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Music.

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And welcome to another episode of the Self-Initiative Project Podcast.

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I’m your host, Jim O’Brien. Hey, everybody, and welcome back,

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and thanks for listening.

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Episode 12, we talk about Krav Maga.

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Ever since I started this podcast 12 months ago, I’ve been wanting to talk on

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the subject of Krav Maga.

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This is super exciting for me, so I wanted

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to make sure that But I definitely took an episode to talk about the self-defense

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system to get the information out there and hopefully get everyone as fired

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up about Krav Maga as I have and have been over the years that I’ve been involved with it.

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So Krav Maga was founded originally by a gentleman by the name of Imi Lechtenfeld.

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Hopefully I didn’t do him a disservice and pronounce that at least mostly correctly.

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Directly, I’m not going to talk a lot about Emmy here today because quite honestly,

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you can’t do a search on Krav Maga or on Emmy and not stumble upon tons of history and overview.

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And at the end of the day, because everyone talks about the history of Emmy

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and the history of Krav Maga, it’s a little redundant.

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And so I’m not going to spend the time here to talk about it other than to mention he is the founder.

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Krav Maga is Hebrew, and its English translation, its direct English translation is contact combat.

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And Krav originally started out being more for military police applications

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and then was kind of reformed, at least another version created for more of

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the civilian population to get us where we are today. day.

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And so Krav Maga is a self-defense system and there’s not a lot of martial arts

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to it. Some folks describe it as a martial arts.

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And I guess for the sake of making the conversation easier, you could call it that.

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I remember when I first got involved with Krav Maga and was first learning about

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it, the guy that originally got me involved said it was more martial than art.

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And after having trained in it for a while, I completely agree with that.

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You know, opposed to martial arts and fighting in the ring and whatnot,

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Krav Maga is all about effective self-defense techniques and being efficient

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and based on natural movements that you’re more than likely to respond with

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in an attack scenario, physical attack scenario.

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It’s about using tools around you as weapons when you need to.

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Being aware of your surroundings and what’s going on around you the whole time,

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including when you’re having to deal with a straight on attack.

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And it’s about getting out of there and going home safe. And I don’t want to

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capitalize too much on some of the slogans that are tossed around in the community,

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but I’d say the primary difference between Krav Maga and more traditional martial

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arts is that there are no points. There’s no forms.

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There’s no katas. There’s no patterns. there’s no tapping out,

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it’s straight up ass-whipping.

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When you’re being attacked, when you feel your life is being threatened or otherwise,

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Krav Maga has some excellent tools.

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For you to use to be able to defend yourself and get out of there and be safe,

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get yourself and or your loved ones to a safe spot and go home.

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It’s not a martial arts, but there’s elements of martial arts to it.

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So Krav Maga at the end of the day is kind of a hybrid of a few different things.

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It’s got some Muay Thai in it. It’s got boxing, a little bit of wrestling,

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probably more starting to get more wrestling and jujitsu in it now than it ever has.

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When I first started for the longest time, there was probably only 10 to 15%

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groundwork in the overall program.

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And that’s because of the general philosophy it had.

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But, you know, the realization is that most fights wind up on the ground or

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can certainly wind up on the ground.

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And then more recently, too, they’ve introduced the usage of more firearms,

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getting firearms training, because a big part of Krav Maga, especially in the

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more advanced levels, is defense against weapons.

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I mean, at the the end of the day, you do or should at least have some options

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when it comes to defending against guns, knives, and sticks,

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blunt objects of any sort, whether it’s a baseball bat or a broken beer bottle.

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So it covers a wide range of things you’re likely to find yourself in as far

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as physical or potential physical, you know, altercations.

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The first time that I ever heard of Krav Maga was back probably in the early

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mid 2000s. I was riding on, I was on a plane.

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I think I was heading out to Denver, Colorado if memory serves.

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And I remember this older gentleman walking down the aisle and he had this t-shirt

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on and I thought it had the coolest emblem and it said Krav Maga.

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But of course I didn’t know anything about Krav Maga. I’d never heard of it,

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never seen it, never heard it pronounced before.

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So he sits down, winds up sitting down next to me and.

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I asked him, I said, Hey, what’s that Krav Maga about?

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And he says, well, it’s pronounced Krav Maga. And he begins to give me the overview.

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You’ll hear the IDF, the Israeli Defense Force mentioned quite a bit.

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I think they mentioned it as much as they do because it, you know,

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makes it a little sexier to talk about the IDF.

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But he gave me the overview of Krav

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Maga and he was actually on his way out to Los Angeles

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to test for his black belt which

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now knowing what I know about what it takes to get the black belt in Krav Maga

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I have a greater appreciation for that for meeting that gentleman and what he

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was about to go through after that plane ride but that was the very first thing

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that was the very first time I’d ever heard, even heard of Krav Maga.

