5 Benefits of a Self-Defense Course

Have you ever had the feeling that something bad could have happened in a possibly dangerous situation but, luckily, it didn’t?

Feeling powerless once was enough for me to decide to do something about it.

That eye-opening moment made me realize it was time for me to take a self-defense course.

What Is Krav Maga

Krav Maga became quite popular in my city some years ago. After gathering some information about it, I decided to see if this fighting technique was the right one for me.

Krav Maga means “contact combat,” and it is a military self-defense and fighting system developed for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli security forces. It is a combination of techniques from aikido, boxing, wrestling, judo, and karate.

Krav Maga was invented by Emrich “Imre” Lichtenfeld, a Hungarian-born Israeli martial artist who developed the new fighting style taking inspiration from real-world situations and street fights.

The remarkable efficiency of this technique is due to the combination of defense and attack movement performed simultaneously.

Every action taken by the aggressor to hurt you has a corresponding one to stop him and fight back until you are free to run away.

So what are the benefits I found taking Krav Maga lessons?

1. Physical and Mental Training

To defend yourself properly, you need to train both your body and mind.

As my instructor often points out, “You can’t ask your aggressor on the street to stop attacking you because you have to do some warm-up exercises to get ready to defend yourself.”

The physical training consists of running around the gym perimeter, push-ups, sit-ups, and other exercises to develop the whole body’s muscles. This part of the training is essential, but it isn’t what we do most as the defend/fight back exercises are the core of the lesson.

The mental training is vital as the physical one. If you’re not ready to defend yourself in every moment of your life, you can panic easily and lose control over the dangerous situation.

The first step is to convince yourself never to give up. If you give up, you’re dead. Then, repeat the defense and attack movement until they become a natural reflex.

The mind training will also teach you to change your reaction to a tough situation, bear the pain accused during the clash, and recognize possible dangerous circumstances.

2. Ability to Handle Difficult Situations

Part of the training consists of simulate real dangerous situations that can happen in everyday life.

For example, one of the exercises was the replica of aggression at the disco. The room’s lights went off; the instructor turned on psychedelic lights and the music on a very high volume. Each of us had to be ready to defend himself, fight back, and move away from the attacker.

Another exercise sees a person on the floor on his back with a strike shield on top of him. The other disciples had to stop to get up.

The purpose of this activity is to reproduce the unfortunate event when lots of people are running away from something, and you end up on the floor.

It’s vital for you to get up as soon as possible not to get trampled.

I can quote thousands of exercises like these ones. Each of them triggers your survival instincts and teach you the best way to react to the threat, so you get hurt as little as possible.

As long as you keep training, you will notice how your mindset changes. You will improve not only physical resistance but also the ability to recognize perils and adopt the best self-defense technique possible.

3. Boost of Self-Confidence

Krav Maga helps you to get to know your body, and it’s ability better.

Once you learn how to react to dangerous situations, you will notice how you automatically apply the same strategies to non-threatening daily circumstances.

The same approach used with an aggressive and unstable aggressor can be used to maintain calm with an upset coworker.

The self-defense training can boost your confidence and give you the courage to face situations once considered risky.

I’m a solo traveler. After taking the Krav Maga course, I feel more comfortable traveling alone. I know what type of situation I’m capable of facing and how to avoid others.

4. Learn to Defend Yourself and Your Loved Ones

Krav Maga is a self-defense technique that will give you the directions to defend yourself and your loved ones from people trying to hurt or steal something from you.

During the Krav Maga classes, I’m learning to escape from chokes and holds, disarm the attacker, drawback fists, and kicks as get free from groundwork positions.

No matter what situation you are facing, you will have to defend yourself, fight back to disarm, or hurt the offender enough to let you run away.

The movements must be quick and precise.

Krav Maga is easy to learn and combines the best techniques of other fighting disciplines like aikido, karate, judo, and boxing.

As a street-fight based method, it also involved using any possible tool found around to strike back.

It is also taught to children and people who experienced abuse.

5. Meet a New Pack

Another fantastic benefit of Krav Maga is that it will help you create a bond with new people.

Once you join a training group, you’ll get to know other trainers and start trusting them.

Trust is important during the training because there are many physical contacts. Some positions might be embarrassing, or you can hurt each other.

I remember one day, one of the women in my class punched too hard a man, and he was so upset! Accidents might happen, disciples on a higher training level should look after the new ones, and everybody should always be kind.

A friend of mine joined a Krav Maga class after she heard about it from me. She thus met the one who is now her husband.

A self-defense course is great to meet new friends who might have been through the same experiences or don’t want to be victims anymore.

Conclusion

It is important to remind that Krav Maga is a defense technique and that the law on self-defense might change from country to country.

Krav Maga won’t turn you into a superhero, and for no reason, you should put yourself or others at risk only to test it out.

It is a training everybody should learn to face harmful situations and gain confidence, not to hurt someone they don’t like.

Krav Maga boosted my confidence and taught me how to defend myself from possible offenders stronger than me. I’ve learned to push harder because my life might depend on how hard I fight back.

I’ve also met amazing people and great friends.