Italia Krav Maga - Modena

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you, I haven't been on Tumblr for quite some time. I think 16 is old enough to start training in Krav Maga. As for how long it's going to take to become proficient, that depends on a number of factors, starting with what you exactly mean by "proficient." Also, the answer to this question is highly dependent on how consistent a person can be with their training and on how much time they invest in it. There are no shortcuts to real results. How painful is the journey? Well, it's a combat sport/martial art we are talking about. A good Krav Maga school will make sure students train as safely as possible and that the risk of injury is minimized as much as possible. But again, it's a physical activity involving some amount of contact. It would be dishonest to tell you there is absolutely 0 chance of getting injured.

Le abilità connesse alla memoria muscolare si costruiscono nel tempo attraverso la ripetizione costante. #KravMaga #ItaliaKravMaga #modenakravmaga #kravmagamodena #selfdefense #difesapersonale #Modena #fighting #fight #combatsports #martialarts #artimarziali #קרבמגע #הגנהעצמית #kravmagalife (presso Modena, Italy) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVP6tBXNK8L/?utm_medium=tumblr

I wish I could give you my two cents on the topic, but I am not part of the military, and I can’t say I know a lot about the type and the amount of self defense training that people receive in the army (I guess it varies from Country to Country). Years ago, I saw a documentary about the epidemic of sexual abuse and assault in the US military, but that’s pretty much the entirety of my knowledge on the matter.

I find myself having lots of time to spare right now, so if you have any question, doubt or curiosity about Krav Maga and self defense, just send me a message, and I’ll answer in full honesty and to the best of my ability!

Let’s start with an ugly truth: when dealing with violence, one of the most chaotic phenomenon we could ever experience, no technique, strike or strategy is guaranteed to always work. That being said, in Krav Maga we never deal with gun threats by immediately trying to hit the attacker. If our strike misses the target (or in case it doesn’t produce the desired effect, because yes, even groin kicks are not an end-it-all solution), the risk of getting shot is too high. If you can get out of that situation by complying with the bad guy’s requests, that’s always the best option. No amount of money or material object is worth your life. When we have no other choice but to react to protect our life, the principle to keep in mind is Redirect, Control, Counterattack and Disarm. The first thing to do is redirect the line of fire, so that should the weapon be fired, we will be out of the bullet’s trajectory. The next step is controlling the weapon, in order to keep ourselves out of said line of fire. Only at this point we can think about counterattacking with strikes, and possibly disarm the attacker. If the redirect part was executed with one hand, then we prefer to counterattack with a straight punch. That is way preferable to a groin kick, as punching allows you to keep both feet on the ground, providing you with more balance and stability. Some defenses against gun threats use both hands to redirect and control the line of fire, and in that case we are forced to use our legs to counterattack by kicking the groin. Here’s a quick video explanation about a basic defense against gun threat from the front. As usual, I urge people who want to learn self defense to train in a gym under the supervision of a qualified instructor. Just watching YouTube videos and reading stuff on Tumblr will not prepare you to fight for your life!

Physical disability is a whole other issue. Depending on the severity of the limitations an individual is subject to, the work should focus on finding the best tools for said individual to protect themselves while creating opportunities to escape to safety. This is not always possible, as there are forms of disability that are in my opinion incompatible with self defense training, like blindness or paraplegia. (Mind, I’m talking about self defense training aimed at acquiring practical tools to defend oneself in a fight. I don’t mean to discourage paraplegic or blind people from training if it can help them improve their self confidence or fitness condition.)

Partendo da due combinazioni di base (diretto/gancio e gancio/diretto), con il gruppo di allievi intermedi e avanzati del giovedì siamo andati a lavorare diverse strategie per difendere e contrattaccare sul gancio, dal bob and weave al cover fino alle classiche difese esterne del Krav Maga. Starting from two basic combinations (cross/hook and hook/cross), the Thursday night's intermediate and advanced class trained various strategies to defend and counter against the hook, from bob and weave to cover and classic Krav Maga 360 defenses. #KravMaga #modenakravmaga #kravmagamodena #difesapersonale #selfdefense #autodifesa #Modena #artimarziali #martialarts #boxing #pugilato #קרבמגע #kravmagatraining #training #allenamento #kravmagaalliance #ItaliaKravMaga #fighting #kravmagalifestyle #fitness https://www.instagram.com/p/B5bW-B1oVgO/?igshid=1vek5907c11l3

