There’s no easy way to say this Humberside, but as a region, we could do to lose a few… Recent NHS estimates have shown that along with Yorkshire, the area is on track to reach a stage where 65-70% of its residents are obese by 2050, compared to a national average of a still horrifying 60% or slightly lower. We’re not talking about slightly overweight people here. We’re talking about truly damaging levels of fat, impaired bodies and significantly lowered life expectancies.
Now we’re all partial to the occasional treat, the odd freshly caught fish and chips here, the odd Milkshack milkshake on Newland Avenue there and realistically, for many of us that won’t be changing any time soon.
It’s more than okay to enjoy the finer things in life – fast food, a cheeky pint, take-aways etc. – as long as we’re keeping active while we’re at it. This is the bit that a lot of us get wrong. Understandably, this can sound a bit boring to some, but if a mud-splattered run around Sewerby Park or kicking a ball at a net isn’t your idea of a good use of your time then maybe it’s time to look elsewhere. Dozens of people in Hull and the surrounding area have already done just that, and they’ve all found themselves in exactly the same place – the Spartans Academy of Krav Maga.
The story of krav maga begins in 1930s Bratislava, when Hungarian-Israeli martial artist Imi Lichtenfeld drew on his skills as a boxer and wrestler to create a new fighting technique to protect the local Jewish population against attacks from xenophobic gangs. Combining aspects from numerous martial arts including boxing, jiu-jitsu and judo, the krav maga system is essentially the mixed martial arts of the self defence world, providing the techniques to neutralise dangerous situations through disabling your attacker.
It’s been utilised across the world in military forces, by security companies and in this day and age, by the general public too. Sometimes participants find their way across to krav from disciplines such as karate and kick-boxing, looking to diversify their abilities. Others head straight for it, for one thing looking for a new skill which will ultimately make their lives safer, but also simply aiming to get fit.
Krav maga is an excellent means of increasing physical fitness, encouraging growth in muscle strength and the lowering of blood pressure and heart rate, along with great carb burn and mental toughening. Essentially, it’s all the work-out you’d get at the gym, but also provides a set of abilities which might just prove vital to your safety one day. Plus, how much cooler would it be to show your mates a new fighting technique than it’d be to tell them you’ve just run a new p.b.? No wonder more and more people in Hull are looking to krav maga as their fitness-boosting activity of choice!
Spartans Academy of Krav Maga classes run every Wednesday from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at Nuffield Gym, Kingston Park, Hull, HU1 2TX. For more information, click here.
