Should You Learn Krav Maga?

Should You Learn Krav Maga?

When bringing up the topic of martial arts, many peoples’ minds first go to Hollywood movies and dramatic, violent fights. After taking a martial arts class with my friend, Ava, I have determined that it’s not all fun and games. We tried out a Krav Maga class, which is a form of military self-defense, and learned how to defend ourselves against all types of attacks just within the first class. Ava and I both have a decade of experience in karate, which is not the same as Krav Maga. Krav Maga is meant for real-life situations when a person could be in actual danger, and anybody could take something away from it after just their first class. 

Going into the class, Ava and I were both very excited to learn a new type of martial art. We didn’t know what to expect, since we’re both used to being skilled in our karate. Compared to what we’re used to, the class was extremely informal. In karate, we wear uniforms and bow in and out of the floor, and shoes are not allowed. However, in Krav Maga, people were wearing all sorts of clothing, even jeans, to simulate a real-life situation. It was interesting to see how people could apply Krav Maga to their actual life. There were people of all ages in the class: Ava and I were teenagers, a girl in college who wanted to learn self-defense before she went back on campus, a woman with two children who practiced regularly, and a young man who just did it for fun.

First, the instructor taught us how to get out of grabs. Ava and I already knew a bit about escaping grabs from our practices, but we still learned new things. We were also taught more advanced things, like pushing somebody away from you and putting them in an armlock, which we both enjoyed. The class was almost an hour long, but it felt a lot shorter. At the end of the session, I was intrigued, finding myself wanting to learn more and practice for even longer. Ava and I got to talk to the teacher, whose name is Adam Scholl, owner of Scholl Security Group. We learned that his classes were low difficulty, elementary, and understandable. He also explained that it was “better to learn with no experience.” He prefers to “weed out the jerks who are cocky,” providing a better environment for others. After leaving the gym, Ava and I discussed how we felt about the class. “I thought it was very useful for self-defense,” Ava explained. I agreed with her, as it was more practical than our usual karate practices. We decided that it would be great to learn before we went off to college, especially if one of our schools was an inner-city college. We liked that we learned how to defend against common attacks and general safety maneuvers. We deemed the armlock to be the most difficult because it required a lot of confusing movements. Looking back on the whole experience, I definitely want to come back. Not just because I generally have a passion for martial arts, but because I learned how to defend myself in situations that could put me in danger. No matter who you are, how old you are, or how tough you are, it’s a good set of knowledge to have under your belt in case you’re put in a situation where you have to avoid being grabbed or hurt.

Are you interested in participating in this program? Visit schollsecuritygroup.com for more information.