Hello all! I’ve been fighting a sinus infection and a sore back this week, so things have been a little slow on the Krav Maga front. I’m starting to feel a lot better though and I’ll (hopefully) be back to training on Monday! In the meantime, I thought I’d update you on some of the latest news:

• My gym has recently expanded their operation, by adding nearby 3,000 square feet of space dedicated to Crossfit. This is great news, because it allows for more (and hopefully smaller) Krav Maga classes!
• Chris and I attended our gym’s Krav Maga Halloween Party last weekend and met a bunch of really great people. It was a ton of fun dressing up, seeing people outside of class, and casually chatting about chokes and other defenses. I’ll have more on that next week!
• My Level 1 test was rescheduled to December 6, giving me an extra month to train. I can’t say I’m upset, especially since the test would have been today! I don’t think a sore back and a sinus infection are optimal conditions for putting my body through the stress of an eight hour test… so I’m just thanking my lucky stars that it was postponed!
• And speaking of tests, I recently found a great blog post on how to prepare for a Krav Maga test! It was actually posted by Pam, the woman who first taught me Krav Maga at a Women’s Self-defense seminar in San Francisco (she was the assistant instructor at the time). I remember watching her defend these moves against Barny and thinking “Man, I want to be just like her…” She was flawless, ruthless, and fluid in all her movements. It was truly inspiring. Anyway, I’ll definitely be using this list to prepare myself for my upcoming test!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Hopefully I’ll have more to report on Monday, when I head back to the gym!

Just like in other self-defense systems, Krav Maga has different belts (or levels) that identify you based on your experience and training. With each belt, you gain the ability to learn more advanced techniques/defenses. In Krav, the belt system is no belt, Yellow, Orange, Green, Blue, and so on. You don’t get a belt for just showing up for an hour long test/class. In Krav, you have to seriously work for it. We’re talking tests that last for days. Literally.

No seriously, I’m not kidding.

Chris and I talked to B and his son after class last week about the belt test they just took (and passed) a few weekends ago. “It was the hardest thing I’ve physically ever done,” he said. Yikes! That’s intense coming from a guy who is solid muscle.

The review was between six and seven hours long and then the test was another two solid hours. 100%. Non-stop. Full speed ahead. I’m thinking of taking the test at the beginning of November and I’m terrified.

With other kinds of tests, you’ll usually hear one or two people say “Oh, that was easy…” But I have heard NO ONE say that. Everyone has been worn smooth out.

Which makes me think I need to start preparing now. So, here’s my plan:

• I’m going to start running and working out with Chris on the days we don’t go to Krav.
• I’m going to work up to going to every Level 1 class I can. By the end of October, I will be going to every possible Krav class, including multiple classes per night.
• My birthday is coming up too. So in celebration of that, I’m going to treat myself to a one-on-one session with one of my favorite instructors (that is, if I can afford it).
• A week before the test, I’m going to hit the Krav and Crossfit classes hard.
• Rest up a few days before the test.
• Pass.

I’ve already looked over what we have to know for the test and there’s still a lot I’m not 100% on, but that’s why I’m going to train like it’s going out of style.

As far as nutrition goes, I’m already pretty good about what I eat. Over the next month, I’m going to try extra hard to consume less sodium, refined sugars, fried anything, etc. Drink lots more water. And eat lots more fruits and veggies (which shouldn’t be too hard, because I’m already a vegetarian.)

Any thoughts on this plan? What helped you guys prepare for your belt tests?