It’s impossible to utter the Hebrew words Krav Maga, meaning contact combat, with lilt and frolic. Much as it sounds, the experience is brutal, requiring you to shake off the warm fuzzies and be unafraid to inflict pain when necessary. Unlike traditional martial arts like taekwondo or karate, and sports like mixed martial arts (MMA) or Muay Thai, Krav Maga was developed in the late 1930s by Imrich Lichtenfield solely for self-defense. So it’s stripped of the trappings of martial arts such as a reverential greeting, fighting rink, stance, uniform and referee, imparting instead the wherewithal to fight anywhere and at any time.
I attended a class hosted by Krav Maga Global (KMG), an association started in 2010 by Lichtenfield’s closest protégé Eyal Yanilov, which has since spread to 69 countries. As something of a sickly featherweight myself, it was initially intimidating to be learning amongst stout men, who pummelled the air while waiting for class to begin. But soon enough a handful of women strode in, one even skinnier than me, confident and unflinching. The class started with a brisk warm-up, and our run around the well-lit hall was punctuated with instructions to perform squats, push-ups and the kabbadi-like “touching game” which involved trying to touch your partner while simultaneously defending yourself from being touched.
And that’s where the games ended. Soon after, we were taught how to thwart an attack as well as what to do when choked. My partner lunged at me from different directions, and I was shown how to deflect her arms outwards, always away from my body. Next, with her fingers around my neck I was given stepby- step directions on how to untangle myself while kneeing the attacker’s groin, to be followed by blows to the attacker’s face and a quick retreat, remembering to scan the surroundings for further trouble. The last part is just as important, for Krav Maga is one of the few skills that trains to cope with multiple and returning attackers. Every time a mock kick made the slightest contact with my partner, I found myself profusely apologetic. My partner continued to shrug it off, inviting me to be bolder. Her self-assuredness is a product of her months in training, as mental preparation is one of the four pillars of Krav Maga, the others being technical, tactical and physical.
After many sequences of defensive moves had been run through, each pair was given a punching bag to practise various punches in full force. We took turns to hold the bag steady, which was almost as exhausting as throwing the punches. But no matter how tired I grew, I was instructed to stay determined. “A man reacts immediately and continues to fight because of testosterone-induced aggression. A woman lacks that much testosterone so she has to have an in-built capacity to bring up aggression when required,” said Elroy Vaz, instructor and regional director of KMG India. Later classes also include aggression drills, in which a person is told to get past a line of punching bags while being pulled in the opposite direction. We were taught a variety of groin hits, using the hands and feet, and Vaz was quick to correct poor form or technique, often calling to attention how such a mistake could be used against you in a real world setting. It ended with light yoga stretches, and was the only part of the class in which I felt completely at ease. But perhaps that’s the point. Krav Maga is for the faint-hearted, the ones who most need the skills and courage to defend themselves.