#started doing Krav Maga when I was 18 but the gym closed

[the-cookie-of-doom]

I want to get back into martial arts so bad but I’m so out of shape, I’d die 😩

[harrisonsloman]

Is Being ‘Good’ Not Enough for You?

Is Being ‘Good’ Not Enough for You?

How to be the BEST at Krav Maga

I’m not going to lie and tell you this article is about being nice and dandy. It’s not! I know you want to be the best you can be and you want to be able to kick anyone’s ass in any situation, you want to be untouchable (though you don’t admit it freely). It’s natural, we’ve all watched too much television and grown up in a world where violence has been glorified. We want to see ourselves as the hero who can function effectively in the face of adversity and stick-it to the villains of the world.

Reality is never that perfectly written, and without trying to get to the root causes of such desires, I’m just going to offer some pathways for you to get yourself closer to that destination. If you really want it, you need consistency, dedication and clear focus. On top of that, having, passion to fuel you is important.

First of all, I do not condone inappropriate use of force and actions in violent situations and conflict. Imi, the Founder of Krav Maga was a big advocate of his students being ‘good citizens’, and we hold that core value very close to our hearts.

Never-the-less, here’s an overview of my tips to becoming the Krav Maga weapon you’ve always wanted to be…

Please note that what I’m listing below isn’t for everyone! If you’re willing to go the extra mile, then you’re in for a good shot.

Train In Your Krav Maga Gym for a Minimum 5 Hours a Week. Whether you do a few classes back to back, or spread it over a few sessions, it’s important that you’re getting good exposure to training. If you see the opportunity to do more, then do more!

Get Super Fit.

Sure you don’t need to be an athlete to defend yourself, but if you want to be a WOMD then I suggest you get super fit and agile. Do lots of running, skipping, ladder drills, pad rounds, HIIT, strength work, etc. Do as much as you can so that you have the ability to defend and attack from any position effortlessly. Make sure whatever you do is functional so that it transfers to your Krav Maga.

Acclimatisation Drilling.

I first learned about this topic from Deane Lawler. The most basic way for me to explain is that it teaches you to ignore the shock of an attack and go on the offensive as quickly as possible (if not simultaneously in the worst case situation).

How does it work? The attacker will aim to stun you to simulate the shock of being hit, and you’re job is to disregard the shock and strike back. The aim is to create a pattern of instinctive countering. It becomes subconscious and really, REALLY, REALLY works magic! If there was just one idea you’d take out of this out of this whole article, it’s acclimatization.

How to drill it: Have your partner hold two focus mitts in their hands. They will attack you to the head with circular hand strikes. You must do a head cover/gunt and an immediate, powerful counter to focus mitts (remember, power is derived from speed, mass and distribution/technique; you can modify this to suit your needs, and we’ll release videos to show variations).

It resonates with me and the focus I put on teaching and training. It’s inline with Krav Maga principles and with my personal experiences in the real world. As someone who has been in many real violent situations, I can say that this form of training really gets you conditioned to the reality of these situations and to the reality of what it takes to survive.

Get The Killer Instinct.

If you don’t develop this, you’ll likely be in shit. You need to have a real brutal and vicious machine inside you, ready to switch into a bloodthirsty, cannibalistic animal that refuses to be taken down. You have to be badder than the bad. You need to get in touch with your dark side, and really embrace it to help you fight for the forces of light. If you’re too nice, you might need to work on this!

To survive real conflict, you need to be able to lift your game to a whole new intensity and you need aggression, determination, courage and a fair bit of ‘crazy’ to get through it.

Work on developing strong intentions and actions to what you need to do. Meaning paint in your mind and in your training all the tools to be brutally effective. While doing this always aim to create a mind that cannot be distracted from the task and that will do whatever it takes.

Do 30-60 minutes of Shadow Krav Maga Daily.