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And then it was, I believe 2008, a coworker of mine was training in Krav and

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we got started talking about it in the office at some point.

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And he said, Hey, we’ve got this seminar going on. Why don’t you come check it out?

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And I was curious. I had been curious since I’d met the guy on the plane and

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my exposure to martial arts to that point was It was more of a traditional Korean

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type of style of martial art. I have a black belt in that.

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And there was some self-defense elements to that specific self-defense techniques to that.

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But it was more of the traditional forms and patterns that that style I had been accustomed to.

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So when this guy’s name was Jesse Walker offered me an opportunity to go to

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the seminar, I was like, absolutely, I’ll do it. Well, I got up there and I

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had no idea what to expect.

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And I remember my first experience in Krav Maga was like this.

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So it was on the other side of town, about 45 minute drive.

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It was in the afternoon, early afternoon. And so I decided to eat lunch before

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I went because I figured, hey, in 45 minutes, it’ll be mostly digested. I’ll be good to go.

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So I eat my sandwich and chips or whatever it was I had that day.

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And I went and, you know, however much time before I left the house to get over

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there in time for the seminar, plus the 40, 45 minute drive, it took me.

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Well, I got there and they started to warm up for this seminar because you’ll

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find that Krav Maga is very physically demanding.

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And we’ll talk more about that here in a minute. But I started going through the warm up.

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And next thing you know, that lunch is not agreeing with me at all.

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So I actually had the very first time, the very first seminar I ever took in

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Krav Maga, I wound up having to sit out for a few minutes to collect myself.

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I never, ever got sick, but it certainly got me to the point where I had to take a break.

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And at that point in my life, I wasn’t super fit either, or as fit as I ultimately

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got through Krav and just general working out.

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So it was just a double whammy that day. But anyway, I got back in and wound

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up being a carjacking defense seminar.

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And so we started out with the warm-up, which is very, very much traditional

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in Krav Maga and very much a part of every class or generally most any seminar you’ll take.

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But we wound up moving into gun defense, which was new to me and a lot to take in all at once.

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But we wound up going out in the parking lot and working between three or four different

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vehicles that people were nice enough to volunteer for the afternoon and learned

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how to do gun defense and handle people in and around your car when they’re

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holding you at gunpoint.

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And man, I was sold at this point.

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Now that was the extreme. And probably as a beginner, I had no business attempting

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to do those sorts of things out of context and with no foundation under me,

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but it gave me the opportunity to see the potential and to understand what was,

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what Krav could offer and give to me.

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So I just want to extend a big thank you to Jesse Walker for getting me to go

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to that seminar because that was the beginning of my journey.

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But that seminar was just one time and you know, you can’t go to any seminar and walk away.

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You can walk away with bits of information and maybe a technique or two you

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might remember under stress.

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But the reality is you’ve got to train. And so I wanted nothing more than to

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train after that seminar.

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But the problem for me was it was a 40, at least a 45 minute drive across town

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to get to this particular location where I’d done the seminar.

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And I just knew that after work and with my work schedule and home schedule

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and everything else, there was no way that I could drive 45 minutes one way.

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Now that’s not to and from, that’s one way just to get the class a couple of

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times a week. So it didn’t happen.

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So I knew that if I ever had the opportunity the next time, cause I was kind

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of done with the traditional Korean thing.

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I had exhausted, exhausted what I thought I could accomplish there,

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especially given the politics of the organization at the time, et cetera.

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And once I realized that I wanted to do more self-defense, practical self-defense

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than the traditional martial arts stuff, I knew that I needed to look outside of that.

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And after that seminar, I knew that Krav would likely be the route I would take

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if a school would open up near me.

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So I guess it was, well, I know it was early 2009 where I was on Facebook one evening, I think.

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And I’ll be damned if this Krav Maga advertisement didn’t come up there on the left-hand rail.

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And it was for a school that, as it turned out, was literally less than,

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to be liberal, less than six minutes from my house.

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It was probably more like four and a half, five minutes from my house. I couldn’t believe it.

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So the first opportunity I did, I reached out to the school I went and I signed

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up because I knew that this is what I wanted to do.

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So that was the beginning of my foray into Krav Maga. That was,

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I believe, February of 2009.

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Yeah, and it’s been great ever since. I’ve worked my way and tested into level

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three, which is no easy feat, at least for me.

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So just to give you some ideas there, too, is, you know, Krav Maga is comprised

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of a lot of different combat arts, like I mentioned previously.

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Previously and you’ll learn things like your basic stance, punching, kicking, elbows,

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knees, groin strikes, eye gouges, choke, how to defend against all types of

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different chokes from different angles, different approaches, bear hugs.

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And then as I mentioned to some of the weapons defenses.

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So I’ve made it all the way up to level three. One of the hardest things I’ve ever accomplished.

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I think our test wound up being eight and a half hours long.

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So Krav has levels and a lot of schools use belt system too.

