I’ve been in the army for a bit over 10 years and in that time I’ve had very little training in close quarter combat. It seems like a skill set that would be highly valued within the forces given the nature of our work but from my experience it is largely ignored. That is why I jumped on the chance to learn Krav Maga when Jon and Borhan opened their school. It’s true that very little of the fighting that takes place in modern conflicts in hand to hand but the possibility is ever present. While deployed overseas many of the patrols and operations take place in built up areas where the local population are all around  you. Should you find yourself in conflict with an individual or group responding with a firearm while in a crowd could be dangerous. Deadly force is not always desirable and with firearms comes greater risk of wounding or killing someone other than the aggressor. This sort of incident can turn the will of the population against you and an be very detrimental in a low intensity conflict like Afghanistan. Collateral damage aside, sometimes in a confined space firearms can be rendered useless and soldiers could easily find themselves engaged in a hand to hand struggle where failure is not an option.
There is an increase in confidence that comes from the knowledge that should you be attacked you will be able to handle yourself. This confidence goes beyond a military context and can have equal effects while at home in Canada. Even in a safe city like Vancouver the ability to defend yourself can be an asset. I also really like that the class has brought me back into a culture of fitness. Not only have I been more active because of three Krav Maga classes per week but I’ve also been roped into a lot of running and other “extra curricular” fitness activities. I look forward to continuing my training with Jon, Borhan and all my classmates. I’m still pretty new to Krav Maga but this is my first real foray into self defence and I think I’ve come a long way from when I first started the class.
Written By: Leon U
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