You can call this whatever you want. Just ensure you’re working on your Krav Maga in a way where you’re practising your striking, footwork, and defences in the air. Focus on good form, having flow, and on working from natural positions/points in time. You want to give yourself a good contextual understanding of Krav Maga and doing it like this will help you make it all natural. You may feel awkward doing it initially, but that’s part of the process when integrating your movements so they become like second-nature to you. Remember that perfect practice makes perfect, so go in with the right attitude, energy and focus so that you have good awareness of yourself.

Repetition is only good if your technique is good. If you do it wrong, you just drilled a bad habit, so stay aware.

Ensure You’re Pressure Testing And Scenario Drilling.

You need to be running live testing drills that simulate reality as close as possible. You’ll hopefully get lots of drills in class, but if not, just organise a little group and do it somewhere on the side. I’d be looking at doing this at least 1-2 hours a week and doing as many multiple attacker rounds as possible. *Remember to always put safety first. Do it realistically, but do it responsibly.*

Do Pad Rounds.

If you don’t do enough in class, consider doing them elsewhere. You should do at least 18 x 1-2 minute rounds a week. Mix it up so that the intensity is always changing.

Spar More Than A Few Rounds A Weeks.

If you’re not sparring and trying your skills against other resisting opponents, then good luck when you deal with it for the first (and possibly last) time on the street. You can extend this to all pressure drills, multiple attackers and so on with full safety gear on.

Condition your mind.

Visualise and practice concepts like NLP (Neural Linguistic Programming; a mental patterning tool) to condition yourself for the success you’re after. Visualise all aspects of any situation, any attribute and so on to improve your mental comprehension. It has been proven that athletes who visualise and work on their mindset learn faster and perform better than those that do not.

Get A Full Contact Job.

Go be a bouncer, or take up a job as a hired hand with the Mafia. Just kidding! Working in a situation where you’re practising all your skills, including de-escalation and conflict resolution will help you. Just don’t get killed and don’t break the law! For most people this will be unreasonable, and I understand, but some of you will feel that you need to take this step, especially if you’ve never been in a real fight in your life. The alternative is to go start some fights, but we don’t advocate that at all, so don’t!

Practice 1 or 2 Showstopper Techniques.

Have 1 or 2 techniques you can use to preemptively strike and take out a threat. Something simple and direct, aimed at vital points to neutralise the threat quickly and with maximum efficiency, with minimum time and energy. Practice these techniques from positions where you look non-threatening and non-telegraphic.

Learn How To Retzev.

You need to have a good compound attack (a sequence of attacks that do not stop). The only thing with this one is that you want to keep it very simple and, like the show stopper techniques, you need to be able to drill it and rely on it. Start with a good sequence of powerful hand attacks, that goes forward relentlessly, viciously and with the prime objection to overwhelm and destroy the opponent.

Toughen Up Your Tools.

Most people will probably disagree with me, but who cares! Toughen up your shins, knuckles, forearms and body through conditioning work and hitting things. You know how it feels when you collide with someone’s shin, or their forearm on outside defences right? Well imagine it barely hurt you. I can’t tell you how many times people have wacked into my shins, and it hasn’t even fazed me, while they’re walking off to the side with regret on their faces. (All because I spent my teenage years kicking poles).

Record Yourself.

Use your camera phone, or your camera and record yourself doing different types of training. Refer to it often and use it to fix areas of concern, and/or refine upon something.

Be Open To Learning From Others.

I think to really get a holistic understanding of any topic that we need to have an open mind and not just conform and keep a status quo. Yes, if you’re really passionate about Krav Maga, increase your world-view on the topic. Learning from more than one source is not a bad thing. It can help validate things, expand knowledge and so much more. We do our best in Krav Maga Systems to give as much of a holistic approach as possible, but still, if you really want to understand the world of Krav Maga, you need to do some research and ask lots of questions.

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall.

Yeah, I say it all the time and I’ll say it again. Train in front of a mirror! You will see what you do and be able to correct it there are then. Every exceptional Kravist, fighters or martial artists I know does this!

Watch Lots Of Real Life CCTV & Combat Sports.