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But when I was going through, it was all about the levels. So there’s five levels

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and then you test for black belt eventually if you’re so inclined.

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But I got through level three and I remember the, when I got started,

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they had at At the beginning, they had the concept of halfway test for level one.

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And so my halfway test in level one, when I got started about mid-2009,

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when we took that test, it was an hour and a half.

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And it was a good hour and a half. But then I think my test to test from level

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one to level two was six and a half hours.

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And level two to level three was eight and a half, maybe closer to the nine.

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Now I think they’ve changed that up some because they realize that’s hard for

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some people to get through.

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So now they’ve broken it up, I think, over a couple of one and a half hour testing

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sessions, something like that.

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They’ve eased back on that a little bit, but certainly earned my keep.

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And then after I went through phase three, I continued training,

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not phase three, level three, sorry, differentiation.

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We’ll talk about here in a minute, but got to level three, trained through level

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three, should have tested for level four into blue.

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But quite honestly, I had transferred schools at that point,

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and that school was less about leveling people up and more about just making

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sure they got the training they needed as long as they came to school, getting that training.

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So I haven’t officially leveled up since, but I’ve trained all the way into some brown belt stuff.

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And then at a point a few years ago, I went and did my phase A instructor certification,

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which gives me the ability to teach basic, basically the beginnings for new,

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new students, which was exciting, which was great. I love to do that.

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So that’s kind of a mixture of what Krav Maga is and my experience with Krav Maga.

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So what can you expect? What is it going to be like for you to get into Krav Maga and go through it?

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So for everyone, I think it’s a little little different.

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But to get started, you don’t need a whole lot. You just need to make up your

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mind you’re going to do it. Sign up with the school that you choose.

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If you’re interested in formally getting certifications and leveling up or going up in belts,

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then you want to find an official certified Krav school that’s either their

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own entity or they’re an affiliate with a larger organization.

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If not, you just need to find somebody qualified, you know, that has a history,

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background in Krav and can teach Krav or any sort of self-defense techniques for you.

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But certainly if you want to do Krav, it’s just a matter of finding a school

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that’s convenient for you that you think you want to do.

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You really just need comfortable workout clothes and some comfortable workout shoes.

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I will tell you when I was doing it, shoes were a thing and it was perfectly

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acceptable, which is a little odd compared to some martial arts schools, right?

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Because shoes are no no, no, for whatever reason, but because Krav Maga is more

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of a street self-defense art, you know, it’s likely you’re going to have shoes

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on before you’re barefooted walking down the street. So I get it. I see both sides.

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Now it really just depends on the school. I think as to whether or not you’ll

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need to have training shoes or just,

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you know, bring bare feet and a comfortable set of workout clothes.

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That’s all you really need to get started in level one and just the commitment

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and mindset that you’re going to stick with it and give it a chance.

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It’s not easy. Ultimately you will get bruised and battered.

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You know, that’s all just setting you up for the getting used to the idea of

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defending yourself because that’s what’s going to happen.

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Every class is going to start with a rigorous warmup because Because,

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A, you need to get the blood flowing and get warmed up to move because you’re

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going to be doing all kinds of physical activity. So warming up is important.

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But the other philosophy in Krav is that they want you to train tired because

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it’s not going to be easy to defend yourself.

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Your adrenaline is going to dump. Your heart rate is going to go up.

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You’re likely to get tunnel vision.

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You may even lose your hearing. Your IQ even may drop a few points.

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And so the idea is if you train tired or train from this place of being strained

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already or a little stressed out already and sweaty and hot,

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then you’re going to be better prepared than if you try to do it cold.

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Because at the end of the day, there’s no guarantee that any technique you do

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is going to work and that it’s going to be over with quickly.

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So if you’re prepared for the long haul and you’re physically fit, you’re mentally fit,

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you got your cardio in good shape and you have the mindset of never quitting,

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never giving up, then you’re likely got a pretty good chance of better getting

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through any situation you may find yourself in.

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So that’s why that initial warm-up is so key and I’m not gonna lie.

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It can be strenuous at times That doesn’t mean that you have to go to class

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in the best of shape I will say though that after six months and you really

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should give Krav six months I can almost guarantee you that if you put effort into it in six months,

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you’re gonna lose weight you’re

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gonna get in shape certainly cart from a cardiovascular standpoint and.

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And you’re going to feel better about yourself. And I also argue that once you

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start going through self-defense training like Krav Maga, your outlook on things

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changes to your perspective on things changes.

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One of the things that you’re likely going to notice is that you want to avoid

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having to fight or having to defend yourself physically.

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Once you’ve done some physical activity and done some sparring and worked with

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your partner back and forth in these self-defense techniques,

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you’re going to realize hopefully sooner than later that it’s a position you

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do not want to find yourself in because it can be brutal, nasty,

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but hopefully Krav Maga or something similar is going to give you the tools

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that you need to be able to defend yourself.

