@sch-thurston
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Re: Beginners’ Injuries
Ufff. Feel ya. Just coming back from a couple of injuries myself, only one of which was in KM. But injured is injured! It’s the first time I’ve had to take a few weeks off to heal.
Anyway, back to you. Pushing yourself to the max? Sounds good! Might not be the smartest thing to do. Sometimes you just have to slooooow down and focus on what you’re doing, not throw yourself at it 100%. Back in the day when I raced bicycles there was a saying that in order to ride fast you had to know how to ride slow. I can tell from the way a guy sits on a bike at a light whether he’s a good cyclist. He’s not even moving. Ability shows in many ways, and getting good at something often means making it look easy. Usually that happens by building up. Don’t believe me? What did you do first? Sprint, run, walk, or crawl? And just because you learned sufficient balance and grew strong enough to run or sprint everywhere, you didn’t do it because it wasn’t necessary (or smart).
My advice – which as it happens I am taking myself as I enter this new year – is to slow down in classes and as far as possible pay attention to what I’m doing. Where is that back foot? Is my elbow really level in this hook? What prime targets did I just fail to spot by resorting to the same combatives I did the previous round? Now, in doing this I don’t expect to go home quite as sweaty or tired as I could, but that is the point. There are no guarantees but one likely side-effect (provided nobody kicks yer knees out by accident!) is that you should reduce the chances of injury.
As for that “KM not right for you” rubbish, put it out of your head!!!! KM is right for everyone!!! The less athletic and older we are the more we need it.
Re: krav maga once a week?
Yes. Also something that I tend not to do myself, but am trying to get better at: debrief yourself after class. Take an hour or whatever for lunch, do something else, then sit down and think through what you did in class and perhaps make some notes. (I have even been known to video myself doing a particular technique because it’s faster than trying to write it all down. It also provides a lot of amusement for my girlfriend. Whatever, lady.) This very simple tactic reinforces learning for a minor time expenditure and maximizes your class time whether it’s once a day or once a week.
Re: Hello from San Francisco
Well done! And if you’re ever in a position to choose, training with someone older and bigger will usually be better for you! You may have a speed and agility edge, but more importantly it will slowly change your preconceptions and natural apprehension when your opponent is different to you. (90% of krav maga is mental. The other half is all in your head 😉
Re: Hello from San Francisco
What CJ’s Dad said. I’ve no first-hand knowledge of KMSF, I train at the other SF school. Why? First place I went and I’ve had no reason to leave, nothing more complicated than that.
Enjoy! There are doubtless many old ‘uns (like me) jealously watching you get your early start in krav maga.
Re: Hello from San Francisco
Welcome! I train at one of the SF places so I can tell you that you should expect to do anything that anyone of your size/weight/strength can do, nothing more and nothing less. Everyone is encouraged to flirt with their own limits and to try to improve. It’s all a personal battle as far as that aspect goes. Regarding the level of difficulty for techniques, where I train if you are in an adult class (which I assume you are) then there’s one syllabus for all; very egalitarian. And you’ll do just fine. You will have faves and not-so-faves, but you’ll learn and be capable of performing all techniques unless you have a physical restriction that prevents it. (Kicks to head height are ancient history for me, for example. All they would bring is a swift visit to the hospital for hernia surgery!)
As for frequency, the more you can do the better you’ll get , obviously. Rather than dwell on what you might have done with more frequent classes, aim to get as much as you can out of those you are able to attend. There are many ways to practice away from class, such as lightly practicing with a parent once or twice a week for a few minutes, to hanging a heavy bag in the garage if you have the space.
