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Alive: In a fix? Fight dirty
Krav maga is self-defence without the frills, it’s easy to learn and can make anybody feel more confident in a crisis, writes Claire Prentice
‘Your mum is being attacked,” screams a voice. “Look, over there.” A slim woman in a business suit and stiletto heels throws her arm out as she tries to get past a man blocking her path. “He’s pulled a knife on her.” The man towers over her, but, her face twisted in anger, she knees him in the groin and strikes his face.
Had he not had a groin guard and punchbag to protect him, the man would have been left writhing on the floor in agony. Around the room 20 other men and women act out the same exercise.
This is krav maga, a self-defence system created by the Israeli army that is gaining popularity in Scotland. It is practised by more than 200,000 globally, including Hollywood stars Jennifer Lopez, Christian Slater, Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu, Sharon Stone and action girl Angelina Jolie.
While the fitness benefits are impressive, the appeal of krav maga lies deeper. Krav maga (“contact combat” in Hebrew) is used widely by the military and law enforcement communities around the world and relies on natural instincts to deal with muggers, kidnappers and terrorists.
In its basic form it is brutal and includes techniques for head-butting and testicle-crunching, but thankfully I am at the Commonwealth pool in Edinburgh to learn a toned-down version. I am encouraged to discover from the instructor, Simon Leila, that unlike other self-defence techniques, it is possible to learn the basics in just a couple of hours.
Leila, Scotland’s only qualified instructor and one of just 150 instructors outside Israel, has been inundated with inquiries in recent months, something he puts down to rising violence, particularly knife crime in Scotland’s cities, which is described by police as an epidemic.
“People are more aware than ever of the risks they face and they want to learn how to defend themselves,” says Leila, the 41-year-old director of Krav Maga Scotland and a self-defence instructor for more than 25 years.
“The appeal of krav maga is that it is based on human instincts, so it is very easy to pick up. Once you’ve got the basics, it’s as natural as walking. Everybody, no matter what their age, strength, level of fitness or build, can do it.”
According to practitioners, krav maga is not a sport but a valuable life skill that encourages vigilance and confidence and increases fitness levels. At its core is the philosophy “protect and survive”.
Leila starts by taking me through some basic strikes, using the heel of my hand, my forearms, elbows, feet and knees to hit a punchbag. He points out vulnerable areas such as eyes, nose, ears, neck, chest and groin, which make good targets.
He also shows me how, using only my index finger, I can stop anyone dead in their tracks. It is a fantastic party trick that bouncers commonly use when revellers get out of hand.
Next we move on to blocking techniques. Much to my surprise, I am, as krav maga promises, a natural. As soon as Leila comes towards me swinging his left arm, I find myself automatically throwing up my right arm to block him. It works, so I move in with a swift blow to his chest, followed by an elbow in the face.
The number of people practising martial arts has soared by 40%, to 8m, in the past four years. Paul Clifton, the publisher of Combat, Britain’s leading martial arts magazine, says: “People used to do martial arts to get fit and self-defence was a by-product, but now it’s the other way around — the primary goal is self-defence.”
Natalie MacQueen, a Glasgow book-keeper, was the victim of an unprovoked attack by a group of girls in a Helensburgh pub three years ago and took up krav maga this year to improve her confidence should she find herself in a threatening situation.
“I travel and do a lot of outdoor activities, such as hill walking, on my own so I thought it was important to know how to protect myself,” says MacQueen, 34. “As a woman you are vulnerable, but knowledge is power. If you know what you are doing you can be just as powerful as any guy.”
Across the room, a pensioner is attempting to fight off a burly man wielding a bright yellow replica gun. Within seconds, she has wrestled the weapon from his hand. It is an impressive advert for krav maga and her opponent looks more than a little surprised.
It was the birth of his first child combined with a desire to get fit that persuaded the graphic designer Graham Ramage, 34, to take up krav maga. “I’ve never had a fight in my life, but I wanted to be able to look after my family if anything ever happened, such as somebody breaking into our house,” he says.