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And that’s what it’s all about. So go in with an open mind, work on developing

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the never quit mindset and attitude.

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I can tell you right now that when, When and if you do test to another level,

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even if your techniques are not as crispy and sharp as they maybe should be,

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and they should be when you test, you should be ready to test when they test you.

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You should feel like you’re ready to test when you test.

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I can tell you right now that a big weight is given to the do not quit, never give up attitude.

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So that attitude and mindset is as important,

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if not more important, the physical aspects, because in

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a real situation should you ever be physically attacked you’re

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going to need that mindset to get through there like i

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said krav maga has nothing to do with fighting or traditional martial arts it’s

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nothing to do with what you see in the ufc as a matter of fact some of the techniques

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if not a lot of the techniques that you’ll find in krav maga wouldn’t even be

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allowed in ring matches and fighting it’s all about straight up doing what it takes to get out of a

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bad situation and be able to go home safe with minimal to no injuries.

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So, yeah, as I mentioned, Krav Maga has nothing to do with martial arts or even,

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you know, typical fighting in a ring match type of thing. UFC, it’s not even the same.

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Arguably, a lot of the moves, if not all of them.

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Well, I won’t say all a good number of the moves that you’ll learn in Krav Maga

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would never even be permitted inside of a ring in a fighting scenario because

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it’s more about those self-defense moves that you’ll need to get home.

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So back to what you can expect. So when you start off in level one,

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you’re just there to learn the fundamentals.

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Like I said, you’re going to go through strenuous warmup, and then you’re going

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to begin to learn the fundamentals, the stances, standing with your legs,

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shoulder width apart, or a little wider with one foot.

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Like you’ve taken a step forward, you’re going to be up on the ball of your

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feet because it’s all about forward movement.

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You never want to find yourself retreating in Krav. You’re always going forward.

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So the heel of your back foot’s up, you’re on the ball of that foot.

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Most of your weight is towards the ball of the foot on the front foot.

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You got a good stable platform for balance facing the target squarely.

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And that’s going to be some of the first, one of the first things you learn

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is that proper stance, which gives you the foundation for everything else you’ll do in Krav.

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You’re going to learn punches, how to do proper punches so that you’re less

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likely to get boxer’s fractures from not knowing what you’re doing, palm strikes.

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You’ll learn basic front kicks. Front kick to the groin is a big move in Krav as you’ll see.

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And so level one is about establishing the foundation.

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And then you’re likely to learn some of the choke defenses and learning how

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the pluck plays into Krav.

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Yes, pluck is reused quite a bit through all the choke defenses, as you’ll see.

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So level one’s about learning the basics and you can never study the basics too much.

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Even if you advance through Krav, you want to probably still take,

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well, you don’t want to probably, you still want to try to take level one classes

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to hone those basics, to hone those fundamentals.

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Because every time you change a level in Krav, it’s like starting all over again.

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Cause you’re not, you’ve learned the foundations, you’ve learned the basics,

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but the next level has nothing to do with the previous.

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It’s like all new techniques and approaches to things.

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So just when you’ve gotten comfortable, you’re going to start learning all over again.

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And when you get to level two and beyond, that’s when you’re going to start learning to take hits.

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You’re going to start doing sparring and that’s when your need for gear will change too.

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So let’s talk about that. You

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know, so when I mentioned that when you get started, you really just need.

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A comfortable set of workout clothes, what you’d wear to the gym, maybe possibly shoes.

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If you follow us on Instagram, we recently made a post about some of the basic

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gear you’ll need in Krav Maga.

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So if you do get shoes, you want shoes that have a little bit of grip.

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So you can have some traction on the mats that you’ll be working out on,

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but you don’t want so much traction that you can’t pivot and turn and spin on those mats.

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They can be a little grabby and, And, you know, you don’t want to twist your ankle or otherwise.

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So you want a good pair of athletic shoes that are comfortable and fit you right

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with just enough grip, but not too much.

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And you certainly don’t want anything like aggressive, treaded trail shoes or anything like that.

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When you get to level two, that’s where they tell you you got to buy some gear.

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And a lot of the schools sell their own gear, and that’s fine.

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For me, I found that that gear sometimes that the school sells is the lowest

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end of the totem pole, so to speak.

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When it comes to gear, it’s very basic, very, let’s just say, inexpensive gear.

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There’s nothing that says you can’t go out and get your own.

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But here’s really what you’re going to need starting at level two,

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because again, that’s when the more serious stuff goes, when the more serious

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stuff starts and when you start sparring and things like that.

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So you’re going to want a pair of 16 ounce boxing gloves.

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They don’t allow anything lighter. And that’s just simply because,

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again, you’re not there to fight UFC and you’re not there to fight your partner.

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You’ll be sparring with your partner and working with your partner.

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But the most important person in school for you is your partner.

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And so it’s a partner thing, not an opponent thing. So the 16-ounce is there

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for safety because the 16-ounce glove has more padding.

