Americans are devouring Krav Maga!

Folks in the u.s have gone through many training hours of blood sweat and tears in various kickboxing and boxing classes in order to get a workout that has a martial arts feel to it for more then a decade. But Krav Maga -- a self-defense system and grueling workout based on real life combat techniques of Israeli Defense forces, looks as though its on its way to knock the other systems and martial arts training methods right out of the water.

``Krav Maga has taken over my whole business,'' said Mark Miles, 48, owner of a martial arts studio on Wilmington  Street in Fresno. ``For 30 years, I've specialized in kickboxing,Now, 85 percent of my business is Krav Maga.'' My students outright Demand it, he laughs.

It's 6:00 pm. on a Monday, students step over a worn out ``Welcome'' mat and prepare themselves for a grueling intermediate level Krav Maga aggression class. They psych themselves up by throwing knee and elbow strikes
(both vicious Krav Maga striking techniques). Next come blocking, kicking, and mat drills. The intensity in their eyes is clearly evident. Looking into these sweaty faces it is easy to see that Krav Maga is about mental toughness just as much ( if not more ) then physical toughness.


Next on the agenda, hand to hand combat drills. First the students will learn to cope with an attack from an armed assailant, in this case the weapon is a knife ( There are different defense techniques for different weapons such as bats, knives, chains etc.. ). Following that they are now faced with what Miles calls :
" multiple attacker defense" or in other words: " how to protect yourself when more then one guy is trying to kick your butt ". Miles constantly pushes his students to the edge by making them understand that if they get it right here, they'll get it right during a real life street attack. "Hard training, results in easy living " He says with a smile.

" I have never experienced any exercises as grueling as Krav Maga '' Danny Williams says after class is over.
Cardio, strength, flexibility, toughness Krav Maga touches on absolutely everything, its a workout like no other.

" The stamina it provides you with is truly second to none, and it doesn't hurt to know that if the time comes and i need to defend myself during a street attack i will be able to protect myself or my loved ones.

" Simplicity, directness and pragmatism are what Krav Maga is all about, these are values that appeal to Americans very much "- says Miles. The meaning of Krav Maga is "contact combat" in Hebrew. It is the self defense technique of the Israeli Defense Forces, A military known the world over for its " no nonsense " policy.
" Americans appreciate this. They have no interest in wearing silly costumes and performing rituals. "They want the bottom line, they want to get in shape and know how to defend themselves in a real life scenario".