Krav Maga TamilNadu - Self Defense Fitness Courses

Yesterday, I went to a small rural hamlet Karumarapakkam, somewhere in between Kalpakkam on ECR and Thirukazhukundram. I was there to do KravMaga self-defence workshop for women. For the third year I was going there to do a workshop for rural women, who suffer domestic violence and sexual harassment, due to rampant alcoholism. I started doing this workshop in a classroom of the local school. The girls were mostly between 13 to 17 years. While I was slowly warming up to the task at hand, I noticed 2 small girls peeping through the window.  After a few minutes, I noticed these 2 small girls have quietly slipped into the classroom and were sitting in a corner. Especially the smaller girl looked sharp and intelligent, and she was listening very intently to my talk. When the workshop entered into the kicking and punching phase, I could sense this kutty girl was eager to kick the bag.  I called her to come forward and kick the bag. She and her slightly bigger fri...

Self-defense Workshops for Women - Part I I am sharing the learning from the many workshops for women on 'self-defense and personal safety', I conducted in the last 4 years. Please don’t hesitate to comment if you feel I am wrong. I also look forward to your suggestions to improve the content and presentation. What I learnt during these workshops to women - (Disclaimer - The following are my own broad observations. Of course some women are exceptions; but they are very few.) 1. In daily life, women face more problems than we men can ever visualize or comprehend . Women face persistent stares, uninitiated talks, lewd comments, unwanted touch, vulgar taps and so many unsavoury acts which we men don't experience. So, they should be keener on learning martial-arts than men. Right? No, it’s wrong. Oh! Why?  Because... Woman power !  2. Women don't see themselves beating up men Even though women acknowledge they face constant harassments, they...

Kidnap - nap (to seize) kid ( a child) The child kidnapping crime has been around for time immemorial, for varied motives – Anger & frustration, Money, Political or Sex. After the recent spate of kidnappings in TamilNadu, the police have announced certain guidelines  - for Parents, School authorities and the Kids themselves. Very sane advice, no doubt. To understand the issue at hand, we analyze it a bit more. Kidnapping has some unique characteristics - Mostly the victim is the softest target of all - Childre n Kidnapping is generally NOT a crime committed in sudden burst of anger or impulse, because it needs elaborate planning of logistics. That pre-supposes that the criminal should be reasonably familiar with the victim's universe. In the case of kidnap for sexual assault , it’s different. The victim may be chosen on parameters like vulnerability and circumstances. In kidnap crimes, the police are at a disadvantage , ...

KRAV MAGA - We believe the most powerful self defence weapon you possess is your thinking. So continuing our analysis of criminal behaviour of last 2 weeks, let’s know POSITIONING . Before your imagination runs riot, let me elaborate POSITIONING. This is how criminals place themselves, to surprise and overwhelm you. What apparently is a casual, innocent movement by a person may in reality be a well planned manoeuvre to get into an advantageous position, to launch his attack. HOW TO PREDICT CRIMINAL INTENTIONS AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE CLOSING - the most common positioning tactic. The criminal tries to come near you, under some pretext. If a stranger tries to come closer than 6 feet, give a clear disapproval by voice or action. In spite of your obvious discomfort he keeps closing, the criminal has made his intentions clear. CORNERING / TRAPPING – The criminal places himself between you and a possible exit route. This tactic becomes more critical, when he restricts your retreat, by forcing ...