I Heart Krav Maga

Those of you who are on Facebook know that Steve and Gabriel and I have been taking Krav Maga classes at a local gym since September. 
http://www.firstcoastfullcontact.com/Home_Page.php

This is the first class I have ever taken at a gym.  All of my adult fitness programs have been home programs.  I've never even joined a gym before.  The same is true for Steve and Gabriel, (boot camp and gym class don't count).  My friend Michelle started taking Krav Maga classes just before we moved down to Florida, and she LOVED the classes.  She talked about them all the time.  I knew it was something I wanted to do, just from listening to her talk about it.  She was so enthusiastic about everything that she learned in the class, and was constantly talking about how fun the class was.  That was about two years ago.  She hasn't stopped talking about how much she loves this class, or how fun it is.  After being in the class myself, I have to agree with her.  It's an amazing class!  It makes you feel so empowered!  And, like she always said, it's a lot of fun!  It's also a lot of work, but you don't really notice that until the class is over because you are having fun.  So, the big question people ask is, what the heck is Krav Maga??  (Or, as my Aunt calls it, (because she can't remember Krav Maga), Quick Draw McGraw.)  This link will take you to the history of Krav Maga.  Simply put, it's a self defense class.
http://www.force3training.com/Krav_Maga_History.html

You can find lots of cool videos of different Krav Maga techniques on youtube.  They are fun to watch.  They are even more fun to do! 
This one is one of my favorites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPETXhmVrtA

When my friend Michelle started taking Krav, and talking about what they were learning, I knew I wanted to take it, and I knew I wanted Gabriel to take it.  He was 11 years old at the time, and just entering middle school.  I remember middle school.  I remember boys having it tough in middle school and high school.  Especially quiet, smart, skinny boys like Gabriel.  At the gym where Michelle was taking Krav class, they had an age limit of 12.  I knew that I wanted Gabriel to take this class when he turned 12.  In September, when we started this class, he was 12 and a half.  Steve doesn't need this class.  First of all, he's so big that nobody would ever mess with him.  Secondly, he's so fierce that if someone did mess with him, he'd just flatten them.  He's really there for moral support for Gabriel and I.  And for us to have someone big to practice things on.  Don't get me wrong, he's learning things too, and he loves the class too, and if anyone ever did mess with him, he'd flatten them more effectively.  I'm just saying that when Michelle first turned me on to Krav, I thought about the benefits for Gabriel and I. 

The really great thing about our class is that we are the only three in it.  It's the latest time slot the gym has for classes, 7:30-8:30, and I'm pretty sure that's why nobody else is in the class with us.  There is an advanced BJJ class going on at the same time our Krav class is held, and as popular as BJJ is, there are only a handful of people in that one too.  So with just the three of us, the instructor can really focus on our form and give good one on one instruction.  We are really getting private lessons here!  He can also see clearly how much we have progressed since we started in September.  When we started, we were so timid.  When I say we, I mean Gabriel and I.  Our punches were weak and not threatening.  So were our kicks.  One of the first things we learned was how to get out of a choke hold.  The first time our instructor said to Gabriel, "You choke your mom."  Gabriel looked at him like he'd grown three heads, and said, "I'm NOT choking my mom!"  Additionally, when it was my turn to choke Gabriel, I'd just lightly put my hands around his neck, barely touching him.  In the past six months we've gotten over all of that nonsense!  We leave bruises on each other, we leave scratches on each other.  I left a pretty good mat burn on the side of Steve's face the class before last from throwing him off me when he had me pinned on my back on the floor.  Don't misunderstand me, we don't set out to hurt each other, and we do use safety equipment, but this is self defense.  In a real life situation, you are trying to harm another person so they don't do worse to you.  There are going to be bumps and bruises. 
For example, last night in class, we were learning to block a hay maker type attack.  The attacker had focus mitts on

so they wouldn't actually hurt the person practicing the block if they hit them.  I was Gabriel's attacker for part of the night last night.  He never once hit my mitt when he blocked my attack.  He hit the exact same spot on the soft, underside my forearm every time I attacked him!  Consequently, I've got a nice big, swollen bruise there today. 

Isn't it pretty??  It's all good though because I know two things.  1. I know he can block a punch like that, or even a knife attack like that.  2. I know that it's going to hurt the person who is trying to hurt him.  I like knowing he can take care of himself if he needs to.  It eases my worry of him being out there in the world without me to protect him.  Just like Steve didn't mind me marking up his face with a mat burn because he likes knowing that if anyone ever tries to pin me to the ground, I'll be able to take care of myself.  That eases his worry about me being here without him when he's over seas. 

We have a great time together in this class.  Gabriel and I have a great time together, just the two of us in the class, when Steve is gone.  It's a bonding experience for us, on top of everything else.  I honestly can't think of one single drawback to this class.  Annalise is still too small for this class.  She takes Tae Kwan Do at the same gym, but when she's 12 you can bet she's going to be in Krav Maga class with us!