got was a warm welcome, Jose has this way of putting you at ease when you first attend and what intimidation I felt by going soon disappeared as I got stuck in. That was 2011 and I’ve never looked back. I currently train at the Andover and Amesbury classes and have loved every minute.
Since day one I’ve enjoyed every minute of it and under Jose Silva’s tuition I’ve come leaps and bounds both physically and mentally. I’ve become fitter, stronger and more confident. And what and atmosphere?! I mean I’ve trained in gyms and taken classes etc across the globe but I think this is one of the few places where the ego is left at the door. Everyone from the first day beginner to old sweat veterans has something to learn and to pass on. I’ve also made some really good friends from the club.
Cage fight Night 2012
There have been many highlights and challenges at the club and to be honest there’s far to may to list. What I will do though is talk about a couple of what I think have been the real turning points on my Krav journey.
The thing about Krav Maga is it’s not a martial art. It’s not about katas or set moves and techniques. It’s really about being presented a problem and equipping you with a set of tools to deal with it. I’m not saying that you have to use a certain “technique” to deal with a certain situation, there’s none of the “right, if this guy grabs me like this then I have to grab his arm like this” going on with Krav. It’s all about what works and as Jose says “everyone has a plan until they’re punched in the face”. I was in one of the local pubs a couple of years ago. A friend of mine had had some trouble with a couple of guys but the bouncers had quickly sorted it out. I went to the toilet thinking everything was ok though I’d had probably a bit to drink at this point. One of the guys had followed me into the toilets and while I was at the urinal he grabbed me around the neck and tried to drag me backwards and I presume to take me to the floor. Now if anyone who’s ever been into the men’s of a night club after midnight will tell you the floor is “a bit wet” and being a little drunk didn’t help me to keep on my feet. I’m a fairly big guy but in this situation size didn’t matter. What did matter was that week we’d been practicing headlocks and chokes. Instinct kicked in and I was soon out of his grip and explaining to him how his behavior was unacceptable with the aid of the sink and several kicks and punches. I made my escape and made it to the safety of my friends unharmed. Things could have gone worse.
Krav Island 2013
One of the singularly most challenging things I’ve done while I’ve been at No Fear academy was Krav Island. For those who don’t know this is, it’s an annual event held at Loch Lomond and The Trossachs run and organized by IKMS (Institute of Krav Maga Scotland). It’s in essence a weekend long Krav Maga boot camp and well worth attending! Jose as usual was with us all the way. Again it would take me ages to try and list everything that went on but to sum it up I learnt a lot about Krav Maga at this event. The sessions were long, hard and very intuitive. We learnt that in any event in any condition you’re in be it tired, hurt scared, exhausted etc you have to carry on and fight through. Some of the points that really stood out were training on the beach at night and the following day, trying to do circuits and then later fight on sand isn’t easy!
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Start of Krav Island 2013
We ran the gauntlet, which is a series of scenarios set up along a trail where you deal with the situation appropriately be it to run, just walk through or fight through. Sounds simple right? Well try it in the pitch dark, in a wood, up and down a hill, with the occasional strobe or torch in the face for good measure! The Following day was more fitness on the beach, fighting up to your neck in the loch, which highlights (as did the previous night) the fact that you have to adapt to your environment. After all you’re very unlikely to get jumped in the gym in your training kit right? It’s going to be in the club or walking the dog. The thing that really sticks with me was a lesson from Jon Bullock Director of Krav Maga Global (UK). Now the techniques we did were one thing, as well as the stress training etc but the thing I really took away from this was his comment of “be the nightmare”. It means to go all out and overwhelm your opponent so that he’s unable to attack. He also showed us that if you can project the idea that going for you is going to be a really bad idea then it will straight away put you at an advantage.
I actually got to put this principle into practice. I was on my high street waiting for a friend to come out of a shop. I was texting on my phone and noticed a youth was watching me intently so I kept an eye on him and watched as he walked up and down the street eyeing me up. At one point he was only a couple of feet away and put his hood on his hoodie and started to move closer. I put my phone in my pocket faced him and made direct eye contact. The guy then looked at me, up and down the street and then legged it. I still think today that part of the reason he did this was because going over and over in my mind was “if you come near me I’m going to feed you your own head”. Recently a friend told me that someone had actually done the same thing to a friend of mine, snatched a phone out of his hand but stopped when he ran into a lamppost! You seriously can’t make this stuff up! I do wonder if he’d been on that lecture if the guy would have even gotten his hands on the phone.
Disruptive Passenger & Hijack workshop May 2014
Very recently I was lucky enough to attend an Air Safety Krav Maga workshop that was run by Nick Maison of TKM Total Krav Maga and Jose Silva of NFA No Fear Academy. Fantastic event held at Bournemouth airport teaching us how to deal with Hijack and disruptive passengers. I’d just like to say at this point that it wasn’t to turn us all into Jason Bourne’s. It was really an incite to these types of situations and gave you an idea of how to conduct yourself which is really important. It also gave us experience of fighting in such a confined space, that isn’t easy. Everything you think you know tends to go out of the window when someone sticks a gun in your face, even if you know it’s not real. It showed us how to adapt to the situation; you can’t swing your haymaker when you’re strapped into a seat after all. I had loads of fun with event and learnt loads! I never knew I could move my hands that quickly!(Doing a gun disarm) OK maybe Jason Bourne may have some competition!
In the years I’ve been training I’ve only graded twice and so I’m a P2. The thing about the club and about Krav Maga I guess is that it’s not about winning badges or patches. You don’t HAVE to grade if you don’t want to. Grading isn’t what it’s all about. It’s about being able to protect you and those around you. Being able to walk away from a situation is your award. Jose equips you to be able to do that.
What have I taken away from my time at No Fear academy? The exercise is great and by that I mean at times horrible! It’s been a great laugh so far, I’ve met some really cool people, I’m more confident in everything I do and now I have the ability to look after myself and those around me which is why I’ll keep training when I can for as long as I can.
“Don’t be the victim, be the nightmare” KIDA!!
