September 2005 - FIGHTING FIT Marianne Taylor discovers the Israeli Special Forces self-defence system that’s a hit with the Hollywood Stars.

MARIANNE TAYLOR finds out about the new craze, and gets a lesson in using her natural instincts.

PROTECT AND SURVIVE

Why people from 17 to 70 are joining the Krav Maga craze…in Giffnock

According to its practitioners it is also a valuable life skill that encourages vigilance and confidence, and increases fitness levels.

And unlike many martial arts and other self-defence systems, the basics can be learned in a matter of hours.

Although globally more than 200,000 people practice Krav Maga – which means “contact combat” in Hebrew – a community centre in leafy Giffnock is the first place in Scotland to offer classes, and they are already proving hugely popular.

“I’ve got everyone from teenagers to ladies in their 70’s in the class” says Simon Leila, Scotland’s only trained Krav Maga instructor, and one of just 150 outside of Israel.

“Because the principles are so simple, anyone can learn. It’s an accelerated learning programme that means you can put as much or little time as you wish.”

“Like anything else, the more you learn, the better you will become, but 15 hours of training would be enough to gain a basic confidence and the ability to defend yourself.”

Simon, 41, who has taught self-defence around the world for 25 years and now lives in Helensburgh, believes the reason Krav Maga is so simple to learn is that it is based on the natural instincts we all have inside us.

“In the modern western world we tend to suppress our instincts,” he says. “But our instincts are usually right, we just need to be more aware of them.

“It’s a simple system really – if someone tries to strangle you, your instinct is to grab their hands and get them off.

“We train people to go with that instinct, then immediately counter attack to get rid of the threat completely – and ultimately escape.”

“It’s all about tuning into your body and relying on natural responses – your natural instincts will take you 90% of the way, Krav Maga will tweak it and help you go the extra 10%.

“If some-one comes at you with a knife, your hands will go up instinctively to protect yourself..

“As your hands are already up, you may as well learn how to deal with the situation from there and disarm the threat.”

With more and more people taking up martial arts and self-defence than ever before , is fear of crime behind our collective wish to disarm the baddies?

“Though crime rates have been roughly the same for years, society is perceived to be more violent and scary these days, and we are more aware of terrorism,” says Simon.

“We are also travelling a lot more than we used to, and each country has it’s own specific risks.

“These things heighten people’s fears and awareness, but learning some self defence techniques can make them feel more confident about life.

“At the end of the day, everyone has the right to defend themselves.”

The philosophy of Krav Maga is “protect and survive” which is done by using hands, feet, elbows, knees, forearms and the head to hit vulnerable parts of the attackers body including eyes, ears, knees, throat and groin.

But there are not hard and fast rules – anything that works is acceptable in a dangerous situation. And it certainly isn’t size that matters.

“Every single person, regardless of their weight or height, has the same vulnerable points,” says Simon, a father of two who also coaches Total Immersion swimming and triathlon .

“Krav Maga is so good, particularly for women, because it’s not all about strength.

“One girl I taught, who is only 5ft 3in, found herself being attacked on the London Underground by two guys who were over 6ft in height.

“Seconds after being attacked she had used her instincts and training to deal with the situation and was able to get off the train and call the police.

Practical self-defence is a key part of the sessions, but other techniques are also taught including verbal skills, eye contact, anticipation and dealing with the aftermath of an incident.

Simon is keen to point out that although Hollywood stars have taken up Krav Maga, its not another celebrity craze.

“Krav Maga doesn’t look particularly nice , and it certainly isn’t flashy in a Hollywood way,” he laughs. “The best thing about it is that it works, and it may save your life one day.”

Simon’s classes in Krav Maga take place at the Maccabi Youth Centre in Giffnock every Sunday from 12:30pm till 2pm. Classes cost £180 for a block of 10 lessons – 15 hours in all.

In October he will start sessions in Helensburgh.

For more information call Krav Maga Scotland on 07050 1997 10 or go to http://www.kravmagascotland.co.uk/

This gave my instincts a wake – up call

EVEN as a kid, I was a total Wuss. Pillow fights with my brother would always end with me in floods of tears and whiny cries of “Mum he’s hurting me”, writes Marianne Taylor

As an adult, physical confrontation of any sort scares me. Like most women I am particularly wary when walking alone at night, but I’ve always assumed there would be absolutely nothing I could do if I ever found myself in a scary situation as I’m only 5ft 4in and woefully unfit.

Natural instincts ? I didn’t think I had any.

When self-defence instructor Simon Leila and I first entered the gym at the Maccabi Centre in Giffnock, I didn’t feel any more confident. Standing as he does super-fit and at least six inches taller than I, with an arsenal of fake knives and guns, I couldn’t imagine what I could possibly do to hurt him.

After just one Krav Maga session, however, I’m starting to think again.

We began by working on some hitting techniques with a punchbag, using the heel of my hand, forearms, elbows and knees. Simon pointed out vulnerable areas we all have such as eyes, nose, ears, neck, chest and groin, and suggested those as good targets.

I was a tad embarrassed and softly spoken at first, but when Simon encouraged me to get some aggression pumping by thinking about my friends and family being hurt by someone, I could feel my strength increase, and my hitting got harder and harder. Then it was on to blocking techniques, and without even realising it my natural instincts to protect myself were switched on the moment Simon came at me.

Without thinking I immediately blocked the punches with my arms – this was my natural instincts kicking in, and much to my surprise Simon said this was the right thing to do.

Now it was time to put those hitting skills into action. Again, my instincts kicked in and as I blocked the punches and fake knife, and automatically started hitting back with my hand and elbow aiming for the face, neck, chest and groin.

Being strangled has always been one of my worst fears, and when Simon put his hands round my throat, I didn’t have to be told to get them off.

IT was a completely natural response and before I knew what was happening I’d managed to fight Simon off – with the help of an elbow in the face and a knee in the groin – and run away.

The more Simon shouted to keep going, the harder I went, and the more my confidence grew. I could see that size didn’t matter, it was about doing whatever you could to hurt your attacker, plus using your natural responses, adrenaline and momentum of your body to escape. All of us have these instincts, even me.

Its just a case of giving them a wake up call.

Everything Simon said about Krav Maga is true – it’s quick to learn and there’s no convoluted rules to worry about, just pure human instinct.