SEPTEMBER 2022

FAMILY TIME
KMD Young Warriors class is the perfect blend of fitness, self-defense, character development, and fun.
Krav Maga: An activity
for the whole family
BY VALENE AYAR
As the weather begins to cool and
our days get shorter, it can only
mean one thing — Fall has arrived!
As we say “goodbye” to swimming
pools and lake houses and say “hello” to
pumpkin spiced lattes and cider mills, it
also means that kids are going back to
school. With that, parents are undoubtedly
thinking about extracurricular activities.
While I am a huge advocate of
organized team sports, I have become an
even bigger advocate of another athletic
endeavor that parents can (and should)
also take part in — that is, martial arts,
and more specifically, martial arts centered
around self-defense.
A new after-school activity
In this ever-changing world where
kids and teens are glued to their
phones and constantly seeking validation
from how many “likes” an Instagram
post gets, there has never been a
greater need for finding ways to instill
a sense of self-worth in our children.
While organized team sports are
a great way to impart this self-worth,
they do have their shortcomings. For
example, team sports are seasonal,
they are not as inclusive as they may
seem as less skilled team members
are given much less playing time, and
they do not offer as many real-life applications
as other activities do.
This is why I am such a strong advocate
for kids and teens learning martial
arts. To highlight a few of the benefits,
martial arts can (and should) be
practiced year-round, they are 100%
inclusive - no one is ever “benched,”
and while it is a solo activity, there
is still a sense of community and camaraderie
to be found amongst other
participants. I know that has been
the case for me where I practice Krav
Maga (Krav Maga Detroit in Troy). And
as an added bonus – parents can also
participate in the adult classes as well,
making it a great opportunity to create
a bonding activity everyone can enjoy.
While traditional martial arts definitely
have their benefits and teach
so many invaluable skills (i.e., selfdiscipline,
respect, physical activity),
there is one area where they fall
short — real-world application. Many
traditional martial arts classes focus a
great deal on the philosophies behind
the art, competitive fighting, and abiding
by an honor code. While those are
all well and good, they do lack a certain
real-world application in regard to
self-defense. I wouldn’t go so far as to
say those martial arts cannot be used
as a form of self-defense, but in doing
research for myself some years back, I
found that the best and most useful of
all the disciplines is Krav Maga.
What is Krav Maga?
Created during WWII in Europe by
Imi Lichtenfeld – the Jewish son of a
police officer – Krav Maga is a military
self-defense and fighting system
that has become the official fighting
method of the Israeli Defense Forces
(IDF) and Israeli Security Forces.
Additionally, it is now taught worldwide
to military and police officers
(including in the U.S.) as a means of
self-defense.
Although it implements strikes
and practices from Karate, Judo, Boxing,
and Akido, Krav Maga is technically
not classified as a martial art as
many of the strikes and maneuvers
would be grounds for disqualification
in any competitive setting. The
whole point of learning Krav Maga is
not to win a fight or earn a trophy;
it is strictly to defend yourself, incapacitate
the attacker and run like
hell once they are down. There is no
room for ego or any need to “win” the
fight or prove anything.
Benefits of Krav Maga
As there is no honor code to abide
by and because it was created, categorically,
as a means of self-defense,
there is far more real-world application
with Krav Maga than there is
with any other form of martial art. It
is a “no holds barred” form of self-defense
and nothing is off the table in
regard to acceptable strikes. In fact,
there are even classes which teach
how to defend against an armed assailant
as we learn how to disarm an
attacker with a knife, pistol, or rifle,
just to name a few.
Although I am not a fan of fearmongering
of any kind, the fact of the
matter is that we live in a very scary
world and while we can’t change that
fact, we can take steps to learn how
to protect ourselves and our children.
And because Krav Maga is centered
around efficiency, quick thinking,
proximity, and acquired skill rather
than strength or brute force, it can be
learned by literally anyone – regardless
of size or innate strength. One
of the top trainers at Krav Maga Detroit
is a woman named Mallory who
looks to be about 110 pounds, soaking
wet, but was the first woman in
the state of Michigan to earn a Black
Belt in Krav Maga. As someone who
has taken her classes, I can tell you
firsthand she is not to be trifled with.
While some hold the notion that
learning a skill like this teaches children
to resort to violence when dealing
with peers, nothing can be further
from the truth. One of the core
principles in the practice of Krav
Maga is learning how to de-escalate
an altercation or escape the scene
before ever throwing a single strike.
This is especially beneficial for kids
and teens when dealing with bullies.
It is drilled into every practitioner’s
head, both child and adult, that it
is imperative to be able to identify
a perceived threat before it occurs,
escape, or try to calmly neutralize
the threat; you are taught to only use
physical self-defense when all else
has failed.
This year, as you look for new and
fun extracurricular activities for your
kids to partake in, I urge you to look
into Krav Maga. I began the practice
a little over 2 years ago and I can tell
you, it has completely changed my
life and the way I value it. My only
regret is that I didn’t start doing it decades
ago.
Contact Lisa at Krav Maga Detroit in
Troy at (248) 688-9501 to set up a free
introductory class for you and your
children.
38 CHALDEAN NEWS SEPTEMBER 2022