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Now, with that being said, you can certainly hit someone hard with a pair of 16-ounce gloves.

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But the goal is to have a little bit more padding in there so they don’t permit

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anything lighter than the 16-ounce.

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The next thing you’re going to want is some shin guards. I can’t tell you how

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painful, if you don’t already know how painful it is to get hit,

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especially repetitively in the shins.

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You’re going to want to get yourself some shin guards, no doubt about it.

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The headgear, they’ll recommend headgear, which is basically this padded leather

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helmet type thing that you’ll put on.

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Like you see boxers wear in the ring when they’re practicing and working out

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when they’re training, it helps cushion the blow a little bit. it.

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I find myself not liking them because they’ll have a tendency to fall down over

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your brows and block some of your vision.

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At the end of the day, you can still get a bloody nose if you get hit just right

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with the headgear. So a lot of the times I got to where I wasn’t even wearing

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it when I was doing sparring.

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You’ll want to get a mouth guard.

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You don’t have to spend the $750 on the dental provided mouth guard.

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You can spend $25, $30 on a mouth guard.

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I recommend spending a little bit more than not on one, but your lips and teeth

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are going to really appreciate you having a mouth guard when you start sparring,

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especially if you have a partner that doesn’t pull their punches so well.

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And I didn’t mention this when talking about level one. It doesn’t matter what level you’re in.

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Guys, you got to wear a cup in Krav.

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It’ll only take you a time or two to figure out that in Krav,

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unlike some martial arts you may have been familiar with or trained in,

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you can’t get away without having a cup.

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If you do, you’re essentially not training and getting enough out of that session.

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So you want to find yourself a good cup.

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I actually had a buddy of mine, a partner, and he was actually a buddy and a

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coworker. he need me so hard one day, he actually split a cup of mine.

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And after that, I was like, okay, I got to find something that’ll hold up to

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this mess. So not that you’re always getting need that hard or kick that hard.

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Folks should be hold watching themselves better and pulling their knees and

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kicks and punches better, but things do happen.

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So he need me a good time in my groin and it split my cup ever so slightly.

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I went and got a nutty buddy. Now I don’t get paid for any of the The products

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that I mention or bring up on my Instagram page or my podcast or anything,

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but I’m going to tell you right now, a Nutty Buddy is a solid piece of investment for you guys.

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So I highly recommend, even if you don’t do the Nutty Buddy,

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you’ve got to get a good cup and you’ve always got to come to class with your cup on.

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So those are the types of gear. Those are the pieces of gear that you’ll need

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to train, especially once you get to level two and beyond or yellow belt and beyond.

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And, you know, generally the schools offer provide the pads,

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you know, the kick shields, the blast shields, the tombstone pads,

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as they call them for the smaller ones that you’ll punch on.

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I really like working out with tombstones in general, whether it’s punching

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or kicking, of course, for front kicks and stuff, you got to have the larger

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blast shields, larger kick shields, but that’s not something you need to really

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worry about buying for yourself.

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The schools all have that, just like they have focus mitts when you’re doing

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your focus mitt training.

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And they also typically have the plastic guns and knives and even the sticks,

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whether it’s Rotan or PVC, whatever they happen to have bought or made for themselves.

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You don’t have to worry about buying any of that. Now, with that being said,

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if you plan on training with your buddy outside of class or on the weekends

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when there is no, you know, when you got some free time and there is no school,

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there is no classes offered,

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you may want to invest in that. But even if you do.

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You probably won’t do it until later in your Krav career. So,

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you know, in Krav classes, I’ve noticed over the years that level one has,

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if it’s a popular school, a busy school, level one has a lot of students.

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And then as you begin to progress, the number of students fall off.

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And the reason why that is, is because there is more aggressive self-defense techniques.

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And there is, even in level two, the beginnings of, you know,

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not getting punched out and punched hard.

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They don’t do that. It’s all about safety and working with your partner,

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like I said, but they do begin, you do have to start learning how to take a hit more.

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And so, you know, with sparring, you’ll, you’ll take some head shots and body

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shots and some kicks, but you’re also learning how to defend against those.

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And so you put it all together and, you know, you’re learning and you learn

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better by being thrown in the lion’s den.

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But with that being said, level two is where you typically see drop-off,

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where you typically see attrition in class.

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And that’s just because a lot of people don’t like getting hit.

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But I will encourage you to stick through that, to give it a shot.

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Hopefully, if you’re going to a good instructor, a good school,

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they’re easing you into that and not just blasting you in your nose the first day out.

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But I just want to give you a heads up that you should expect that.

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But it’s when you get to level two and beyond as you really start doing what

411
00:29:20,665 –> 00:29:24,505
I would call the fun stuff and you really start learning the techniques,

412
00:29:24,805 –> 00:29:28,945
the actual self-defense techniques that are going to help get you out of a situation,

413
00:29:29,265 –> 00:29:31,065
more advanced choke defenses.