Balance these out. Look at how real life conflict starts and escalates and what it looks like. Establish a good grounds for reality, even if you’ve been there and done that. Train with those situations in mind, and feel free to recreate them in a scenario. Learn from them to understand the mind of you potential enemy.

Practice De-escalation In Training.

Probably the most important thing one needs is a good skills in de-escalation. Think of it as your own personal Iron Dome. The Iron Dome intercepts and destroys missiles that are aimed at targets within Israel. Your Iron Dome is constantly looking for threats in the awareness stages, but if something gets into its path it intercepts it without fail.

Look at this intercept as a pattern interrupt or a pattern change instead and make sure you’re training in how to talk down a potential threat first where it is possible. This is very important in your training and sits in the realm of knowing your stages of conflict, force continuum, and a whole lot of other things.

If you’re a bit shy in training, practice it solo (in the mirror is a good place to start). Having more than just physical skills is important. I often think about how I could talk my way out of a lot of situations because I understand what’s happening and where I am in the stages of conflict. Having such knowledge and being to apply it is really important!

Anyway, I could just keep on going, but I’ll leave it at that. These are some tips for you and I hope they help you greatly. May you walk in peace dear friend!

Source URL: https://kravmagasystems.com.au/is-being-good-not-enough-for-you/

[flauntpage]

Uru-Can, the Obscure Form of Martial Arts Created by the Brazilian Army

This article originally appeared on VICE Brazil.

Master Leonardo Martins Correia stands on the tatami mat and stares straight at his students. Despite the heat, he wears a camouflaged kimono and thick black pants. On his chest, close to his heart, he sports a patch of the Brazilian flag. On his right arm is another patch that depicts two snakes facing each other, ready to attack. Almost like a military trainer, Correia barks,

"Ready!"

Roughly ten students answer with a yell that can't be replicated in words, and proceed to place their closed fists in front of their waists. Their feet are apart in parallel position. Their knees are semi-locked. In less than five seconds, the salutation continues:

"Attention!" Correia says, as he raises his right fist to his, now open, left hand and closes his legs; a soldier saluting. The class mimics the move.

"Salute!" he cries.

"Brazil!" respond the students.

"Above!" "Everything!"

The nationalist pride and military apparel come naturally. Uru-Can is 100 percent Brazilian, created by Paulo César da Silva Lopes, a black, evangelical officer in the military ranks of 1970s Rio de Janeiro.

Lopes served in the Parachute Infantry Brigade, which was stationed in the military quarters of Rio. During his time there, he thought the modalities of martial arts that were being taught weren't good enough for the officers, who needed to learn techniques that could be used in real combat. Along with three other armed force members, Lopes mixed and refined techniques used in Karate, Taekwondo, Kung Fu, Judo, and Jiu-Jitsu. He also integrated self-defense training, nunchucks, knives, and rifles. Free of the restraints and rules of most competitions, the new martial art had only one mission: Lethality.

But because there wasn't a real commercial vision behind Uru-Can, it took almost ten years for the name to get established. Initially, it was called "Paulo Associação de Lutas Brasileiras," then "Karate Brazil." The definite name came only in 1983: Uru-Can Brazil — a name that represents the alliance of two breeds of snakes unique to Brazil, Urutu and Caninana.

Paulo César da Silva Lopes, the creator of Uru-Can. Photo via his personal archive

The plan was to teach the technique in different military quarters throughout Brazil, but that didn't quite work out. So Lopes took his created technique beyond the borders of the military. After his death in 2003, the martial art started to get passed down by his former pupils. Today, it's mainly taught in the suburban outskirts of Rio.

The lesson we shadowed took place in Pedra de Guaratiba, a neighborhood in the far end of western Rio. The place is so far from the touristic southern parts of the city that it even exudes a curious geographical pride to the visitors who actually manage to get there. The area feels like a small town, you can gauge the geographic distance by the way people there speak, in significantly different accents.

