A year and a half ago I’d never even heard of krav maga. I’d always liked the idea of learning some kind of self-defence but the traditional martial arts had never really interested me so I never bothered. Then I came across krav maga whist watching one of Bas Rutten’s excellent (and hilarious) self-defence videos on YouTube.
I did a bit of research and right away I could tell that krav maga was exactly what I’d been looking for. Its focus on reality based training and real-world scenarios, and the fact that it was from Israel, a country that had always fascinated me, made it really appealing. I doubted whether I’d be able to find anywhere to train but, after a quick Google search, I was delighted to find No Fear Academy just round the corner from where I live. I emailed the owner, Jose, and arranged my first lesson a week later.
Before attending the first session I was a little bit nervous but once it got underway any apprehensions were soon put to rest. The group was very friendly and the instructor was very good. I could see right away that krav maga was different to any other fighting style I had seen before, and decided there and then that it was definitely something that I wanted to take up.
Despite being exhausted (I’ve never sweated so much before or since) and covered in bruises, I thoroughly enjoyed the session and decided to join the club.
For the first few months of course everything was new to me, but I found it reasonably easy to pick up. I was training once a week and was already pleased with my progress. After about three months or so I found that things started to come together and really begin to make sense as an overall concept, and this, in turn, increased my interest in the system. When the time came for grading, even though it wasn’t something I’d given any thought to when I started, I figured I might as well go for it and get something to show for my effort. I trained hard, had a few extra private sessions, and passed my P1 without a problem.
Once I’d got my P1 I decided that I definitely wanted to grade again, and this gave me more focus and motivation. I started training three times a week and began to really focus on the details of the techniques as best I could. Six months later I went for my P2 grading and again passed without a hitch.
Around about the time I did my first grading I also started training with kettlebells, which No Fear Academy had just started doing. As with krav maga I really enjoyed this and started attending the classes regularly. After a couple of months of kettlebells, and training krav maga three times a week, I really noticed improvements in my strength and fitness which, in turn, led me to rethink my general lifestyle and I decided to adopt a healthier approach to life, giving up smoking and cutting down on alcohol (or at least trying to).
After passing my P2 test I decided to go on the KMG Tour and Train program – ten days of training in Israel combined with a tour of the country. I’d looked into it before but decide that now, after having trained for a year, was a good time to go, so I booked my place and went in May.
It was a fantastic experience, and a chance to see krav maga in its homeland, as well as learn all about the history, culture, and people of Israel. I got to train with the top KMG instructors including Eyal Yanilov and Ze’ev Cohen, and train in locations around Israel that are significant to the country’s history, including on top of Masada, and in the Golan Heights on the border with Syria. It was an experience I’ll never forget, and one that I’d like to repeat, and I’d certainly recommend it to anyone interested in krav maga.
As for the future, well I’m delighted that No Fear Academy has just announced that they are opening another class, as this means I’ll be able to train up to four times a week, which I intend to do as often as I can. I want to keep learning and improving, and to continue working through the grades. I’d also definitely like to visit Israel again at some point, perhaps for one of the P-camps there next year.
Kidá
Adam Holmes