If someone is telling you that learning any martial art won’t hurt he LIES! Naturally, if you start thinking about the new skill you probably imagine yourself as a person who already has successfully acquired it. If it comes to martial arts you have no problems to imagine a lovely picture with a combat that you have just won. Yes, you are prepare for an effort but somehow deep inside your head there is this little irritating thought that you’ll become a local hero within a month. When I started my krav maga training I was prepared for a physical effort but I wasn’t aware that someone will really kick my ass. The group of krav maga apprentices I have joined is mixed of experienced guys and the beginners. Such a mix is a good opportunity to learn fast. Really fast. Because if you don’t you just get your nose punched. For last couple of weeks my nose was bleeding at least three times, and between two workouts weekly the bruises on my legs and arms have not enough time to heal. Ironically, I’m more and more engaged in my training. Sounds crazy? Well, maybe it sounds crazy but not insane. Each sport you do is demanding. Let’s think about skiing: if you don’t learn how to fall you will never ski well. Why? Because you will be always afraid to fall. The case of martial arts is only different because what you get is pure pain. To survive it you need to think about two important issues: first, that pain is temporary and it allows you to learn how much pain you are able to cause in a fight to the others. That’s instructive. Second you need to mentally prepare to get hit during the training. This was a real challenge for me: I haven’t thought I’ll be beaten so many times before I acquired the basic self defense skills. What is really great about krav maga and intensive workout is that increase of your strength, condition and precision is visible. A unique skill to protect yourself from the punch in the nose keeps you smiling for the whole evening. And keeps you going.  

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Last weekend I completed a 6h seminar of self defense technique against gun attack. First of all word ‘seminar’ sounds really funny when you think about its content. It makes my friends laugh as for them this word basically means a mix of conference rooms, suits and free coffee. In the case of krav maga seminar the coffee is not for free and we do not wear suits. And, I would also say, the content of krav maga seminars increase adrenaline much more than a traditional conference. OK, you might think that the probability to meet somebody who will threat me with a gun is low, so it does not make any sense to practice it. While I might be lucky and never find myself in a similar situation I still believe it isn’t completely pointless. The most important thing learnt last weekend is sort of ‘familiarity’ with the gun in terms of weight (it is bloody heavy!), dimensions and technique how to secure it to not to shoot yourself. Second important thing is related to a situation of direct threat for my life: a gun pointed to my head while kneeling was dreadful. Dreadful when it happened for the first time but after six hours I was much less frightened than before the seminar. Lastly, I got known that an aggressor is also very nervous/excited when he/she threatens with a gun or a knife. So, you have couple of minutes to react. After a while he/she gets tranquil and your chances to defense yourself decrease. I am not trying to convince you that after carrying a gun for couple of hours you become fearless but I am pretty sure that I have increased probability of not being totally petrified when it happen to me. I might even have some behavior learnt that one day will safe my life or life of somebody who is with me. One of the huge advantage of such activities is intensive physical training. I mean: I-N-T-E-N-S-I-V-E. Our instructor knows no mercy and after such a day I feel really exhausted. BUT there is also a good news: it gets easier. Or maybe it does not get any easier, I just get better. Photo thanks to Fernando Osuna.  

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