Krav Maga on the Rise – more and more of you are taking up this effective self defence system, here the Newcastle Chronicle look at why and give you a wonderful insight into our regular classes. The Chronicle attended our Newcastle Krav Maga class back in August and we extremely impressed with the teaching and Krav Maga as a self defence system.
Krav Maga — the obscure self defence system that’s on the rise in the North East
By Hannah Graham
After reading about terror incidents, random shootings and other attacks in the news, members of Krav Maga clubs say the system boosts confidence.
An obscure system of self-defence is on the rise in the North East, throwing aside the traditional forms and careful patterns of martial arts in favour of practical skills designed to save lives in the most terrifying of situations.
Krav Maga hit the headlines recently after free lessons in the fighting system were offered to MPs in the wake of the horrific murder of Labour politician Jo Cox.
It’s becoming more and more popular in the North East, where it is helping people learn to protect themselves against bigger, stronger, and even armed attackers.
The form has an unusual history. Krav Maga, which means “contact combat” in Hebrew, was a kind of street fighting developed in Bratislava in the 1930s to help Jews to defend against gangs of fascists.
It updates ancient martial arts, like jiu jitsu, Muay Thai and karate, for very modern situations, teaching participants not only how to deal with attackers armed with knives or guns, but what to do if confronted by an assailant who is high on drugs.
Trainer Graham Robertson, from Washington , helps lead classes with the Spartans Academy of Krav Maga in Newcastle.
The 43-year-old discovered the sport around nine years ago, after being involved in more traditional martial arts for several decades. He says Krav Maga is very different from the arts it was developed from.
Thank you to the Newcastle Chronicle.
