Pick ‘n’ Mix

My Krav club have several venues. Through trying them out I’ve now find a bespoke fitting for my own comfort zone around both training and combat.

Never much liked combat. Love the technical side of Krav but really couldn’t get into the swing of taking a swing at someone on a cold blooded basis once a week.

This is simply something I needed to deal with and I’ve tried several options. Forcing myself to go. Picking the biggest bloke present as a partner. Picking the highest qualified bloke as a partner**. Getting up and coming back when knocked down. And professional help outside of Krav.

Really didn’t change my view of it all and in fact the state of “not liking it much” simply persisted.

I love Krav Maga as it keeps me fit and the skills are unsurpassable as tools for life in a physically confrontational situation. KMM have 3 instructors spread over 6 venues, Monday to Friday. I’ve been trying out the various locations for a month or so and have finally hit upon a recipe that works for me.

My grade is P4, but to be honest my fighting ability is pretty low. I lack the skills and while I’ll stand my ground I tend very often to get a hefty boot in the groin or drop my guard long enough to get a right hook in the head. At my home club the guys who opt for combat are either long stayers or high grades (we currently have five P5s and they semi-regularly attend this class) or both. The class isn’t enjoyable for me solely because I’m not able to keep up. Some believe that if you fight much better and experienced guys then you improve. This is true, but you need to start somewhere and if, like me, you are simply uncomfortable with it then another solution must be sought.

On Monday I go to one class where there are loads of people who stay for Combat and they are in the majority relatively new. There are a mixture of abilities so I can relax a little and work on my footwork, dodging and strikes. I stayed last night and thoroughly enjoyed the class, and was partnered mainly with a guy from Leamington Spa who’d come with me and is a great fighter. Taking it as a learning curve I predict that a month of so of this group and I’ll feel confident enough to try one of the more experienced Combat classes in another KMM venue.

On Thursday I attend the Leamington Spa class with the Chief Instructor like I’ve done for over 2 years and as usual it’s a lot of fun and hard work. By tailoring the lessons around what works for me, I feel a lot less anxious about what I’m doing and believe therefore that when I gear up for my next grading in 6 months or a year, I’ll be a lot more into it than if I’d simply ploughed ahead without trying different things out.

This reluctance and discomfort around the fighting side of Krav has bugged me for months, but now I’ve found a way to deal with it gradually and get up to speed. If shock and immersion therapy don’t work…then it’s time to look for another way of getting from A to B.

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** In one venue it's the same guy. 6 feet 11 inches tall and P5.