Krav4Life Blog

UNIFORMS – THE FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESS The moment a student begins the martial journey, he or she receives a uniform and a belt. It is a special moment, and you can see it on the student’s face. This sets the foundation for the entire martial journey. Here are just a few reasons why. A SYMBOL OF COMMITMENT The uniform demonstrates a student’s commitment to the martial journey. People who learn commitment at an early age are better able to persevere when life gets difficult. High school, college, graduate school, and a career all require commitment. So do relationships, friendships, and parenthood. Those who remain committed to their values, to the people in their lives, and to a career path, tend to live longer, happier, healthier lives. Teaching your child about commitment sets the foundation for success. A SYMBOL OF UNITY The uniform is a symbol of unity. It says, “we are one, and we are doing this together.” When a child connects to positive, goal-oriented peers in a family-friendly environment, he or she is more likely to make good decisions later on in life. Soldiers, police officers, and firefighters – heroes always seem to be in uniforms. For millennia the uniform has helped us draw strength from each other, and build the courage to face the challenges ahead. Not wearing the uniform sends the message, “It’s all about me.” Wearing it says, “For this hour, it’s all about us.” A SYMBOL OF BEING IN A SPECIAL PLACE When a child wears their uniform, they see, hear, and feel that this space is different. The student gets the message, “I am here for a special reason. This isn’t like my other activities.” Every student of the martial arts, from From sensei Pavel to the newest member , bows on the beginning of the class. Similarly, everyone wears a uniform. It builds a foundation for a student to accomplish things they can’t accomplish anywhere else. A SMART IDEA Uniforms are just a smart idea. We move, jump, run, tumble, fall, grab, strike, block, and roll around in Krav Maga . Pavel hand-selected this uniform to stand up to the rigors of martial training. Material is light enough for comfort, but strong enough to withstand being grabbed, rolling around, or kicking over the head. While the uniform represents important martial values, it is also excellent workout gear. WHAT ABOUT THE T-SHIRTS? In our studios, students wear the school t-shirt.They must wear their belt and uniform pants, and wrestling shoes are still encouraged. Many parents are not aware that wearing other t-shirts to class is an outward sign of disrespect. Krav Maga parents understand the value of the martial arts, and would never send a child to class wearing street clothes. SEND THE RIGHT MESSAGE Life can be very hectic at times, and important messages can get lost if we don’t highlight them. Sending a child to class without a uniform confuses a child. It undermines the important life lessons that brought us here in the first place. When you insist your child wears their uniform, you send a message that you love them, that you support their learning, and that your child can do anything they set their mind to.

What can I say about inclusion. The definition of inclusion states that it is "the action of being included within a particular group or structure". For me this is the ultimate goal. Let me tell you why. I'm a mom of a beautiful boy who has additional needs. His name is Jamie. Having tried different activities that have been deemed unsuitable or unable to cater for those needs, a parent can sometimes lose faith on how their child can socially mix outside the safety and support of the primary caregivers. Over the last couple of years I returned to college to help me understand how I could help my son and also how to help other children that had difficulties fitting in. I've worked alongside some amazing children who have educated me to see beyond the barriers that sometimes can stop a child participating in different activities. Krav 4 Life is an amazing organisation to be a part of. I have been given a fantastic opportunity to share any knowledge I have and to incorporate this into the children's krav maga classes. Every child is different and isn't it wonderful. I tell Jamie that the world would be very boring if we all were the same. My son can step in and out of a class depending on what he wants to do. This gives him control of the situation and also includes him in the class alongside other children. The dream for me is that children of all abilities can come to class and have fun while learning the discipline of krav maga. I will continue to update my skills as I believe that education is vital to assist our next generation reach their true potential. To say that I feel happy to be part of the Krav 4 Life community is an understatement. KIDA