Personally, I don’t consider pain compliance a reliable tool for self defense, even when dealing with non-intoxicated people. In training, I blew the ACL in my left knee because of a leglock I failed to tap to. I was kneed in the face and broke my nose. I got my throat cartilage crushed and fractured by an elbow strike. In all these instances, I just kept going. I even got kicked in the groin during sparring, and I didn’t feel it until the round was over. I’m not writing this to brag about how tough I am (I’m not). I’m just trying to make a point about how people can often push through physical pain if they are determined enough, or as you suggested, if their pain perception is hindered by drugs. Therefore, my perspective is not one of (just) causing pain. I look at the matter in terms of striking to inflict as much damage as possible, preferably concussing the brain. Shutting down the “computer”, i.e. knocking them out, is the most effective way to end a fight. Easier said than done, I know, but still... If, in the process, they give up due to the pain they feel as a consequence of said damage, yay, that’s great news. But I never assume pain will be enough to stop a violent person.

Le applicazioni, gli spostamenti e i colpi dalla posizione di clinch sono stati il tema portante della lezione di ieri del corso intermedi-avanzati. Clinch's practical applications, movements and strikes have been the main theme of yesterday's class for our intermediate and advanced students. #KravMaga #modenakravmaga #kravmagamodena #ItaliaKravMaga #kravmagaalliance #difesapersonale #autodifesa #selfdefense #martialarts #artimarziali #קרבמגע #clinch #MuayThai #striking #training #fitness #kravmagatraining #Modena #allenamento #palestra (presso Modena, Italy) https://www.instagram.com/p/B447HUyoHrW/?igshid=1ru3e2c8wqqfa

Tenete su le mani, non siete dei T-Rex 🦖 Keep your hands up, you are not a T-Rex 🦖 #KravMaga #modenakravmaga #kravmagamodena #ItaliaKravMaga #kravmagaalliance #difesapersonale #selfdefense #autodifesa #boxing #pugilato #קרבמגע #artimarziali #martialarts #אגרוף #training (presso Modena, Italy) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4gshEEIPFA/?igshid=13nw4wm0p5nad

I do believe there is value in martial arts training for kids. It’ll help them with awareness, discipline, resilience, self esteem, dealing with bullies, staying fit and active, etc. Just don’t expect those skills to be as effective in terms of self defense as they’d be for an adult. Physics is a thing, and there is only so much technique can do.

#KravMaga #modenakravmaga #training #kravmagatraining #selfdefense #difesapersonale #motivational #autodifesa #fight #fighting #goals #martialarts #artimarziali #fitness #קרבמגע (presso Modena, Italy) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4PsVaNodDF/?igshid=hu55cxul1dnl

Concerning the fireman’s carry, I already gave my answer about that particular scenario here.

Yet another training session centered around striking techniques for our intermediate and advanced students. Last night we worked on uppercuts and defenses against high front kick.

One thing that I find truly infuriating is the amount of videos available on YouTube and other platforms claiming to impart quick tips and tricks that will supposedly save your life during a violent attack. These videos get thousands and thousands of views, likes and shares, further spreading the idea that self defense is something that can be learnt by sitting comfortably on your ass and watching a crappy tutorial you will forget in the span of 10 minutes. Let me state this as clearly as possible: self defense - i.e. fighting - is a physical ability that requires a considerable amount of repetitions in order to be acquired in an even remotely efficient way. And if you are a complete beginner to the world of fighting, meaning you have no decent striking and/or grappling skills, you are going to need the constant supervision of a certified instructor, so that they can spot the many mistakes you are bound to make and help you correct them. There is no way around these facts. You are going to have to get your ass to a gym. You are going to have to struggle with new stuff your body has never done, to sweat, to get bruises and scratches, and to feel totally useless until the moment when you start getting it kinda right. Training will (possibly) save your life. Not videos.

La settimana del corso intermedi e avanzati si è conclusa ieri con un ulteriore lavoro sullo striking (combinazioni con calci circolari bassi e medi). E un po' di burpees. Perché non possono mancare i burpees a fine allenamento. The week of our intermediate and advanced students ended with some more work on their striking game (combos with low/middle kicks). And some burpees. Because burpees at the end of class are a must. #KravMaga #italiakravmaga #kravmagamodena #modenakravmaga #KravMagaAlliance #selfdefense #difesa personale #autodifesa #קרבמגע #martialarts #artimarziali #fitness #training #kravmagatraining #kravmagalife #fighting #kickboxing #הגנהעצמית #Modena #allenamento (presso Modena, Italy) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3fDia3Iv2l/?igshid=1vi71xmhufv8b

The importance of distance management. #KravMaga #fighting #fight #boxing #martialarts https://www.instagram.com/p/B3bPijeo64K/?igshid=d543ys7czr5o