Hit and Run Self Defense brings the pain
By Adam Tatelman, Arts Editor
Krav Maga, or âcontact combatâ as itâs translated from Hebrew, is a method of fighting practiced today around the world. Itâs mainly used by members of the military with the goal of enhancing their unarmed close-quarter combat skills. However, there is no such thing as competitive Krav Maga. It isnât used in mixed martial arts competitions such as the UFC, because the sole purpose of the style is to be practical and effective in life-or-death situations. Therefore, much of the fighting style involves rather âunsportsmanlikeâ tactics, which when used in a situation outside of life-or-death, seems rather âdirtyâ or âharsh.â
In the interest of teaching students to protect themselves, Hit and Run Self Defense offers training in this deadly martial art.
Hit and Runâs instructors, Louisa Weizmann and John Chartier, are both multiple black belts with over two decades of experience each. They are not hobbyists, but full time teachers, both highly sought after by police and security personnel for one-on-one training in their style of Krav Maga.
The Krav Maga fighting method assumes that youâll be caught off your guard or otherwise be put at a disadvantage in a close-quarters situation, like a street mugging or fight. To that end, KM employs defences from vulnerable positions, such as being strangled by a cord from behind, threatened with a knife, or having a gun shoved in your face. There are methods to survive situations like these, and theyâre simpler to learn than you might think.
The brilliance of the KM method is that it rejects all fighting techniques which require fine motor skills to execute. Everything one learns in KM instead employs full-body, gross motor skill motions, which are much easier to remember, even when under extreme threat. There are no elaborate techniques in KM. Everything is fast, brutal, and to the pointâso much so that an outsider might think it artless, were it not so effective.
Those at risk of street attacks are unlikely to be accosted in well-lit dojos full of bystanders in the middle of the day, so KM teachers often have students practice in darkened rooms, with loud music blaring, or even after being spun around until dizzy to simulate drunkenness. This is a step beyond what most schools prepare students for, which is often tournaments and nothing else. This is especially so when combined with KMâs situational awareness training. After all, the best fight is the one you never have to win.
If you are interested in joining Hit and Run Self Defense, visit http://www.hitandrunselfdefense.com for details. Classes are held four times a week at the Hit and Run studio (2251 Number 5 Rd).
