I’m finally getting to know the other diehard, crazy Krav Maga fans in class. When I asked V, a girl I’ve seen a few times, if she wanted to team up she said “Sure, but I don’t know how good of a partner I’m gonna be… this will be my third class in a row tonight…” Now that’s intense. I’ve taken two classes in a row before and I was out for two solid days!

Tonight, we worked on front chokes where you defend by plucking with one hand and striking simultaneously with an upward, palm heel strike. At first, I found it hard to break away from the usual double pluck defense, using both hands to pluck the assailant’s hands away while instantaneously delivering a groin kick. If you can just defend with a double handed pluck/groin kick combination, why strike with your upper body? Especially as a woman with a weaker upper body, in comparison to my thighs and legs!

Then I realized this defense is used when you can’t utilize your legs, like when you’re behind a bar, in a car, or when you’re standing on an icy sidewalk and don’t want to compromise your balance. Once I recognized the application, I felt myself finally “get it.”

Understanding situations where I’d use a particular defense is undeniably helpful. I have a pretty active imagination, so when I’m learning a new defense, I try to place myself in a scene where I’d need it.

Sometimes, when I’m at a stoplight or walking down the street, I’ll imagine what I’d do if I was attacked. What if that guy attacked me? Or that guy? It starts to put my training into perspective.

In class, the effect is that my strikes become stronger, my defenses become more intense, and I tire less easily (believe it or not). I also think the defense is more readily filed away under “muscle memory,” instead of short or long term memory!