The demo took place at Val Fitness, which feels more like a nightclub than it does a gym. Since the instructor, the 42-year-old Geraldo dos Santos, hasn't been able to put together a full class yet, he invited fighters from other units located in areas such as Sepetiba, Campo Grande, and Santa Cruz, to join the event. Correia, 39-years-old, was among the people invited. He learned Uru-Can techniques from Lopes himself: "I started fighting when I was 8-years-old, but I only met the master when I was 16. By 18, I was teaching with him in the army."

Leonardo Correia lands a hit to one of his students.

Correia led most of the lesson and the demonstrations. While the students were warming up and practicing a 180-degree spinning kick, the instructor recapped some of Uru-Can's principles out loud: "On the streets, never fall restrained. Restraint is for tournament. You must finish as soon as possible."

Meanwhile, dos Santos explained to me some specific things about Uru-Can: "When you're down, there's no way to roll. I'm not forced to defeat my opponent by following the rules. I throw my opponent down and finish him off anyway I can. It doesn't matter how—wringing or breaking his neck [is fine]. You have to wipe them out anyway you can." He proceeds by making sure he emphasizes the peaceful nature of the martial art. Given that we're mere mortals, extreme reactions must be used only as last resorts.

"We must be ready to fight against more than one person," Correia declares loudly. The students execute a sequence of jabs, throw a right hook, followed by a spinning kick. Some are able to kick so hard that, even with protective gear, the person getting kicked backs off due to the force used. "We're training on the tatami here, but Uru-Can is about the actual ground. The first thing the trainees learn is how to fall down and roll away."

The art also features teachings with knifes and rifles.

Much like Karate has katas, which are patterns of movements that hone a person's skills, Uru-Can also has its own formulas which are called the seven fundamental basics. They weren't included in the demonstrations, but Correia explained to me what each one was about:

Candle: You stand still, like a candle.

Dog: You sit like a dog, with your legs slightly open.

Horse rider base: You stand as if you were riding a horse.

Scorpion: One leg is flexed while the other is straight, and the back leg mimics the tail of a scorpion.

Praying mantis: This move is similar to the Kung Fu technique.

Cat: Move like a feline getting ready to pounce and lurks to attack.

Snake: Move sideways and turn forward, as a coiled snake does before it attacks.

Because Uru-Can was made for the real world, its lessons also integrate potential instances of conflict. One example of a feigned situation is a bar fight. On the tatami, the students put two white plastic chairs (they couldn't find a table) facing each other — a position also known at the MoMa as the Marina Abramović.

One of the chairs is occupied by Wesley de Souza, a 24-year-old trainee. On another chair sits Correia. They face one another, trying to look serious and having a difficult time holding back their laughter. "Your father is a wimp!" teases Souza.

It's a performance, fortunately with more action now. Correia stands up to attack, pushes the imaginary table away, and punches the opponent's face with his right hand. De Souza defends himself and also uses his right hand to catch Correia's fist in order to pull him closer and, at the same time, to clear enough space to punch Correia with his left hand. Then he forces the instructor's arms down and elbows him on the back just below his neck. All of this is staged, of course.

Dos Santos, in military attire, participates in a fight.

At that point, dos Santos needed to leave to go teach a fight/dance lesson—called Uru-Can Fight Dance—which he created. "I mixed it up: I took the art and put it into a playful aerobic style. For instance, I work on movements and exercises that flex the hips and extend the knees, but they're actually all frontal kicks."

Down on the tatami, Correia was getting ready to finish the lesson. Earlier, he'd told me that there were approximately 500 people throughout Brazil who practiced Uru-Can and that his goal was to promote the martial art as much as possible, which would fulfill the wishes of his master Lopes. "I only hope that when people talk about martial arts, like Karate or Krav Maga, that they mention Uru-Can too. That's all. But unfortunately our politicians don't value what we do very much. We have a lot to fight for, and I'm proud to fight," he said.

During his last speech, he thanked us for the coverage, thanked the students for coming, and thanked God. He concluded the lesson as he'd started it:

"Salute!" he cried.

"Brazil!" the students shouted in response.

"Above!"

"Everything!"

Uru-Can, the Obscure Form of Martial Arts Created by the Brazilian Army published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv