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Hello! Today is the first day I have ever encountered the term ‘Krav Maga’ while surfing on the net. Today is also the first day I was assaulted.
I teach at an inner city school with a horrible reputation for violence, and it is a sad state of affairs that I need to learn self-defense to protect myself from my students. I know of five instances during this semester in which my fellow teachers were assaulted by students. The school has a heavy gang population, and fights within the hallways, classrooms, and lunchroom is a common sight. The metal detectors are broken, and the school surveilance cameras don’t work. The school budget has no money (or concern) to fix these safety issues, and after today, I am afraid to be at my job.
I have never had any martial arts training; I’ve always been a peaceful, non aggressive person. What attracted me to the Krav Maga concept was the ‘reality’ of the focus of training. I feel that pretty katas would not be practical for me. My dilemma? I know of no Krav Maga schools in my area (Birmingham, Alabama). I don’t think I would learn much from a video; I learn best with one-on-one instruction. Does anyone have any suggestions, or does anyone know someone proficient in Krav Maga near my location?
Re: High school teacher in dire need
I hope you came through the assault OK. Any real injuries, or just a bad shaking? Has the incident been reported properly? Any way, congrats on surviving and welcome to the forum.
The main-page school finder shows nothing in Alabama. Kep in mind those are only KMWW schools. Your best bet might be getting out the phone book and going on a local search.
One of the most important facets of self-defense is avoiding an altercation in the first place. From the sound of it, your work environment is a rather nasty place. Is there any possibility of finding a new job in a better environment?
Re: High school teacher in dire need
Welcome to the forum
I’m so sorry to read about your experience. I also checked and I didn’t see any KMWW schools in your area.
The KMWW videos are very good and you probably could learn from them but they wouldn’t replace being with an actual instructor. What you might want to consider is taking a trip to a center that may be further away(probably in a nearby state),even if it was only for a few classes. There are several who have done that here and it has helped them alot.
The videos aren’t made anymore but they can still be found. Now the DVD set is a bit expensive but if YOU happen to still have a VCR, Revgear has them on sale really cheap (those marked VHS).
http://www.revgear.com/product/889/krav_maga_dvd_krav_maga
I wish I had better advice for you but if you have ANY questions at all, please feel free to ask. That’s why we’re here. Take care:wav:
Re: High school teacher in dire need
Thank you for your replies. No, I wasn’t hurt, but I was badly shaken. I immedietely reported the incident. One of the vice principals saw the girl bolt and flee when spotted. She was apprehended by a coach who detained her until a resource officer could arrive. I filed a police report and contacted a legal representative within my teachers’ union.
I’ve always been a feminine, ‘girly’ girl who didn’t give much thought to self-defense, and I now see the error of that judgement. Yes, there is a resource officer, but the school is quite large. It takes a long time for him to get to the area of incident, and much damage could be done to me until his arrival.
I have told the administrators I plan to leave at the end of the school year. However, I am fearful of retribution due to the girl being a gang member.
Re: High school teacher in dire need
If Atlanta isn’t too far, I would suggest getting there a couple of times a month for classes on Saturdays. The map on the mainpage shows 4-5 schools in the Atlanta area.
If you only pick up a few classes a month, but are diligent in your personal workouts 4-5 nights each week, you should do fine.
I think that Krav once or twice each month and a regular boxing gym or Muay Thai gym in your own neighborhood would be a nice combination.
Re: High school teacher in dire need
It way be worth a trip to a legitimate KM school and seek some one on one training. Some schools even offer self defense seminars a few times a year. You can actually learn quite a bit in one seminar or one on one session. You can then take what you learned and keep practicing at home. Use the DVDs and books available as a resource. Although regular classes are the best route, you should do what you can to protect yourself. You may want to look at other systems like the last post stated. Boxing and muay thai can give you an edge against a possible attacker.
Re: High school teacher in dire need
llsncrawford, send me an email…hopefully I can get you in contact with someone.
Re: High school teacher in dire need
Sorry to hear about your challenges at work, but I applaud you for seeking help. From what I understand, unfortunately there aren’t a lot of options for our Alabama neighbors. I would definitely encourage you to seek out some of the resources in a a neighboring state. We always seem to have a handful of students from Alabama that make the trek to Atlanta for training, and I would welcome you to do the same — even if it’s only on Saturdays.
Let me know if there’s anything we can do to help.
Re: High school teacher in dire need
I live in Bham, AL . Sorry about your situation. There is a KM school that I recently found in Moody. I checked it out and it seems like a great school. I am changing work schedules soon and will be starting soon.
Re: High school teacher in dire need
quote milo2010:I live in Bham, AL . Sorry about your situation. There is a KM school that I recently found in Moody. I checked it out and it seems like a great school. I am changing work schedules soon and will be starting soon.Krav in Moody? Where and when? I’ve got to see this for myself the next time we’re down to see the in-laws. Outside of the IKMF and USKMA schools in Huntsville, I thought the state was completely devoid of it.
Re: High school teacher in dire need
Interesting, but I’d still want to see more information about the instructor, what they’re affiliated with, etc. That website is severely lacking.
Re: High school teacher in dire need
The school in Moody Alabama is called Premier Martial Arts. It is just one of a 150 PMA schools in the US. The curriculum at this school consists of no only Krav Maga but BJJ, and kickboxing. The also have a fitness program designed by Matt Hughes, called Cage Fitness. I’m actually one of the Krav Maga instructors and associated with Krav Maga Universal under Mr. Ernie Kirk. Although Mr. Kirk doesn’t teach at this location, he is our Chief Instructor. Mr. Kirk is a 3rd degree black belt in KM who trained under Mr. John Whitman. Our instructors have to pass a rigorous training course before we’re allowed to teach. As for myself, I try to learn as much as I can from other KM sources so I can pass the knowledge onto my students. Hope this helps. I will be happy to answer any other questions about this school.
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