Krav Maga: fighting for survival.
When Veronica and I opened Impact doors in 2011, we had one clear mission: to give average people the skills needed to defend themselves against violent attacks. We always believed that you do not have to be a professional MMA fighter or a boxer to learn how to protect yourself. Everyone is entitled to learn self defense, regardless of age, gender, physical attributes, etc. 3 years later, Impact has and continues to train a variety of people; men and women, young and old, military, law enforcement, members of the special forces, and more.
There is a clear difference between the type of training one gets in an MMA or another type of sports fighting gym versus what we offer at Impact. The obvious differences are the presence of rules and regulations, a referee, a single attacker, lack of weapons and other restrictions that are present in sport fighting systems but do not reflect the environment of a street fight. But more importantly, there is also a psychological difference between sport fighting and fighting for your life when faced with a life threatening situation.
In a boxing bout, or an MMA match, there is a competitive environment where the fighters put their egos and pride at stake. In a violent street attack what’s at stake is much more important; it’s your life. The chance of injury in sports fighting is high, but there are rules in place and a referee that enforces these rules, all aimed to protect the well being of the fighters. In the street, there is no protection. It is no longer about pride or ego, it is about survival, and a chance of severe injury is much higher then in sports fighting. People that have been in combat or those that have been violently attacked understand that survival is just as much, if not more, about psychological strength and determination, as it is about technical and physical readiness.
Some of us have been in these situations, and can learn from our experiences. But you do not need to be faced with grave danger in order to understand and prepare yourself to deal with the severity of a violent encounter. What it comes down to are properly orchestrated drills that we develop at Impact Krav Maga that closely mimic the psychological and physical challenges of a violent struggle. Our goal is that with each class students develop new tools and reinforce old skills needed to survive a violent attack. We are not preparing for a competition, and should therefore not train like boxers or MMA fighters. Rather, it is important to have a good blend of technical skills, fighting drills, aggression exercises and sparring, all geared at preparing students for the reality of a violent encounter.
Three years ago we set out to create a school where people can learn realistic self defense regardless of gender, age and strength. I think today Impact Krav Maga is exactly that school. We have men, women, teenagers, military personnel, law enforcement personnel, all working together to better themselves under the same roof. What’s more, their abilities speak for themselves. You guys are true fighters; tough, resilient, skillful and determined; a perfect representation of what Krav Maga is all about: survival. Thank you for making Impact what it is today.