414
00:29:31,485 –> 00:29:36,365
Bear hugs, all assortment of types of bear hug attacks, whether it’s from the

415
00:29:36,365 –> 00:29:41,205
front or from behind, what to do when you’re on the ground, when you’re stuck on the ground.

416
00:29:41,205 –> 00:29:44,725
And then, you know, ultimately working into the weapons defense,

417
00:29:45,005 –> 00:29:46,445
which some of that’s a lot of fun.

418
00:29:46,505 –> 00:29:49,265
Gun and stick defense is a lot of fun.

419
00:29:49,605 –> 00:29:55,665
Knife, not so much because the idea of getting into it with a knife is not fun at all.

420
00:29:55,665 –> 00:30:01,605
And I’ll also say too that I think, and you know, if I had to say anything negative

421
00:30:01,605 –> 00:30:04,985
about Krav, and I don’t have a lot to say negative about Krav,

422
00:30:05,025 –> 00:30:07,345
is when it comes to groundwork,

423
00:30:07,465 –> 00:30:11,945
which is changing, and when it comes to dynamic knife defenses,

424
00:30:12,165 –> 00:30:18,345
I think those are two areas that Krav typically has needed more help with or

425
00:30:18,345 –> 00:30:21,885
different techniques or to be more honest about the techniques.

426
00:30:21,885 –> 00:30:28,725
So, as I think I mentioned earlier, when I was coming up, Krav only was really

427
00:30:28,725 –> 00:30:32,405
comprised of about 10 to 15 percent of anything on the ground.

428
00:30:32,565 –> 00:30:35,785
And again, that was philosophical, right? The goal is, is, hey,

429
00:30:35,885 –> 00:30:38,605
you’re going to be getting your defending yourself just in time,

430
00:30:38,665 –> 00:30:42,405
especially if you got your head on the swivel and paying attention to what’s going on around you.

431
00:30:42,405 –> 00:30:47,585
In public, you know, you’re going to be able to better respond to attacks and

432
00:30:47,585 –> 00:30:50,705
you’re going to be able to take care of business and get out of there and hopefully

433
00:30:50,705 –> 00:30:52,765
never find yourself on the ground.

434
00:30:53,713 –> 00:30:57,253
The reality of it is, and I think most of the people that train in wrestling

435
00:30:57,253 –> 00:31:01,853
or jiu-jitsu would contend that most fights wind up on the ground,

436
00:31:01,933 –> 00:31:05,133
and therefore Krav Maga needs to start dealing with that more.

437
00:31:05,273 –> 00:31:10,933
And the great news is, is a lot of schools have started incorporating more grappling

438
00:31:10,933 –> 00:31:18,253
and groundwork, that push, pull, body, feel, knowing what to do when things do wind up on the ground.

439
00:31:18,253 –> 00:31:23,653
And that’s been added even since I started back in 2009. I think that’s great.

440
00:31:24,033 –> 00:31:29,453
The other thing that you just have to be honest about and realistic about because

441
00:31:29,453 –> 00:31:32,813
all of these things are just tools for you to use.

442
00:31:32,933 –> 00:31:35,973
And the only one that’s going to work for you is the one that you know inside

443
00:31:35,973 –> 00:31:38,833
and out. And the only one that you’re going to know inside and out is the one

444
00:31:38,833 –> 00:31:40,633
that you’re training on all the time.

445
00:31:41,513 –> 00:31:45,693
So when it comes to gun defenses, knife defenses, and stick defenses,

446
00:31:46,033 –> 00:31:51,133
they’re only as good, they’re only as effective as you are at training in them.

447
00:31:51,553 –> 00:31:55,433
But I have to say, based on my limited experience with them,

448
00:31:55,493 –> 00:32:00,733
that when it comes to dynamic knife defenses, in other words,

449
00:32:00,733 –> 00:32:05,573
the attacker is moving the knife at you in some regards, whether it’s overhead,

450
00:32:05,813 –> 00:32:11,413
underhead, a stabbing motion, slicing motion, whatever. I think some of those defenses.

451
00:32:12,798 –> 00:32:16,418
They give you options if you were to be attacked by a knife,

452
00:32:16,558 –> 00:32:20,138
but I don’t have 100% confidence in them.

453
00:32:20,338 –> 00:32:26,598
And in fairness to the system, that could just be because at the end of the

454
00:32:26,598 –> 00:32:29,658
day, you got to train a lot in that stuff.

455
00:32:30,038 –> 00:32:35,758
I’m way more comfortable even with gun defenses and especially stick defenses than I am knife.

456
00:32:36,058 –> 00:32:40,558
Now, there’s some static knife defenses, meaning the movement’s not there,

457
00:32:40,618 –> 00:32:42,938
the holding the knife on your, on your throat.