What is Krav Maga? Krav Maga is a fighting self defence system which was developed for the Israel defence forces. It combines the most effective combinations of Boxing, Wrestling, Aikido, Judo, Karate and other martial arts, along with realistic street fighting. Krav Maga is not a sport and there are no competitions. Krav Maga is full contact combat and has no regard for the well being of an opponent /attacker though we do also train in soft solutions. realistically in self defence all rules go out the window in a fight for your life. This is one reason it is chosen and utilized by special forces and law enforcement worldwide. Why train in Krav Maga? Krav Maga is realistic street fighting and it incorporates your body's natural defence reactions. This makes techniques easier to follow and learn. It incorporates your body's common sense and techniques are developed to implement maximum damage as quickly as possible. All rules go out the window in self defence and this is why Krav Maga is considered one of the deadliest martial arts. Krav Maga not only focuses on the physical training of a person but also prepares your psyche. Push and never give up. It focuses on common scenarios you, a friend or even loved one may have experienced. when training your instructor will implement various techniques or scenarios where applicable. EG: Bar Brawl, Alone at the ATM, Walking home alone and being attacked from behind etc. If there is a scenario your concerned about or may have endured in the past chances are your Krav Maga instructor can train you in a technique you wish you knew when it happened. Thus helping you move on and feel more secure. Benefits of Krav Maga! *As Krav Maga is a self defence system it focuses on improving your physical and mental state. So yes while training in Krav Maga you will tone up in places you never knew you had muscles. You will feel more alert and refreshed on a daily basis and your mood will improve due to those key hormones called endorphins you will produce while training. *In Krav Maga we train using aggression in our techniques which is a great stress release and you use up your pent up aggression in a constructive manner on pads and shields. (much better than slapping that someone you know you shouldn't) *In Krav Maga you will become physically and mentally more confident in yourself. as it is physically demanding you cant help but lose weight, feel less stressed and confident in protecting yourself. Your fitness level will increase substantially and training will become that little bit addictive. Fun Fact about Krav Maga! Did you know that Hollywood loves Krav Maga? All of those thrilling action movies you love with incredible fight scenes? you guessed it! most of them train in Krav Maga! A lot of celebrities train in Krav Maga for movies but also for fitness in their personal lives. Maybe you might know some or all of them? Gal Gadot AKA Wonder-woman, Jennifer Lopez, Jason Statham, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, Daniel Craig, Aston Kutcher, Jessica Alba and Keanu Reeves to mention but a few. So as you can see Krav Maga is not just for muscle men, It is very beneficial to keeping us ladies strong too!!! Kida Tamara Howard

Losing your Mojo or motivation happens in any sport or activity. Many people feel deflated or frustrated or even in a rut. There is no quick fix to this but you can get out of this mindset using different techniques that can help stop that inner voice telling you to quit. I've read many articles on how to keep motivated and how to come back from that dark place. This is what I have discovered. Don't be afraid to shout! If you find yourself losing your mojo don't be afraid to ask for help or support. A good coach always has time to chat to talk about your options. Also at any given time we all go through this and it is beneficial to ask for guidance from other members in our club. You would be surprised with the positive response this can have. Fake it until you make it! I have heard this saying and sometimes by dragging those feet of yours into your club you might have fun or even better learn something that may have been difficult previously. Repetition! Repetition! Repetition! It goes without saying that repetition of techniques can help. Eventually once a person can break it down, the information can be stored. I call this my "light bulb" moment where I can understand how something works. Stay clear of negativity! A negative mindset can be contagious. This is where someone talking negatively about a person, place or object can subconsciously give you doubts about things. Take pride in small victories! This has been my mantra for many years taught to me by my son. Don't focus on the big picture, it will happen eventually. We are all on the same path to success but some of us might take a different route to stop and appreciate our surroundings. Break down your goals to easy, achievable results and this can eventually help you reach your final destination. Remember Rome wasn't built in a day. As stated earlier there is no quick fix for this problem but trying different methods can help until you find what works for you. A number of years ago I was training in my Krav Maga classes which honestly I do love but I was feeling very frustrated that I couldn't seem to progress. I thought I was absolutely useless and considered giving up. I plodded along in classes for a couple of weeks feeling like this until a wonderful woman in the club pulled me to one side after class. Marion was a strong woman and a force to be reckoned with. She fought with determination and always seemed to enjoy any task asked of her. Marion could see that I was struggling with my motivation for my classes and I have to personally thank her for how she inspired me to continue on my Krav Maga journey. She spoke to me about her frustrations at times and how she could see the fight in me. I listened to her with great admiration as I could never imagine she once felt like I did. She then took something out of her pocket and said this is for you. It was a keyring with "small but mighty" engraved on one side and "never give up" on the other side. To this day I treasure my keyring and keep it safe at home. Marion done something that we talk about a lot. To me she was the definition of empowerment. She helped me believe in myself and even though I struggled at times I took on challenges with a new light. What I wanted to share today is Marion's words of wisdom. Don't give up, keep going. You might be inspiring someone who believes in you. It might go unnoticed at times but believe me you are getting stronger. KIDA

