I missed class on Monday night, so I knew I had to come in tonight, even if I took it easy. Since I’m trying to prepare for the test in December, I’ve gotta step it up.

It seems like there’s a lot to defending a choke from behind. When someone puts their hands around your throat, you have to reach behind your head (hopefully clawing your assailant in the process) and pluck down on the weakest part of their grip. This happens all while stepping to the side. With the force of the pluck behind your swinging hand, you slap their groin, bring your elbow up to hit them in the jaw, and then turn around to face them. Finally, go crazy and let ‘em have it!

This defense is really awkward to practice, because you’re taught to throw your hands up behind your head and pluck down in a quick, solid movement. If you’re not careful, you could easily poke out your partner’s eye!

Safety is the most important thing in Krav Maga. Instructors want you to learn defenses to as close of a real life situation as they can present you, but that doesn’t mean you should harm your partner in the process. So, although I worked really hard at it, I’m not sure if I “get it” yet. I’ll have to sleep on it and try practicing on Chris tomorrow. I’m sure he’ll love to hear that…

On the plus side, my back didn’t hurt at all the whole night! We’ll see how it feels tomorrow though!

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!

I’m standing outside the gym room, watching an upper level class. M, my instructor, sees me, waves, and then jogs over. “Let me show you how to get up from a ground fight!” he says. (I’d told him last week that I wanted to learn how to get up from the ground properly, but he didn’t have time to demonstrate then.)

I was super psyched he remembered on his own.

The movement feels so unnatural. You have to rotate your hips and swing your leg underneath you in a big ark; it’s like making the letter ‘C’ with your leg. I know I’ll have to work on it more to get it right.

In regular class, we learned 360 defenses. At first, my partner couldn’t figure out how to hold the medium-sized pad to hurl at my head. She’s sort of throwing it at me and I feel like I might be blocking it. M comes over, takes the pad, and shows her how to hold it correctly. He indicates to me he’s going to throw it for real as a demonstration.

He. Nearly. Takes. My. Head. Off. My glasses go completely askew. He stops the class.

Really block these strikes coming at you. Get angry. They’re trying to hit you! And bag holders, let your partner know what it feels like to be seriously hit. Give them all you’ve got!

She starts hurling it at my head at full power. I still don’t think I really get it, but maybe I am. It’s too soon to tell.

I go to one side of the room and everyone else lines up at the other. This is the drill: Each of your classmates run at you, one after the other, with a medium bag, and launches it at your head. You have to block it with your 360 defenses. Ready? Go!

Guys twice my size deliver blows at me.

Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.

It’s scary. Intimidating. Intense. But it gets you riled up—adrenaline pumping. This was definitely one of the most fun—and simultaneously—one of the scariest defenses I’ve ever learned.

As I’m getting my stuff together, M asks me if I remember how to get up off the ground correctly. I don’t feel confident. He gets down with me and goes through it a few more times.

That’s how you know you’ve got a great instructor: when they’re willing to go above and beyond to teach you what you need and want to know. I probably stayed an extra 15 minutes after class with M just showing me, Chris, and a few other students extra defenses.

This is my first Sunday class and I feel pretty confident walking in. On Monday, I finished up not feeling like I was going to die from exhaustion.

We do the usual stretch and B, the owner and today’s trainer, tells us to do 20 push-ups and 25 sit-ups. I’m immediately a little anxious. The last time I tried to do the most push-ups I could, I was able to do… oh… ya know… seven. I surprise myself though. I’m pushing my body up and I’m suddenly past 10. Then 15. 20 push-ups? Please. That was almost easy. Almost.

I partner up with H for openhand strikes. I’m excited, because he’s the first guy I’ve worked with so far. He’s at least 2 inches taller and 50lbs heavier than me, but I feel pretty confident about my ability. B pushes us hard. We quickly make our way through straight openhanded strikes, groin kicks, and by the time we get to elbow jabs, I’m ready to pass out. I actually consider stepping out of the room. We must be getting to the end of class. I look at the clock. We’ve only been at this half an hour. It’s only half over.

Oh. My. God. I think I may die.

I look over at H. Sure, he’s tired. We’re all sweaty and exhausted, but he looks ready to start practicing the strike. I get a little boost of energy. Must keep up with the boys…

I’ve never done elbow jabs before and I immediately tell the difference between H’s and my own. He knocks me back a little with each strike. I don’t really think I’m doing them right. I’m stepping and twisting and not getting it. B comes over to help, but I’m so exhausted I can’t make my back leg push off like he’s instructing. I keep at it though. I can’t learn everything perfect the first time.

