by Reid Presley
As tensions grow with continually increasing rates of gun or knife attacks, people find themselves wondering how they can prepare themselves for the unexpected. Parents worry about how they can prepare themselves to protect their family, and they struggle to know how to prepare their children to go out into the world with the ability to make it home safely every night. Krav Maga is a reflex-based self-defense system developed by the Israeli Defense Force that is used to teach people how to defend themselves and bring a little bit of comfort to their lives through the awareness it instills. If you’re looking for something that will give you the tools to handle any escalated situation, heighten your instinctive reflexes, help you become more physically fit, and teach you how to stand tall with confidence no matter where you go, then Krav Maga is perfect for you.
Krav Maga can do a lot of things, however, being able to calm down a potential threat before it turns into a physical altercation is one of the most important aspects of this self-defense system. One of the best forms of self -defense is common sense, and this trait can potentially save a person before a physical situation even happens. Krav teaches people how to keep a level head when the atmosphere unexpectedly becomes hostile. One drill that stands out is actually having the attacker become verbal with the defender. This could range anywhere from a robbery, to a person wanting to fight, and the Krav students are taught how to verbally and physically avoid the situation from escalating any further. The students are taught how they should use their body language and verbiage to either deescalate the attack or distract the attacker enough to make a move.
The next benefit of Krav Maga is heightening your reflexes to quickly, and effectively defend, disarm, and diffuse the situation entirely. The system trains the students’ reflexes with drills that increase the stress of the room and disorients the defender. These drills can include blind drills, yelling drills, group attacks, or even a combination of them all. The point of these drills is to mimic a real situation and put the students in an uncomfortable position that increases their adrenaline so that these drills feel as real as possible. Krav Maga stands apart from other self-defense systems because there is no drill that feels repetitive or fake, and everything is as real as it gets.
Because these situational drills are so real, the body of both the attacker and defender is challenged. Not only are you physically active, but you’re also having to think on your feet with a rush of adrenaline and increased heart rate. This combination will strengthen your body and provide a good cardio-like workout. Part of the training will include striking drills, running and maneuvering through a crowded room, and the possible defense against a random attack method or weaponized object. Breaking a sweat is an understatement during the classes, and Krav Maga will not only teach you what you need to know to defend yourself but also prepare the body to be able to execute these defensive movements.
When you combine all three of the qualities mentioned above, you will inevitably feel an increase in confidence. Confidence is a powerful tool when it comes to avoiding attacks because your typical assailant is not going to go after the person that holds their head high and doesn’t look threatened by anyone. Plus, an added benefit to confidence is how it can affect the other areas in your life by helping you with your professional career, helping you build relationships with others, and by giving you the ability to positively impact people. One of Krav Maga’s goals is to help you feel confident in the worst possible situations, and if you’re confident during those, you’ll be able to handle any other situation life throws at you with ease.
Krav Maga has a multitude of benefits, and something that makes it stand out is the fact that anyone can learn it. There are no real restrictions on who can learn this system, and in fact, it is highly advised that most people do. Everyone needs to know how to protect themselves and their loved ones, and everyone can use a good workout, increased confidence, heightened reflexes, and a focused mind. If you’re looking for all of those benefits, and want to find a way to learn how to protect yourself, then go give Krav Maga a try and experience all of the benefits it has to offer!
If you choose to seek out Krav Maga instruction, Premier Martial Arts studios nationwide teach this exciting and useful form of martial arts as their primary belt ranking curriculum, along with Muay Thai Kickboxing.
You can search for the nearest Premier Martial Arts studio on their website at www.premiermartialarts.com
