Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Groin, Throat, Eyes. I Got This.

I'm a lover, not a fighter.

Howeva. I am a single young woman living in a great big ol' city and as strong and safe as I like to think that I am, I know that I could be a potential attack victim. So, I decided that I shouldn't live in ignorance any longer or feel defenseless if, God forbid, I was targeted. Luckily for me, my good friend E felt the same way.

Groupon to the rescue! With just $35, I scored a five class package at James Sherman Krav Maga studios in Midtown. E and I picked a date to start and got ready to become the Krav Maga goddesses we know are in there somewhere!

Our first class was two weeks ago. We both arrived at the studio, met James, and signed in. James is a real bad-ass (and I don't use that term lightly!) He used to be a finance guy but eventually founded the Manhattan Trainers and completed over 500 hours of full contact Israeli close quarters combat training to become a  a certified Israeli Krav Maga Instructor. He's one of only a handful of Americans to do this. K, he seems legit, right? :)

E and I were joined by one other girl and we started class. James starts his classes by warming up- rotating your ankles around in circles one way then reversing, squatting and rotating your knees together in a circle, doing the same for your wrists, stretching out your arms, etc. He also has you touch your toes then immediately put your hands straight up in the air 15 times in a row. This makes me a bit dizzy (maybe I'm doing it wrong...?) but I do it b/c James insists.

He then lectured us. It wasn't annoying or anything. He wanted to let us know that self-defense always starts out before an attack occurs with awareness. Be aware of your surroundings, the time of day (or night), the people, potential situations that could occur, etc. If you see something that looks off, get out of there even if it means doing an about-face and running. "Flight" is always a better option that "fight". But, sometimes, "fight" is necessary and that's where his lessons come in.

The next thing we learned about is where the title of this post comes in: Groin, Throat, Eyes. These are the areas you always go for. Luckily for those of us who would likely be smaller than a potential attacker, it doesn't take much strength to one of these spots to take someone out (if only for a few seconds... but long enough to flee). In fact, Krav Maga is always focused on these points, whether it is striking the attacker's or protecting your own.
Moi striking James. He's in the middle of bringing his arms around to (try to) attack me.  Psh- Good luck!

That's all I'll write about for now since I still have classes to take and I don't want to give up all the things I've learned right now but what do you think so far? Would you ever take a class like this? 

And one more thing. (Did I remind you of Steve Jobs when I said that?!I have definitely already become "that girl" in class that has all the questions. I swear I try not to be annoying but my mind really starts racing when I think of all of the different scenarios that could arise and I want to make sure I'm prepared. It's probably annoying (and definitely a bit paranoid) but I think I am going to start emailing James after class with all of my questions- Do you have any about Krav Maga or self defense that you'd like for me to ask him? 

E performing one of the simple but effective moves James taught- I'll share more about it next time!

I highly recommend his class so be sure to check out James' website: http://jamesshermankravmaga.com/

2 comments:

  1. Nice form, I'd know, I'm a black belt, well, I wear one to work?!

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  2. Ha! Not exactly the black belt I have in mind here at LaFemmeFITalle but I'm never one to discourage an accessory! :)

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