Here’s the bottom line though: go with the flow. Get in there and go for it 🙂
Re: Namaste…… Just Kidding
Hi LushMG, You have a good place near you, part of David Kahn’s Israeli Krav Maga group: israelikrav.com. The lead instructor at Cherry Hill is Don Melnick I see on the website. I once shared an airport shuttle with David, Don and a few of his instructors, they were (as expected) a positive and engaging group. No egos detected (as expected). You could do worse than go knock on Don’s door. Being deaf will need some accommodation in classes but it’s *far* from a show-stopper. (As you will quickly learn, “Find a solution.”) Your (visual) scan will likely be an order of magnitude better than most beginners so you might find you actually start with an advantage 😉
Anyway, yeah, it’s fun. And uber useful. Not just the self defense aspects but the philosophy. Do it! You know ya wanna!!!!
Re: Should I test into the next level or wait?
Just another opinion so you consider all your options…
I’ve found that I know techniques well enough to pass a test but many fade rapidly thereafter. It indicates to me that I know them like I once knew chemistry: just enough to brain-dump in the exam!
So after P2 I changed things, spending the 2-3 months after a test focusing on repetition and fine-tuning of the “previous” level’s syllabus (quotation marks to indicate that I don’t consider passing the test as the most reliable indicator of my present ability level), together with a small but gently increasing fraction of new material in the “current” level. I also try to put the “previous” techniques into as many new contexts as I can, to test my reactive abilities instead of my ability to recall a technique consciously. The instructors at my place have a tendency to throw P1 curve balls in a P3 class anyway, so it’s been quite easy to adapt my training to facilitate repetition and fine-tuning.
So I’d say let the instructor tell you if he/she thinks you’re ready, test or not based on that, and then whatever happens make sure you spend the weeks after the test locking in what you think you know.
Re: The round kick in Krav Maga: old way vs new way. Pros and Cons.
Interesting thread. As I’m now on the “mature” side of 40 the idea of a round kick above my own waist height is now firmly in the realm of fantasy. 25 years ago when I did some karate it was in the toolkit, but no more. They are also a lot slower to happen these days. I’d like to think that wearing jeans is the limiter, but no. Anyway, as some of Kevin Mack’s other videos demonstrate well, the option of going low then high then low then high is very, very useful. I can round kick very well to a knee or a calf, and a split second later even my old carcase can be throwing a punch combination, perhaps to be followed up by an advancing side kick at chest height if the opponent backs away… My point is that even though they aren’t my fave kick to do, they can be quick and effective, so they will remain in my repertoire even as my body gets stiffer and stiffer. And if that means only low roundhouse kicks, so be it. There’s a guy I spar with occasionally, mid-sixties at a guess, and he sticks me on my butt regularly with a well-timed sweeping round kick to my front calf if I even think about moving backwards. He can’t kick above my thigh and he’s got 6″ height on me. He’s been an inspiration.
Re. the ball of the foot variant, it’s without doubt my fave bailout kick. Groin’s a great target but a knee will do. It feels so natural as a way to make space and get offline. So I make sure and practice both variants whenever the opportunity arises.
Re: Can’t get pass the white belt level and now I can’t sleep
What Lenny said. You also have to remember that 80% of self defense (or fighting, if you prefer that term) is mental. The other half is in your head. It is very easy to lose touch of the mental part of training in seeking to do whatever physical exercise is up next. It’s why we should be scanning while we do push-ups, using words when engaging with threats, assessing exits, etc. We’re not just trying to get buff and kick to head height. (Nice side-effects if you can get ’em, but not the main thrust!)
And I think you’d be surprised if you could get candor from most of your classmates. Most have some physical or mental or emotional issue they’re not super thrilled about. Most of us learning Krav Maga aren’t natural fighters. It’s why your class probably isn’t all MMA wannabes. Those guys are off doing MMA, at least in my neck of the woods.
So my parting thought, which I hope some instructors will comment upon, is that you should be actively engaging the mental challenge! Don’t think of it as a distraction from the “main event.” According to the owner of the school I go to, the mental challenge IS the main event.
Re: Can’t get pass the white belt level and now I can’t sleep
Oops. When I said “the attacker” I meant “the attacked!” As in, the guy on the receiving end of the other guy’s combatives!!!! Don’t just stand there like a statue, pay attention to the attacks coming in and learn from/react to them.