Now for my favorite part, learning to defend.

New scenario: Someone’s choking you from the side, most likely to either head-butt you (this is popular in Europe) or to drag you off (I’m sure you can fill in the gory details on your own). In this case, you rip your attackers hand away from you in a plucking motion, but keep a good grip on his hand. You don’t want him going anywhere. At the same time, give him a solid hit to the groin with your free hand. Bring your arm up through his arms and elbow him in the face. Give him a “little tickle” (B’s words) of a kick to the groin and then knee the crap out of him. Mmmm… Attacker down.

I practice this with H and he gets a little anxious defending against me. He accidentally clips my jaw once and immediately stops. It doesn’t hurt and I’m all “I’m still attacking, yo!” He finishes the combination and instantly starts to apologize. “I’m not bleeding and nothing’s broken, so keep going!” I tell him. He doesn’t let up any more.

Moral of the today’s Krav story: 1) B knows how to hand my ass to me on a lovely Sunday morning (I’m so coming back next week), 2) Guys tend to be great partners, because they motivate me to really work, and 3) I’ve just got to get serious and level them. I may be a girl, but I’m not gonna let up on you any. Give me all you’ve got.

This is my second official class of Krav Maga, but I’m just as nervous as I was the first time I walked in the building. When I see other women are there, I relax a little. I’m not really sure why.

We start warming up by running around the room and stretching our muscles.

I pair up with K, a shorter, petite woman, to practice straight punches. It takes a minute to get back into it.

Left, right.
Punch, punch.
Punch, punch.

My left arm isn’t as strong or as fast as my right. I can feel the power in my right strike.

After a few minutes of this, one of the instructors stops the class. What is the point of Krav Maga, he asks. Self-defense, we answer.

“Look, we can’t pay someone to attack you. This is your time to practice these moves. So practice them at full power. Practice them here so that you will be prepared out there.”

We start throwing punches again. I feel renewed energy. I think about someone attacking me and being forced to defend myself. Anger starts to boil up and I increase the speed of my left punch and put my weight into my right. The instructor walks behind me, yelling “Better! Good!”

I look down at my right hand. My middle knuckle is rubbed raw. I imagine going into work tomorrow all beat up… I can’t wait!

Our trainer adds another two steps to the combination. Left strike, right strike, step to the right of your opponent and punch into their side. When they drop their arm to protect their side, they expose their face and “that’s when you knock their head off,” he tells us. It’s like setting the opponent up for a knockout. He won’t even know what hit him.

I take it slow at first. Training my body to do what my mind is already starting to comprehend. I lightly tap my fist into the focus mitt as I memorize each step, acclimating my body to the feel of the movements. It’s almost like learning a dance.

Now that my body has felt the general movement, I start throwing real punches, putting all my weight into it. Taking a step toward my opponent feels alien, because my initial reaction would be to put space between me and them. But that’s the difference between Krav Maga and anything else I’ve ever seen: once you start defending yourself, you never back down until it’s over.

I go again, putting all my weight behind the final “head removing” punch. The instructor walks behind me again and pats me on the back, “Good! Good!” he says. I glow a little with pride and throw another hard hit. K’s body moves slightly with every throw.

When we switch places, I feel the power of K’s strikes hitting the mitts. I’m glad there is something between me and her fists. She’s a petite woman, but I can tell she could do some damage.

Now we move on to a defensive move. What if someone grabs your hair from the front. I’ve done this before in the previous class. K grabs my hair. My hands slap down on her fist, elbows closing in, and I thrust my body downward. Her wrist audibly pops. Guess it works. I take a few steps backward, her hand still lodged underneath my hands. When I look up she’s on her knees being dragged along the mats. I think I’ve got this defense down.

What if your attacker tries to grab your hair and knee you in the face? The instructors demonstrate the combination. Block their incoming knee with your left hand and simultaneously (or near simultaneously) swing your right hand up into the groin, almost like your bowling. Follow that up with solid punch to the face. Block, swipe, punch. Block, swipe, punch.

After class, I feel different about my surroundings. I’ve always walked with a bit of authority, silently sending out the message that you don’t want to mess with me. The difference is now I know I could actually do something if someone were to really attack me.