|
|
November 16, 2001/Kislev 1, 5762, Vol. 54, No. 10
Practical self-defense
Hand-to-hand combat system of Israeli military comes to Phoenix
LEISAH NAMM
Assistant Editor
Joy and Jay Ackerman opened the Krav Maga & Fitness Training Center of Phoenix in July. Above, the Ackermans demonstrate their moves.
Photo by Leisah Namm
|
On the street, there are no rules.
While most types of martial arts require following stringent rules and learning forms for tournaments, Krav Maga, the method of self-defense taught to members of the Israel Defense Forces, "is based on real techniques that are used on the streets," says Krav Maga Instructor Jay Ackerman.
He and his wife, Joy, brought Krav Maga to Phoenix in July when they opened the Krav Maga & Fitness Training Center of Phoenix. Their son Josh, 18, is the youngest certified instructor in the country.
"(Krav Maga is) learning to take your surroundings (and) your knowledge about self-defense, knowing how to survive an attack rather than be in this thinking that you're fighting somebody who has rules," Ackerman explains.
"If you're fighting for your life, there are no rules."
Krav Maga is based on a person's natural instincts, based on the body's reactions to stress.
For example, "when somebody's choking you, the instinct is to go to the hands," Ackerman says. Since a person's body is going to react a certain way, "we just take that reaction and build it into a self-defense."
Origins of Krav Maga
Krav Maga was developed by Czechoslovakia-born Imi Lichtenfeld after the formation of the State of Israel; he was handpicked by the government to create a practical, highly effective method of self-defense.
According to the Krav Maga Worldwide Enterprises Web site, "Lichtenfeld honed his fighting skills in the streets of Bratislava (Czechoslovakia), protecting himself and his Jewish neighbors from local fascist thugs."
During the 20 years he served in the Israeli Army, Lichtenfeld developed and refined his system of self-defense, and after retiring from service, adjusted his system to teach it to the civilian population.
One of his students, Darren Levine, began teaching Krav Maga to students at the Heschel Day School near Los Angeles in 1982, and in 1983, Levine and student Joel Bernstein, along with other prominent members of the Los Angeles Jewish community, founded the Krav Maga Association of America. In 1987, Levine and top students began teaching Krav Maga to United States law enforcement agencies.
In 1996, Levine and his top students opened the Krav Maga National Training Center, a 6,000-square-foot facility in West Los Angeles.
According to its Web site, the "instructional staff is certified by the Israeli Ministry of Education and includes expert, internationally recognized law enforcement defensive tactics instructors."
Instructors for the country's nearly 70 individual training centers are trained at the national center. Currently, more than 150 law enforcement departments across the United States are trained in Krav Maga, Ackerman says.
Realistic combat
Instructor Criss Mossman, who has studied a number of different martial arts methods since age 7, including sports fighting, started training in Krav Maga because of the "realism of the training."
"As a martial artist you start to wonder at some point, 'would this really work?' " he says.
In sports fighting, "you lose, no big deal, you go home, you take an aspirin, you have a headache in the morning. ... But on the street, if you miss, you might... not go home at all.
"In today's world, you just need to know and be prepared."
Ackerman says Krav Maga is always evolving. "We never assume that we know everything," he says. "You can't."
The instructors frequently attend continuing education courses at the national training center, where they learn updates about self-defense, including information on the weapons and methods criminals are using.
Krav Maga does not require years of training, Ackerman notes. "The first time you leave the class, there are things that you can use on the street. ... It really only takes about a year to become really proficient at this system."
Fitness training
An additional benefit of Krav Maga is "it's an unbelievable workout for every muscle in your body," Ackerman says. A person's concentration, ability to focus and confidence are also enhanced, he adds.
"We're as much about the fitness end as we are the self-defense so it's a great way to get in shape and have fun and not be on the treadmill looking (at the clock) every two minutes," he says.
On Nov. 4, students from the Hillel Student Center at Arizona State University and members of Arizona Adventurers donned hand wraps and learned punching, kicking and other self-defense techniques at an introductory session.
Class sessions start with a warm-up and include an exercise designed "to stress the person out both mentally and physically so that they have some sort of blueprint to a real attack," Ackerman says. "We're training you as live and as real as possible."
Drills include turning off the lights and recreating uncomfortable environments such as dark streets and parking garages.
By being in that environment, the body feels stressed, and that's what happens during a real attack, Ackerman explains. "When the lights are off, your balance is off a little bit, you're not as sharp."
In class, students learn the techniques of punching, kicking and using close-quarter weapons, such as elbows, knees and heads. In the self-defense classes, there is actual contact, using kick shields, punch shields and focus mitts to decrease the impact.
"This is a great physical activity," says Evan Brom of Hillel. Also, it was good "to find out what the Israeli army does for defense."
Jennifer Molenaar, who attended a class with fellow flight attendant Tanya Wolfe, says "it's a great workout and it's an opportunity for us to increase our instincts for self-defense."
She says time spent in class goes by very quickly and "it's not boring by any means."
Classes for all levels
Ackerman notes a wide range in fitness levels and ages of the center's students.
He cites the average age of the students as 38, with several people in their late 50s. Their youngest adult student is 15. A class for children ages 8 and older is scheduled to begin in January.
Ackerman says a person doesn't have to be in great shape to start the class, "you just have to have the heart and the willingness to do it. ... You're going to be really wiped the first couple of times but then your spirit takes over and it gets easier and easier."
Besides offering classes for various levels of Krav Maga, the center also offers women's training, kickboxing, circuit crosstraining and other fitness classes.
Joy and Jay Ackerman are both certified personal trainers and group fitness instructors; the other instructors are working toward certification with the American Council on Exercise. Josh Ackerman is an exercise science major at ASU. All of the instructors are certified through the national training center.
Ackerman, who has a third-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, started training in martial arts when he was 18; he has trained in a variety of martial arts for more than 23 years. The Ackermans were handpicked by the national training center to represent a school in Arizona when the licensee program started 2 1/2 years ago. Ackerman taught Krav Maga at Paradise Valley Community College and Cactus Park Recreation Center for two years.
Although Krav Maga has different class levels, there are no tournaments to progress in levels. The fifth level - the highest level - is law enforcement training and can only be done in the national training center. However, off-duty policemen often train in classes designed for civilians.
"As you progress in the system, there's more fighting, there's more defenses with guns and knives and sticks as you get up higher in the system," Ackerman explains. "But there are no tournaments that you can go to because there's no referee on the street, there's nobody stopping the action."
The center's annual membership, which offers more than 22 classes per week, is $75 per month.
Arizona Adventurers, a group for Jewish singles, will have an introductory Krav Maga seminar 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9. Visit www.arizonaadventurers.org.
Krav Maga & Fitness Training Center of Phoenix is at 3202 E. Greenway Road, Suite 1635. To sign up for an introductory class, call 602-485-5728.
|