Re: Can’t get pass the white belt level and now I can’t sleep
What Lenny said. All of us the “wrong” side of 40 are slow learners these days! A quick shift of reference frame – use your current self as your starting reference – should see you able to track your own progress. And that, my friend, is the only thing that matters.
So you have a lot of challenges in your future if you stick with krav maga. Sweet! That’s the sign of a meaningful life! Don’t worry about the distant ones, focus on one at a time. And I don’t mean something as big as “pass the white belt test.” Break it down into manageable chunks. For example: for the next three months, focus on learning to punch correctly, then harder, then faster. Start slowly and work on proper technique with full body rotation, getting your punch back as fast as it goes out, keeping a good guard, etc. etc. While being “the attacker,” start to focus on how the other person is punching at you. Get used to trying to read their punches, get your body defense working whether or not the instructor asked for it, etc. etc. If you spend an hour breaking down your techniques this way you should find that you will learn more (and be more effective!) and you should have more fun.
Two other things. No, actually, three. (1). Repetition, repetition, repetition. (2) Get yourself a journal and “de-brief” yourself an hour or so after each class, e.g. as you’re eating dinner post-shower. Walk your mind through what you learned and make notes. You will consolidate memories much better this way (it’s one of the reasons pilots de-brief) and you will have a handy reference for later classes. (3). Repetition, repetition, repetition. 🙂
Re: Can’t get pass the white belt level and now I can’t sleep
Hi Crash20, mind if I inquire about other things you’ve learned? Like driving or other sports? I just want to get a sense of how you go about learning new skills. It could be that you’re over-thinking each lesson. It could be that you are so overwhelmed with the desire to learn that you can’t see the wood for the trees.
Re: Can’t get pass the white belt level and now I can’t sleep
Funny enough, I actually think the bigger risk with krav maga is in progressing too rapidly through the levels at the expense of building a really solid base. It’s not about perfecting a bunch of techniques and ticking the boxes. It’s about getting stronger, improving your reactions, enhancing awareness, etc. The levels are proxies for these things. So here’s a new approach for you: take your persistence at white belt as a way to build the strongest foundation *you* can build. Measure your performance today against your performance yesterday. You are only competing against yourself. If you can track your own progress in small ways then you are progressing, period. And it is that mentality that might save your life. The baddie doesn’t care what color your belt is.
Re: Pa. student flashed 2 knives, injured 20
Yeah, sadly another scenario to walk our minds through. For one person with KM experience, in a crowd of panicked, untrained others I’m not sure what I might try to do. But having some objects that can be thrown – preferably objects with a bit of mass that can be hurled aggressively, like a cellphone – would be my first choice if I had one. (Objects to throw are probably more available than a long stick, although in a school you might think there would be a few baseball bats nearby.) A distraction followed up by some kicks is about all I can come up with. Ff anyone is thinking of running this as a drill in a class I’d be interested to hear what you learn!
Re: First Time Jitters
“If you came to KMD the first time there would not be a single person who would ridicule you.”
Right. I didn’t want to assume that every KM place has this attitude, but the two that I’ve trained at have been totally and utterly inclusive. Old, young, small, big, fast, slow, male, female,… Inclusiveness seems to be in the KM culture. It’s what we do!
As for being a bad ass, I understand the sentiment but focus on gaining confidence instead. And any time you feel like you might be becoming a bad ass, go ask a senior instructor to spar with you. I had this G5 the other night pinned just where I wanted him. I was trapping his foot with my groin, allowing him to warm my ears for the cold jog home with his playful slaps, all sorts of clever moves. But seriously, it was a really great reality check. I was impressed but not intimidated because this G5 is a true “bad ass” in a technical sense, yet he never, ever stops smiling or being positive.
Do please let us know how you get on, Brandon. Each of us probably has fond memories of our “first time,” it’s nice to be able to re-live the moment vicariously!
