Miscellany: Krav Maga class journal, month 4

I was getting really out of shape, so I'm taking a local beginner's Krav Maga class. I'll post updates here, mostly for myself but also to give people an idea of what you might expect if you sign up for one of these things.

The fourth month of class repeats numerous techniques (the beginner's Krav curriculum isn't voluminous), so I'll glide over stuff that's been covered previously.

Session 31 was all about kicking: we practiced front kicks, front kicks to a vertical target, "defensive" front kicks, and kicks from the ground.

Session 32 focused on movement. Drills included advancing and punching, retreating and punching, and punching until exhaustion. Then it was front choke defenses.

Session 33 was a special class. Kristina ran us through backward rolls (which I completely suck at), back and side breakfalls, and a simple foot sweep takedown from the front:



Session 34 was another special class. After some basic striking (punches, front kicks, knees), Matt brought in the blue guns and we did a long gun disarm drill. Unlike a lot of krav maga long gun disarms, we trained to wrap the muzzle up with our arm using our bodyweight, which seemed a lot more secure than trying to wrestle a gun away with just your hands.




Session 35 included yet more advancing and retreating drills, elbows and knees, and a special "disruption" drill where we pushed and grabbed people who were focused on striking in another direction.

In Session 36, we practiced punching without gloves, including a right cross from a neutral position. Then we did kicks from that same neutral position, and a bar arm choke defense with a chin takedown for when the escape is stuffed. Same principle as this video:




Session 37 covered forward and rear hammerfists, then kicks from the ground, then rear choke defenses.

We focused on developing"vision" in Session 38 - this meant doing inside and outside defenses, and then a drill where we hit the bags while trying to keep track of whether a third party was raising his left or right arm.

Session 39 was all about the close quarters strikes - knees, elbows, and defending bearhugs from behind. I favored the groin strike, which I found to work surprisingly well.

Session 40 was general striking, exhaustion drills, and one-handed choke defenses.

Session 41 practiced knees, punches, and defenses against bar arm chokes/knives. It reminded me of this scene from "Redbelt":