458
00:32:43,038 –> 00:32:45,478
They’re just holding a knife out at you.

459
00:32:45,858 –> 00:32:51,978
I, I feel like I’m more confident in those certainly than the dynamic, but the knife defense,

460
00:32:52,118 –> 00:32:57,798
I just, I say all that not to poopoo anything about Krav as much of just to

461
00:32:57,798 –> 00:33:02,058
remind you that you’re learning techniques that can work, but they’re only as

462
00:33:02,058 –> 00:33:05,538
effective as you train and are familiar with them.

463
00:33:05,618 –> 00:33:09,798
So So just know going into this whole thing that there’s no magic bullet.

464
00:33:10,438 –> 00:33:14,398
This technique or that technique is not guaranteed to work.

465
00:33:14,938 –> 00:33:20,558
As an instructor that I’ve trained under a handful of times and that I admire,

466
00:33:20,718 –> 00:33:25,218
as Ryan Hoover says infamously, it depends. And it always does.

467
00:33:25,598 –> 00:33:31,238
In teaching, you can change the scenario one little degree and it may mean an

468
00:33:31,238 –> 00:33:34,458
entire new approach to what you’re doing to defend yourself.

469
00:33:34,458 –> 00:33:37,258
So it depends and there’s no magic bullet.

470
00:33:37,298 –> 00:33:40,598
So I just want to set level, set your expectations there as well.

471
00:33:41,178 –> 00:33:46,638
So not, I don’t want to spend too much on time on this, but come prepared,

472
00:33:46,798 –> 00:33:48,678
bring water, bring your energy drinks.

473
00:33:48,738 –> 00:33:51,938
I don’t recommend bringing Red Bull and stuff like that to class.

474
00:33:51,938 –> 00:33:54,798
There’s probably some better options to replenish the

475
00:33:54,798 –> 00:33:57,818
electrolytes and sodium you’ve lost through sweating in

476
00:33:57,818 –> 00:34:00,618
class especially if you’re doing a you know a two

477
00:34:00,618 –> 00:34:03,618
three four hour long seminar or you’re

478
00:34:03,618 –> 00:34:07,598
testing for extended periods of time you want to make sure you’re getting the

479
00:34:07,598 –> 00:34:11,778
right fluids replenished into your body and be sure to bring snacks granola

480
00:34:11,778 –> 00:34:17,958
bars or bananas make great snacks along the on the way as well and ladies look

481
00:34:17,958 –> 00:34:21,818
i just want to say this touch on this real briefly don’t be intimidated.

482
00:34:22,118 –> 00:34:28,238
There’s actually a lot of women and girls, ladies that come to Krav and,

483
00:34:28,398 –> 00:34:30,858
and arguably Krav is just as

484
00:34:30,858 –> 00:34:35,318
important and just as good for you guys to learn that it is for the guys.

485
00:34:35,538 –> 00:34:42,438
So don’t let that discourage you. Even if you wind up being the only woman in class, I say, go for it.

486
00:34:42,458 –> 00:34:45,078
Again, you can’t do anything but learn.

487
00:34:45,118 –> 00:34:48,758
If you were to work with some big burly dude as your partner,

488
00:34:48,898 –> 00:34:51,918
it’s only going to make you learn and train that much harder.

489
00:34:51,998 –> 00:34:54,338
So that’s a good thing, but don’t worry.

490
00:34:54,478 –> 00:34:59,258
Generally, there’s a, I find a good share of women come to class that want to

491
00:34:59,258 –> 00:35:00,898
learn and are there to work hard.

492
00:35:01,834 –> 00:35:05,554
I would say, though, that if you’re going to take Krav, you can certainly come

493
00:35:05,554 –> 00:35:09,654
to Krav for a physical fitness class type of thing, you know,

494
00:35:09,654 –> 00:35:14,274
but I would take it a little bit more seriously than the kickboxing class you

495
00:35:14,274 –> 00:35:15,834
try to take at your local gym.

496
00:35:16,274 –> 00:35:21,614
It really is meant to be taken seriously because at the end of the day, it is serious.

497
00:35:21,734 –> 00:35:25,594
It is serious defending yourself, learning how to defend yourself or learning

498
00:35:25,594 –> 00:35:29,914
how to protect your child or your significant other, whatever the case may be.

499
00:35:30,514 –> 00:35:36,054
So I expect 100% out of my students I want them to have that never quit never

500
00:35:36,054 –> 00:35:40,734
give up attitude but also want them giving 100% in class too and that means

501
00:35:40,734 –> 00:35:43,094
going all out all the time because again.