“I’ve always fancied martial arts. I tried karate and tae kwon do, but it takes ages before you are any good. This is really easy to get into and it gives you a great workout — you’re dripping in sweat after 10 minutes.”
Father-of-two Leila is currently running classes in Glasgow and Helensburgh and short courses in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Stirling and Inverness. His students range from teenagers to a 73-year-old woman and include hospital staff, teachers, students and lawyers.
One of his clients is a businessman who had lost his nerve for flying after 9/11; after six hours of training he felt confident enough to board a plane again.
“Professionals don’t have much time. They want a short, sharp shock of a self-defence system which will work instantly and that is what they get,” says Leila.
As well as self-defence against knife, stick and gun attacks, the classes also cover verbal skills, eye contact, anticipation and dealing with the aftermath of an incident.
“Being aware is crucial,” he says. “That is the most important lesson in krav maga. It dramatically reduces the potential threat.”
The self-defence system was originally devised and created by Imi Lichtenfeld in Bratislava during his time as a resistance fighter in the second world war. In 1948, when Israel was founded, Litchenfeld began teaching krav maga to the the Israeli Defence Force. After leaving the army in the 1960s he adapted the technique so that it would be of use to ordinary citizens.
Angelina Jolie learnt the self-defence system while training for Tomb Raider and has been hooked ever since, while Jennifer Lopez spent several months learning how to kick, punch, choke, elbow and head butt for the film Enough, in which she played an abused wife. She described krav maga as “dirty street fighting”.
“You can teach fancy techniques, but they go out the window as soon as somebody pulls a gun on you,” says Leila. “Krav maga doesn’t look pretty, but one day it could save your life.”
Krav Maga Scotland is offering a short course in Edinburgh on Oct 29 (07050 199 710; www.kravmagascotland.co.uk)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2090-1836016_2,00.html
Well, since you can't carry anything to protect yourself over there, I guess this is the next step. How long before the authorities throw someone in jail for beating up someone who attacked them?
Krav maga is self-defence without the frills, it’s easy to learn and can make anybody feel more confident in a crisis, writes Claire Prentice
‘Your mum is being attacked,” screams a voice. “Look, over there.” A slim woman in a business suit and stiletto heels throws her arm out as she tries to get past a man blocking her path. “He’s pulled a knife on her.” The man towers over her, but, her face twisted in anger, she knees him in the groin and strikes his face.
Had he not had a groin guard and punchbag to protect him, the man would have been left writhing on the floor in agony. Around the room 20 other men and women act out the same exercise.
This is krav maga, a self-defence system created by the Israeli army that is gaining popularity in Scotland. It is practised by more than 200,000 globally, including Hollywood stars Jennifer Lopez, Christian Slater, Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu, Sharon Stone and action girl Angelina Jolie.
While the fitness benefits are impressive, the appeal of krav maga lies deeper. Krav maga (“contact combat” in Hebrew) is used widely by the military and law enforcement communities around the world and relies on natural instincts to deal with muggers, kidnappers and terrorists.
In its basic form it is brutal and includes techniques for head-butting and testicle-crunching, but thankfully I am at the Commonwealth pool in Edinburgh to learn a toned-down version. I am encouraged to discover from the instructor, Simon Leila, that unlike other self-defence techniques, it is possible to learn the basics in just a couple of hours.
Leila, Scotland’s only qualified instructor and one of just 150 instructors outside Israel, has been inundated with inquiries in recent months, something he puts down to rising violence, particularly knife crime in Scotland’s cities, which is described by police as an epidemic.
“People are more aware than ever of the risks they face and they want to learn how to defend themselves,” says Leila, the 41-year-old director of Krav Maga Scotland and a self-defence instructor for more than 25 years.
“The appeal of krav maga is that it is based on human instincts, so it is very easy to pick up. Once you’ve got the basics, it’s as natural as walking. Everybody, no matter what their age, strength, level of fitness or build, can do it.”
