by Dan Hupke, Head Coach, Krave Gym Waukee
On Saturday, July 27th, we hosted our first-ever defense training alongside our business partner, Tiger Rock Martial Arts, in Waukee, actually right next door to Krave Gym Waukee. This was a special, one-of-a-kind event that we hope to do again in the future, as the information provided and lessons learned in just 90 minutes were invaluable. This event was led by Mr. Nathan Wood, the manager at Tiger Rock Waukee, who has a host of qualifications and certifications that validate his knowledge on all things martial arts.
Mr. Wood opened by welcoming us to the facility and putting us through a fun warm up to get our heart rates elevated, blood flowing, and to loosen up our joints to prepare for striking. Next, he opened up for the actual defense training by getting everyone’s attention and, waiting until it was quiet, told us that if we take anything at all away from this defense training, it was this: “Fight dirty.” “You have to fight dirty,” he continued, “When it comes to defending yourself, there is only one goal, and that is to escape and make it home. Claw, bite, scratch, kick ‘em in the nuts, gauge out their eyes, do whatever it takes to make it home. This is survival, so fight dirty.”
Honestly, more true words have never been spoken and I feel like this set the tone for the rest of the defense training and I commend Mr. Wood on this approach. Because when you boil it down, survival is the essence of defense training. In a self-defense situation, unfortunately for you, somebody has chosen to infringe upon your natural rights, and that person plans to do so by force. The only goal, the only thing our minds are even capable of comprehending in moments like these, is survival. And it is the very real possibility of a situation like this happening to us that lead to this defense training.
Next, Mr. Wood covered the importance of situational awareness in regards to self-defense; how important it is to take account of your surroundings, especially when in a new area, be aware of the people around you and what they are doing (people watch) and be able to locate the exits from any environment. He also touched on how distracting phones can be and how being on your phone everywhere you go is a great way to give someone the opportunity to cause you harm.
Mr. Wood went on to lead us through a series of training; we covered basic striking techniques and practiced them, we moved through a series of self-defense situations and worked on how to get out of them, such as a wrist grab, a counter to the typical right-handed haymaker, and also how to escape from a choke hold and a hair grab. We finished the defense training by reviewing everything we had covered that day. All of this was vital practice for defending ourselves, and I can say with confidence that everyone in attendance for this event walked out with a better understanding of what self-defense is and how exactly to defend ourselves depending on the situation. And all in all, and most importantly, this defense training equipped everyone with a better chance of survival should we find ourselves in a potentially life-threatening situation. And as Mr. Wood said, survival is the only goal in a self-defense situation.
So ask yourself, and I mean actually ask yourself; Am I prepared to defend myself? Would I know how to survive in a life-threatening situation? If I was threatened by another person, would I know how to react? If you answered no to any of these questions, and would like some guidance on self-defense, check out Tiger Rock Martial Arts in Waukee and get to it! The only time you cannot learn self-defense techniques is when it is too late, so do not wait! Stay up to date on kravegym.blog All Access Athlete to learn when we will be hosting another one of these special events.