502
00:35:43,774 –> 00:35:46,694
You’re not going to be patty caking it out on the street if

503
00:35:46,694 –> 00:35:49,554
you were to be attacked and so that’s a point that

504
00:35:49,554 –> 00:35:52,814
I want to make to you too that mindset of doing

505
00:35:52,814 –> 00:35:56,114
whatever it takes to to get out of there and in

506
00:35:56,114 –> 00:35:59,114
you know in reality you need to train that

507
00:35:59,114 –> 00:36:02,054
way too so it’s not about hitting that pad

508
00:36:02,054 –> 00:36:05,634
slapping that pad like you’re you know

509
00:36:05,634 –> 00:36:12,554
doing your kickboxing at the local gym like i said it’s hitting that pad as

510
00:36:12,554 –> 00:36:17,054
hard as you can working on those techniques to make them as effective as possible

511
00:36:17,054 –> 00:36:23,674
and taking it seriously because you know why you’re training is a serious reason.

512
00:36:23,754 –> 00:36:25,594
So you should take it seriously as well.

513
00:36:25,694 –> 00:36:28,954
And, you know, look, the physical training, the physical fitness part of it

514
00:36:28,954 –> 00:36:31,434
is just going to be a fallout. It’s just a side benefit.

515
00:36:32,234 –> 00:36:36,114
So I think that’s a good place to stop. I feel like I’ve given,

516
00:36:36,234 –> 00:36:41,494
you know, I could talk about Krav and the ins and outs and effectiveness of

517
00:36:41,494 –> 00:36:45,394
techniques and all of that for a very extended period of time.

518
00:36:45,434 –> 00:36:48,734
But I just wanted to try to at least give you an overview and a sense of what

519
00:36:48,754 –> 00:36:53,274
Krav was about and some of the things you can expect and prepare for if you

520
00:36:53,274 –> 00:36:56,794
venture into Krav or self-defense in general.

521
00:36:56,934 –> 00:36:58,954
So I think this is a good point to stop.

522
00:36:59,114 –> 00:37:02,254
We appreciate you listening. Hopefully you’ve gotten something out of that.

523
00:37:02,334 –> 00:37:06,334
Hopefully you may have been inspired to go seek a local Krav school to go,

524
00:37:06,414 –> 00:37:08,234
at least if nothing else, check out.

525
00:37:08,314 –> 00:37:11,594
A lot of the schools offer your first class for free.

526
00:37:11,734 –> 00:37:17,214
And so I would just encourage you to look at one. I do want to just throw a

527
00:37:17,214 –> 00:37:19,374
quick mention here, a quick shout out.

528
00:37:19,434 –> 00:37:23,794
So I’ve had the privilege of working under some great instructors over the years.

529
00:37:23,874 –> 00:37:28,434
And the first instructor that I worked under, and most of these are in no particular

530
00:37:28,434 –> 00:37:33,114
order, but it just so happened that Eric Sepeda was the first instructor that

531
00:37:33,114 –> 00:37:36,234
I took that carjacking seminar from his school.

532
00:37:36,654 –> 00:37:42,054
But I’ve worked under Jeff Mount. I actually took my phase A instructor course

533
00:37:42,054 –> 00:37:44,534
with Jeff Mount and Eric Sepeta.

534
00:37:44,594 –> 00:37:47,134
So kudos to them. Hats off for them.

535
00:37:47,454 –> 00:37:52,194
I’ve worked with John Whitman. I’ve worked with Richard Swords,

536
00:37:52,194 –> 00:37:55,434
Scott Sanchez, James Hiramasa, and.

537
00:37:55,902 –> 00:37:59,922
And of course, I can’t say enough good things about Ryan Hoover and what he’s

538
00:37:59,922 –> 00:38:01,622
doing with his school up there in Charlotte.

539
00:38:01,982 –> 00:38:05,882
And last, but certainly not least by any stretch.

540
00:38:05,922 –> 00:38:10,622
And of course I’ve worked, I’ve trained under a lot of other guys too, a lot of other good guys.

541
00:38:10,742 –> 00:38:16,662
But when he was a part of the Krav Maga organization, um, and even now,

542
00:38:16,802 –> 00:38:20,862
uh, I’ve had the honor and privilege of training underneath Jeff Gemma too.

543
00:38:21,002 –> 00:38:25,282
And, uh, he, he’s, he’s, uh, he’s, uh, one of my faves for sure.

544
00:38:25,282 –> 00:38:28,222
But a lot of good guys out there a

545
00:38:28,222 –> 00:38:30,882
lot of guys know what they’re doing do a good job in their

546
00:38:30,882 –> 00:38:34,142
instruction and work with their students and I can’t

547
00:38:34,142 –> 00:38:38,702
say enough good things about them so I hope you’ve enjoyed our episode today

548
00:38:38,702 –> 00:38:43,902
talking about Krav Maga if you have like I say about all of our episodes feel

549
00:38:43,902 –> 00:38:47,642
free to share it with your friends and family put it out on your Facebook page

550
00:38:47,642 –> 00:38:53,322
we would greatly appreciate you getting the word out and we look forward to seeing you all next time.

551
00:38:53,840 –> 00:39:13,794
Music.