What is Krav Maga? I'd never heard of this before. I've seen Karate, is it like that? Well no. Krav Maga means 'contact combat', it is a self defence fighting system. Four years ago I began training and little did I know that this was the start of something wonderful. My name is Sue and I'm a mom of two boys. They are my world. As a mom you want the best for your children. You want to protect them when they are hurt, to comfort them when they are upset and you want to share in their joy when they are happy. Unfortunately a few years ago, we had a home invasion incident and we were lucky that no one was physically hurt but I was left scared for quite a while afterwards. I didn't want to go out, open a door or talk to anyone. I started going to an exercise class to try and help with this but strange as it may sound I found out about a Krav Maga class literally in the same building. I was curious and apprehensive at the same time but I bit the bullet and talked myself into giving it a go. Sure what have I got to lose I knew nothing about it, never been to a martial arts class and seriously never tried anything like this before. Krav Maga is a defence system that helps you hone into your natural instincts. Well my natural instinct in my first class was to run. I felt completely out of my comfort zone and I have to hit pads. I feel that I'm an idiot because I need a lot of instruction but hey I don't give up. I am very grateful that the coach has endless patience to help me understand what I am doing. The only thing I'd ever hit before was Abrakebabra after a few social drinks. I can't believe I'm actually going to learn a skill. Apparently there is a way to make a proper boxing fist . Who knew? As a beginner in a Krav Maga class, you don't need to know anything. Everyone wears black when training like a uniform but black is going to soon become my best friend as I've never worked out as hard in my life. Some women sweat and still look flawless like on a magazine cover. I don't! Let me tell you how my first class went. The coach paired me with this lovely girl who had been training for quite a while. I was given instructions on how to make a fist and how to punch. It must be my Irish upbringing but each time my fists hit the pads I start saying sorry like I was hurting the pads or sending them to pad heaven. Can anyone do Krav Maga? The answer is yes. At four foot eleven inches I'd consider myself among the chosen few as vertically challenged. Yes I've heard all the jokes before like "Is it cold down there" or "Where's your pot of gold" but like any discipline there are advantages and disadvantages to train. Krav Maga increases your fitness level. It is physically demanding as any discipline should be but sometimes compared to rearing two boys it's like a break where you can use the pads to get out the frustrations of the day. Krav Maga uses drills and techniques if needed in a life threatening situation. No one tells you that you that sometimes you can get hit. Now this is not on purpose. As you progress you can train as easy or hard as you like once your partner trains similar but in the early days you are also learning control and distances and sometimes accidents happen. Sometimes contact is made. Remember this is a full contact sport and full contact does not mean hugs. I never in a million years would have predicted that I would train Krav Maga yet alone enjoy it. I have a different view on the world and met some wonderful people that I call my second family. Only my Krav Maga family see the more aggressive side of me. Krav Maga is my escape from day to day life. It has given me the confidence not to be afraid anymore. After four years of training I am still learning new techniques, meeting wonderful people and hopefully I am setting a good example for my boys. KIDA

I have finally decided to take the plunge and add a blog to my site. I have always wanted an easy way to share information with visitors and I’m super excited to start this journey. Keep coming back to my site and check for updates right here on the blog.