Krav Maga: Encyclopedia II - Krav Maga - Training

Krav Maga - Training

Although Krav Maga shares many techniques with other martial arts, like Savate and Kickboxing (for the fist- and kick-fighting techniques) or Ju-Jutsu (for the grappling and disarming techniques), the training is quite different. It stresses fighting under worst-case circumstances (against several opponents, back to the wall, when protecting someone else, with one arm unusable, when dizzy, against armed opponents, etc).

Training in Krav Maga is an aerobic workout. Training relies heavily on pads. Students take turn holding pads and doing combatives against the pads. This is important because it allows the student to practice the technique at full strength, and the student holding the pad learns a little of what it feels like to get hit. It can be almost as taxing to hold a pad as to practice against one.

Training may employ a speaker system blasting loud music, meant to train the student to ignore peripheral distractions and focus on causing as much damage as possible. Training might also contain ways to deal with situations which could end in fights. Physical and verbal methods to avoid violence whenever possible are taught.

A typical Krav Maga session in a civilian school is about an hour long and mixes aerobic training with self-defense teaching. First, the instructor will run a drill to get the class's heart rates up. Then, after stretching, the instructor will teach two or three self-defense techniques. Especially in the beginning, the techniques will either be combatives (or strikes: punches, hammer-fists, elbows, knees and roundhouse kicks are important) or grappling (breaking out of chokes or wrist-grabs, getting out from under an opponent while on one's back). After that, the class usually moves to a drill that combines the techniques just taught with an aerobic technique. Finally, there is the final drill intended to burn out the students.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Training", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki