UF Hillel offers Krav Maga classes
The first move seemed simple.
Put your hands up near your face, keep your palms open and move your feet back and forth. Like a magnet, the front foot should lead as the back foot slides to meet it. Left, right, front, back—practically waltzing across the blue carpet of the University of Florida Hillel.
This routine was part of the first Krav Maga class on campus, organized by Gator Health and Safety and UF’s Jewish Student Union. Instructor Amanda Solomon—who will receive official Krav Maga instructor certification in January—noted that the Israeli martial arts class will teach students self-defense, as well as provide strength and fitness training that can reduce students’ stress. The first session was a success, drawing about 75 people—not all of whom were Jewish. While Solomon has nopt done extensive research, she has not found any other Hillel with a Krav Maga program.
Krav Maga is the official self-defense system of the Israeli Defense Forces and consists of fast movements, jerky wrist grabs and strategic footwork. The Hebrew phrase means “contact combat” and is a fast-paced workout.
Solomon said that while she enjoys Krav Maga as an art form, its Israeli origin was what led her to teach it in a Jewish setting. She added that Hillel strives to connect people living in the United States to the state of Israel, especially those students who have not had the opportunity to travel to Israel.
“At Hillel, we try to maintain a close cultural and heritage connection to the state of Israel,” she said. “UF Hillel is offering this because of its connection with Israel.”
Jenifer Petrescu, a non-Jewish student, said she appreciated learning the history behind Krav Maga but that—at least during the first class—she needed to concentrate on the moves themselves. She cautions participants to be ready for a good, physical workout.
“I felt very intimidated during the session because there was so much activity going on around me,” Petrescu said.
After learning basic moves, students got to practice them on partners, or opponents. The key to success, according to Solomon, was focus, determination and balance. Students would partner up—the room was packed with over 30 pairs—as they faced each other and prepared to attack.
While none of the participants really knew what they were doing, few hesitated to put the moves to the test. The partners would step forward and back, toward and away from one another, one person acting as the attacker while the other person became the victim. After the attacker grabbed the victim’s arm, the victim would kick the attacker’s shins between her legs, elbow jab her in the arm and finish with a slap to the face. Sarah Casey-Pollack, who has attended a few of these classes, said that learning Krav Maga is vital for students to be able to defend themselves. This class, she said, can help students better understand how to protect their bodies with simple, quick movements.
“I don’t think that taking one self defense class is going to protect you from being attacked or robbed,” Casey-Pollack said. “But I think that it gives you some type of ground work and makes your muscles familiar with the movements.”
Casey-Pollack added that the classes would be especially useful to women who have to walk alone at night on campus, and would prepare them for times when carrying a bottle of pepper spray is not enough.
“It’s important, especially for women, to put themselves in that kind of fearful situation so that you’re at least a little bit comfortable reacting in the way that we practiced at Krav Maga,” she said. “In the unfortunate situation we were faced with on the streets, we would have something to rely on.”
What makes Krav Maga different from other forms of self defense is that it stresses the importance of learning a few body movements, like shin kicks and elbow hits, and using them on the attacker. Once a victim can hit an attacker in vulnerable places, the victim has a better chance of getting away.
In that vein, the Krav Maga instructors stressed vigilance at all times, especially when under attack. Instead of spending the first three seconds after an attack wondering what happened, the instructors emphasized staying in survival mode so that participants could utilize Krav Maga in appropriate situations.
Not as sexy as Zumba—the popular Latin workout—and not as intense as kickboxing, Krav Maga stresses the basics that ordinary people should know, even if it is only learning how to punch someone where they’d least expect it.
Alisha Kinman is a New Voices paid blogger and a junior at the University of Florida. She has also been published in JVibe Magazine, The SHPiEL, and the Independent Alligator.
