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Jon and I went to an introduction Krav Maga class today. We’d done our research, and this is one of the best fighting styles for personal defense. It’s a real world martial of the Israeli Defense Forces. It’s also very popular with professional bodyguards. So, all and all, a good pedigree, so why are we probably not going back for the foreseeable future?

One, I’m still in a brace for my ankle and will be for all exercise until my doctor says otherwise. There are just loads of Krav Maga moves that I either can’t do, or the discomfort level is pretty high. Jonathon discovered at the end of the lesson that his bad knee was giving him fits. We both agreed that we have to be in better shape to do this martial art. But, for me, there was also the feeling that my dexterity score does not cover this. I felt completely out of my depth, and the instructor, though very nice, and competent, didn’t seem to make much allowance for the fact that some of the class didn’t know what the heck was going on. I suspect strongly that he is one of those natural athletes, the only problem with anyone who is a natural at anything is that they aren’t as good at explaining their art to those of us who are so not naturals. I would need private instruction, which they offer, just to get up to speed enough to be comfortable in the class. But also, I found that my years of doing one martial art or another had taught me bad habits. I kept trying to punch as if it were Karate of some flavor, and it’s more like boxing for the hands, and even the feet. My foot work was okay, because the stance is closer to Judo, my favorite martial art, though the movement is more jujitsu, though not.

Anyway, Jonathon and I have to get off the injured list before we can reasonably hope to do something as physical as Krav Maga. Frankly, until we build up some muscle around our joint injuries, I think we may have to put the martial arts on hold. Weight lifting maybe boring, but I think it’s like building a house. You have to put the foundation on, before you can build the more interesting parts higher up.

We’ve done our research, and if you’re serious about real world self defense, and you aren’t on the injured list, or put together in a fragile manner, then Krav Maga would be a good martial art to look into. We’re waiting for Jon’s orthopedic knee brace to get fitted, and me to get out of the ankle brace. But for right now, we’ll keep going to pilates and adding yoga. And we’ll up the weight lifting. For the near future, more gentle exercise is going to have to be the order of the day.