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...

THE ZEN OF STREET FIGHT - SOME SMART TIPS - Part II Warning - This analysis may NOT be very crisp like my other posts. But still I will highlight the key definitions in bold, so that you can have at least a net-take if you don’t have the time . Imi Lichtenfeld In Part I we started looking at issues which had to be understood before one takes up training in fighting arts.  Having stated that violence is mostly NOT an intelligent solution to confrontations, lets now try and answer  " Then why should one learn fighting, especially the most violent system of KravMaga!?" The answer is simple. "So that the good can do their work" This is the base line of KravMaga, attributed to Imi Lichtenfeld  who is considered as the founder of the combat system. This line captures the essence of KravMaga. Chennai Police learn KravMaga Why I practice Violence as a vocation Once while talking to my friend, who was living in London, she asked me "Wh...

Warning - This analysis may NOT be very crisp like my other posts. But still I will highlight the key definitions in bold, so that you can have at least a net-take if you don’t have the time . In KravMaga, I have noticed some basic principles around which the techniques are built. I am attempting to decipher them for my trainees benefit. Part I deals with issues which has to be understood before one takes up training in fighting arts . "VIOLENCE IS THE MOST STUPID WAY OF ADDRESSING A PROBLEM." To every fresher who joins my KravMaga class I start my class with the statement ,"Violence is the most stupid way of addressing a problem." Their reaction is generally a look of amused confusion " I am paying good money to this guy and he is saying the whole class is learning to be stupid!" Former Minister K P P Samy arrested for murder Its just that I want to the trainee to understand there is cost to pay for each action and he can't avoid it on...

Being sexually harassed can devastate your psychological health, physical well-being and vocational development. Women who have been harassed often change their jobs, career goals, job assignments, educational programs or academic majors.  In addition, women have reported psychological and physical reaction to being harassed that are similar to reactions to other forms of stress. They include: Psychological Reactions Depression, anxiety, shock, denial Anger, fear, frustration, irritability Insecurity, embarrassment, feelings of betrayal  Confusion, feelings of being powerless Shame, self-consciousness, low self-esteem Guilt, self-blame, isolation Physiological Reactions Headaches Lethargy Gastrointestinal distress Dermatological reactions Weight fluctuations Sleep Disturbances, nightmares Phobias, panic reactions Sexual problems Career-Related Effects Decreased job satisfaction Unfavorable performance evaluations Loss of job or promotion Dr...

There is no one way to respond to harassment. Every situation is different and only you can evaluate the problem and decide on the best response. Friends, affirmative action officers, human resource professionals and women's groups can offer information, advice and support, but only you can decide what is right for you. The only thing you can be absolutely certain of is that ignoring the situation will not cause it to go away. Above all, DO NOT BLAME YOURSELF FOR THE HARASSMENT. It is not your fault. Place the blame where it belongs--on the harasser. Self-blame can cause depression and will not help you or the situation. Many Women Have Found These Strategies Effective: Say NO to the harasser! Be direct. Write a letter to the harasser. Describe the incident and how it made you feel. State that you would like the harassment to stop. Send the letter by certified mail. Keep a copy. Keep a record of what happened and when . Include dates, times, places, names of persons in...

STOP SEXUAL HARASSMENT Gender Harassment: Generalized sexist statements and behavior that convey insulting or degrading attitudes about women. Examples include insulting remarks, offensive graffiti, obscene jokes or humor about sex or women in general. Seductive Behavior: Unwanted, inappropriate and offensive sexual advances. Examples include repeated unwanted sexual invitations, insistent requests for dinner, drinks or dates, persistent letters, phone calls and other invitations. Sexual Bribery: Solicitation of sexual activity or other sex-linked behavior by promise of reward; the proposition may be either overt or subtle. Sexual Coercion: Coercion of sexual activity or other sex-linked behavior by threat of punishment; examples include negative performance evaluations, withholding of promotions, threat of termination. Sexual Imposition: Gross sexual imposition (such as forceful touching, feeling, grabbing) or sexual assault. Of these five types of behavior,...

MYTH: Sexual harassment is rare.  FACT: Sexual harassment is extremely widespread. It touches the lives of 40 to 60 percent of working women, and similar proportions of female students in colleges and universities. MYTH: The seriousness of sexual harassment has been exaggerated; most so-called harassment is really trivial and harmless flirtation.  FACT: Sexual harassment can be devastating. Studies indicate that most harassment has nothing to do with "flirtation: or sincere sexual or social interest. Rather, it is offensive, often frightening and insulting to women. Research shows that women are often forced to leave school or jobs to avoid harassment; may experiences serious psychological and health-related problems. MYTH: Many women make up and report stories of sexual harassment to get back at their employers or others who have angered them. FACT: Research shows that less than one percent of complaints are false. Women rarely file complaints are false. Women rar...

After the Guwahati incident, wherein a girl was sexually molested by around 30 men, I have been getting calls from concerned parents and IT/BPO companies which employ women;   all enquiring about self-defense courses.   Suddenly here was an ugly reminder of the safety of women on Indian streets.  “Oh..come on..it’s the same all over the world. .tell me..if the girl is walking outside a bar at that time, what does she expect?!”   shrugged one middle aged man, while another waved the whole the thing away with a generic dismissal , “She is a victim of the angrezi pub culture” But the truth is more ugly and accurate, as these facts below point out. The security of woman in India is amongst the lowest, globally ( Source - http://www.womanstats.org) The more startling fact is, even war-torn Somalia is rated a better country in terms of safety of women! India is at the bottom 4 along with Afghanistan, Congo and Pakistan. (Source - www.trust.org) crime agai...

The prisons are filled with normal people like you and me. They landed in the prison just because they lost their sanity for a few seconds. Frightening, isn’t it!  When you realise that everything built over a lifetime can be lost in a jiffy. “Violence starts where civilization ends." KravMaga system takes this dictum into cognizance and advocates physical violence only as last resort, when all civilized options are exhausted. What are the triggers of Violence? Volatile situations happen every day in bar rooms, board rooms and bed rooms. Wherever there is more than one individual, opinions may differ. Unfortunately and unexpectedly, sometimes these differences escalate to physical violence. Aggression can be internally present. A small minority do carry their aggression blatantly. They are by nature bullies or brought up in a social/domestic condition where violence is a pre-requisite for daily survival. Aggression...