Fear happens. It can shut you down, or you can train for its eventuality so that your body knows how to respond even when your heart is pounding and the stakes are high. East Texas Krav Maga uses principle-based training to help overcome fear. When you have trained for the worst, your mind and body are prepared for anything.
Fancy Moves Aren’t Effective Under Stress
Sometimes people don’t start a self-defense program because they’ve seen movies where the hero does 16 backflips in a row followed by a spinning kick that takes out several opponents at once, all with one hand tied behind his back. “I’m just not that coordinated,” people say. In Krav Maga, that’s the point.
The more dexterity, balance, and coordination a move requires, the less likely you are to perform it effectively under stress. Kicking high can expose vulnerabilities. Crazy complex moves named after animals look cool on camera, but if your life is at stake you’re not worried about starring in the sequel. You just want to stay alive.
Krav Maga training focuses on basic movements based on instinct. When choked, your hands go to your throat, and that’s where our defense starts, with your first natural reaction.
We also want to inflict the most damage possible in the shortest time frame. If someone attacks, we train to stop their ability to continue. Straightforward elbows, kicks, knees, hammer fists, and punches are harder to mess up when you’re stressed. Our students direct them at vulnerable areas with extreme aggression until they are safe.
Students Should Expect the Unknown
Actors practice choreographed fight scenes over and over. If you’re attacked you might not even see it coming, and you only have one chance to escape. We train for that. Students practice Krav Maga starting against a wall, with their eyes closed, being pushed in every direction and every other way we can introduce surprise.
For every individual, it’s possible they might face someone bigger, stronger, or faster. We intentionally place students at a disadvantage. They learn to spot weaknesses and angles of attack that work in multiple scenarios. We train in ground fighting, but we also teach students to get up as soon as possible so they don’t rehearse staying in a position of weakness.
We can’t anticipate every situation, but we drill so students learn how to adapt.
Every Class Includes Stress Training
The goal at East Texas Krav Maga isn’t to teach the right way to kick or punch. It’s teaching students to defend themselves if they’re in real danger. That means being able to function under stress. If you’re not familiar with our system this may be difficult to read, but stick with us for a minute.
In a real struggle, nothing is going to go the way you practiced. A real attacker won’t stop because you ask them to or because you’re tired. When your system is full of adrenaline your body won’t work like normal.
We create stress on purpose. Sometimes we have multiple “attackers” yell and hit people with pads. Other times we have a bigger, stronger opponent sneak up and pick them off the ground and attempt to carry them away. Students have to fight, and we let that fight go on until long after they’re tired. If they make mistakes or freeze, we don’t let them quit.
That sounds harsh, but it creates individuals who are prepared. Over and over I hear how their Krav Maga training, especially the stress drill portion, benefits them in other areas of life. They know if they can face a group of “attackers” and keep fighting even when exhausted, it puts a tough meeting or angry relative in perspective.
Bruce Siddle’s research on survival performance confirms what we see on the mat every week: stress management is a trained switch, not a personality trait. You build it through reps, not by hoping you’ll have it when you need it.
Regular Training Maintains Preparedness
Self-defense training is tiring. Doing the same activity while experiencing the fight-or-flight response is exhausting. Regular training keeps body and mind sharp and always ready.
The main principle of Krav Maga is survival. We don’t focus on rules. We focus on building a mindset that will do whatever is necessary to stop the threat. Nothing is off limits, and we don’t stop until the attack is over and the student is safe.
If you’ve never trained with us or you haven’t been to class in a while, stop putting it off. Principle-based training helps overcome fear. Start facing yours today.