According to practitioners, krav maga is not a sport but a valuable life skill that encourages vigilance and confidence and increases fitness levels. At its core is the philosophy “protect and survive”.
Leila starts by taking me through some basic strikes, using the heel of my hand, my forearms, elbows, feet and knees to hit a punchbag. He points out vulnerable areas such as eyes, nose, ears, neck, chest and groin, which make good targets.
He also shows me how, using only my index finger, I can stop anyone dead in their tracks. It is a fantastic party trick that bouncers commonly use when revellers get out of hand.
Next we move on to blocking techniques. Much to my surprise, I am, as krav maga promises, a natural. As soon as Leila comes towards me swinging his left arm, I find myself automatically throwing up my right arm to block him. It works, so I move in with a swift blow to his chest, followed by an elbow in the face.
The number of people practising martial arts has soared by 40%, to 8m, in the past four years. Paul Clifton, the publisher of Combat, Britain’s leading martial arts magazine, says: “People used to do martial arts to get fit and self-defence was a by-product, but now it’s the other way around — the primary goal is self-defence.”
Natalie MacQueen, a Glasgow book-keeper, was the victim of an unprovoked attack by a group of girls in a Helensburgh pub three years ago and took up krav maga this year to improve her confidence should she find herself in a threatening situation.
“I travel and do a lot of outdoor activities, such as hill walking, on my own so I thought it was important to know how to protect myself,” says MacQueen, 34. “As a woman you are vulnerable, but knowledge is power. If you know what you are doing you can be just as powerful as any guy.”
Across the room, a pensioner is attempting to fight off a burly man wielding a bright yellow replica gun. Within seconds, she has wrestled the weapon from his hand. It is an impressive advert for krav maga and her opponent looks more than a little surprised.
It was the birth of his first child combined with a desire to get fit that persuaded the graphic designer Graham Ramage, 34, to take up krav maga. “I’ve never had a fight in my life, but I wanted to be able to look after my family if anything ever happened, such as somebody breaking into our house,” he says.
“I’ve always fancied martial arts. I tried karate and tae kwon do, but it takes ages before you are any good. This is really easy to get into and it gives you a great workout — you’re dripping in sweat after 10 minutes.”
Father-of-two Leila is currently running classes in Glasgow and Helensburgh and short courses in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Stirling and Inverness. His students range from teenagers to a 73-year-old woman and include hospital staff, teachers, students and lawyers.
One of his clients is a businessman who had lost his nerve for flying after 9/11; after six hours of training he felt confident enough to board a plane again.
“Professionals don’t have much time. They want a short, sharp shock of a self-defence system which will work instantly and that is what they get,” says Leila.
As well as self-defence against knife, stick and gun attacks, the classes also cover verbal skills, eye contact, anticipation and dealing with the aftermath of an incident.
“Being aware is crucial,” he says. “That is the most important lesson in krav maga. It dramatically reduces the potential threat.”
The self-defence system was originally devised and created by Imi Lichtenfeld in Bratislava during his time as a resistance fighter in the second world war. In 1948, when Israel was founded, Litchenfeld began teaching krav maga to the the Israeli Defence Force. After leaving the army in the 1960s he adapted the technique so that it would be of use to ordinary citizens.
Angelina Jolie learnt the self-defence system while training for Tomb Raider and has been hooked ever since, while Jennifer Lopez spent several months learning how to kick, punch, choke, elbow and head butt for the film Enough, in which she played an abused wife. She described krav maga as “dirty street fighting”.
“You can teach fancy techniques, but they go out the window as soon as somebody pulls a gun on you,” says Leila. “Krav maga doesn’t look pretty, but one day it could save your life.”
Krav Maga Scotland is offering a short course in Edinburgh on Oct 29 (07050 199 710; www.kravmagascotland.co.uk)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2090-1836016_2,00.html
Well, since you can't carry anything to protect yourself over there, I guess this is the next step. How long before the authorities throw someone in jail for beating up someone who attacked them?
