Krav Maga

A friend introduced me to Krav Maga on Wednesday. She had been raving about the gym she's been going to for the past year and how much her body had changed. I promised her I'd give it a try, and with time running out before the end of the year, I decided to keep up with my end of the deal even though I've been battling a nasty cough for the past week.

First no-no? I forgot to bring gym shoes. Second mistake? My worsened lung capacity was not ready for the warm-up, which ended up being more challenging than the moves themselves. We all had to gather in the ring/cage and do jumping push-ups around the ring, squat-walks (I don't know what they're really called), and other ass-kicking exercises. I felt very intimidated and out of breath.

After warming up, we were split into beginner and experienced groups. I was teamed up with a girl who was new to Krav Maga but who had a few years of Muay Thai under her belt. This was to my advantage since she gave me helpful pointers on how to correct my punches. Tips such as "straighten your arm" or "punch more with your front knuckles" to prevent myself from breaking my wrists. When she had to punch my hand pads, however, I felt as if maybe my wrists would find another way of breaking. And when we had to practice getting ourselves out of a choking position, I heard my neck crack several times.

All in all, I was glad to have learned new self-defense tactics while getting a good workout. I didn't realize how many muscles I was using until the next few days, when my entire body was overcome with soreness. But I still prefer yoga over stuff like this--I guess I don't have that much rage in me, and value something calming that centres me over the potential for violence.