Krav Maga TamilNadu - Self Defense Fitness Courses

This is what I clarify upfront to those who step into my Chennai KravMaga self-defence class. 1. Violence is NOT an intelligent solution to your problems. In fact in most of the occasions violence worsens the problem more vehemently, beyond repair. So always start addressing issues with civilized, polite tactics. As someone observed  "Most of the issues in this world is not due to the content of the argument, but more due to the tone of the argument."   2. World respects the Brain, while it only fears the Brawn As MGR advised the masses in one of Tamil movie song  " Stop sharpening the Knife. Start sharpening your Mind."  Too much of quality time spent on physical pursuits is a sign of misplaced priorities. Unless your profession depends on physical attributes don't spend more than 3 hours a week on physical past-times. Focus on the attributes which will make you a better professional or spend fun time with folks. 3. Violence is a double edged sword...

In the last few years, there is a visible surge in folks taking interest in fitness, which is commendable. But, I see many of them, especially those above 40, unable to sustain their fitness schedule after the initial euphoria. The two main causes are STRESS-INJURIES sustained in their practice and the BURNOUT at both physical and emotional level. The injuries and burnout happen due to the unsustainable intensity of workouts and concentration in one nature of exercise activity monotonously, day after day. The tragedy is, some even end up in a worse shape than they started with! This got me worried, as I had also taken up fitness seriously only when I was 45, twelve years back. After years of analysing and researching on the subject, I understood this unsustainability can be rectified with some simple common-sense implementations. For convenience sake I call it 'SUSTAINABLE FITNESS', which is the concept of pursuing your passion in a phased manner without...

In case you see 2 or more of these symptoms in yourself, you are victim of fitness!       1.        Relentless pursuit of looking good       2.        Training like a professional champion       3.        Following every fitness fad       4.        Believing all that you read, hear or see       5.        Impractical & unsustainable diet       6.        You believe ‘More Pain is More Gain’       7.        You  want to reverse the clock       8.        You are a boring mono-maniac       9.        You prefer gym than time with spouse, kids and friends   ...

Sachin is a great athlete. For many cricket fans he is more than that.. He is God! Today, when I read Sachin is retiring I asked myself " What made Sachin what he is!?” The most obvious quality that set Sachin apart from the mortals was his natural talent for cricket. We cannot emulate that, since not all are born blessed with it. But, there were many cricketers who had the same talent as Sachin. But none could rise to that height and sustain that level for years, like him. So I looked at Sachin's qualities which differentiated him, other than natural talent. DEDICATION Its common knowledge that Sachin practised for at least 12 hours. He took every aspect of the game apart and gained expertise in each of them. Passion backed up with Dedication!  That sets apart the champion from others. They dedicate time for practice, time for introspection and time for learning; more than their peers. FOCUS Fame is heady. Especially in the glamour world of Indian c...

Recently, in Brazil, UFC Featherweight champs Maiqul Falcao and his training partner Kaue Mena was beaten up by a gang outside a gas station. Kaue Mena is now in critical condition at a hospital. The video clearly shows Falcao hitting a girl unprovoked, which brings to the scene a gang of local youth. The gang vastly outnumbers these 2 UFC fighters and they proceed to make mincemeat of the fighters, with rods and merciless kicks to the head. So these heroes of the ring become pathetic zeroes on the street. What's the net take? What are the signs that differentiate a victim of his own Ego, Ignorance and Stupidity? What makes a guy a stupid street fighter? Asking to be hit ?! 1) Tendency to initiate brawls Some people have a negative cloud hovering over their heads always. They keep on goading others by being rude, provoking and abusive. They get away with it when they are in dominant positions, inside their home or office cabin. But once outside the safety of t...

In my recent blog I criticized the technique of a guy  in Chennai,  who claims he is a martial arts teacher . He also wrote a rejoinder, which without mentioning the art by name, criticized every aspect of KravMaga. This guy was also intelligent enough to make his prejudiced bile sound like a dispassionate comparison of martial arts.  But ... ... Why is it NOT intelligent to compare different martial arts? This half-baked guru's comparison of different methods itself is misleading, like comparing  apples  and  oranges , to use a cliché. What he missed to understand was the fact that every method is different, because they evolved in different environments, and for different objectives. When analyzing any particular fighting art one has to look at the anthropological, sociological and sometimes even the political aspects of the environment in which that art evolved.  Another major differentiator in a method of fighting is, for what j...

The Dynamics of Police encounters - Part 1 Since 2002 I have been asked to assist the police on various ‘encounters’, including the recent Chennai Bank robbery gang. Having the twin advantage of the objectivity as a civilian who enjoys the front-row view of the inner dynamics of police-criminal confrontations, I have my two cents worth on the subject of police encounters. I will be covering the Media's role in this first part. I will proceed to the encountered criminals' background and later how equipped is the force for effective policing. Part I - Police encounters and the Media THE REPONSIBILITY OF MEDIA I totally accept the dictum that in a working democracy each institution, like Legislature, Judiciary, Politicians and the Media has also the responsibility of keeping each others in check. This prevents power being blatantly misused by any unchecked institution. The media does its journalistic duty of putting everything on the proper perspective, by givin...