My training process becomes more and more introspective as I approach the start of my third year at KMS. I can’t tell you how many times I have used the car ride home after training to walk myself through a difficult skill, give myself a pep-talk, or unravel something an instructor said during class. I have mentioned several times in previous blog posts about how...

Krav Maga Spokane has been the Inland Northwests's leader in reality based self-defense training since 2009. At Krav Maga Spokane, we believe the key to self-defense is a well-rounded approach. You can't run until you learn to walk and you can't fight until you know how to throw a punch or land a kick. And you can't do either if you're out of shape. That's why we offer classes that focus on self-defense, fighting, and fitness.

Learning Krav Maga ensures you will acquire bruises of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Injuries (mostly minor but rarely major) come with the territory. Self-defense is a high risk endeavor, and training for all types of scenarios means bumps and bruises are inevitable. Fortunately, our gym is safe; major injuries don’t happen often, if at all, because our instructors are adamant about safety in training and training with control. No one expects you to block every single strike that comes your way (because you’re learning), and your partner should not be...

The deadline for the yellow and orange belt tests is quickly approaching. I have done a post or two in the past about ways to prep for a belt test, but I know sometimes the biggest decision is whether or not to sign up for the test. It’s not a small decision. You’re signing yourself up for a three hour (or longer) physical test culminating all your hard work at KMS. I’m sure you have heard at this point how hellacious the yellow belt test can be...

One of the things our community is known for is how supportive and helpful we can be to each other. It’s one of many things I love about our gym, and I love it when new members remark on how welcoming other students and instructors are to them. It shows how much we love what we do, and how much we love to share it with other people. ..

This one may seem like a no-brainer but there is a bit of an art to setting and meeting goals. I say that because I fail at setting and meeting goals frequently. It’s easy to become discouraged when the goal is too big and unmotivated when the goal is too small. We try to tackle everything all at once in skills like Krav Maga because there are so many areas to improve. Students often feel rushed to advance to the next...

I used to hate shadowboxing. It seemed like an odd concept when I first started training at KMS. I was supposed to punch and kick...the air? I felt like everyone was watching me fumble around the room (by room, I mean my little square of space; no one moves that much when they first start shadowboxing). I spent far more time than I care to admit worrying that I looked...

I had a shitty class last Wednesday. I was a hot mess from start to finish. I missed strikes, didn’t defend things properly, and didn’t do techniques correctly. Granted, I came into that class already discouraged from personal things, but I expected class to make me forget for a while like it normally does. KMS classes are my stress release. It’s my safe space. Wednesday didn’t help, not because of anyone or anything specific. I felt like I was a failure when I left and thought everyone had done better than...

Training with control is a critical part of Krav Maga. We talk about safety in training a lot, but training with control becomes more critical as you advance through the Krav Maga belt system. You need to be able to do the techniques with aggression and skill but also with enough self-awareness to pull your hits without sacrificing quality. This is not an easy line to walk, especially when you advance from yellow belt to orange belt (another reason why this transition is so difficult for many students). I struggled with this a lot after...

Partners are an unavoidable aspect of being a Krav Maga practitioner. Self-defense, in reality and in practice, requires an attacker and a defender, making our training dependent on partner training for much of our skill work. Our partner for class can make or break our training. I have had several classes where I felt...

I won’t normally do a recap for belt tests. Students usually swing by on those mornings to watch if they are curious, and we post videos and photos of the results quickly afterward. This one is getting a recap because it was an inspiring and eye-opening test to watch, especially for someone who has goals to...

Passing the yellow belt is one of the first accomplishments a Krav Maga student can add to their repertoire. We hold gauntlets for Intro to Fight and Intro to Ground, however, passing the yellow belt test is a whole other beast, physically and mentally. Once you have earned that certificate, a schedule of different classes and skill sets opens...

The concept of “safety in training” is a necessity at KMS. Hurting yourself or others is a daily reality that could present itself at any moment, especially in upper levels where the techniques are more technical, and sparring is more frequent. It’s rare to see an injury that really lays someone out in class. It does happen, but not often. We can thank our instructors for hammering how to be safe with techniques and for continually reminding us to be controlled when working with...

There is a particular energy that builds around the gym every four months. Students attend back-to-back classes more frequently, cardio bag attendance shoots up, and more questions are asked during classes about specific techniques. People will stand in the hallway outside the backroom scanning the list of yellow belt techniques to see if there are any skills that need to be brushed up on at the last minute. It turns out that test taking at the gym is quite like...

Most of us would agree that our workouts are difficult. Our instructors work us into the ground, usually until we see puddles of sweat in various spots around the floor. That is what we signed up for: a program that would get us into shape and would make us into the badass self-defense warriors we have always wanted...

Krav Maga Spokane hosts a variety of regular events (Free 2 U classes, knife and handgun seminars, specialized speakers such as Lee Mein) but one of the longest running programs is the Women’s Self Defense seminars. Taught by women for women, this seminar is held four times a year, and sells out every time. The most recent seminar took place yesterday (Saturday the 21 st ) with 28 women attending from...

Most of us would agree that our workouts are difficult. Our instructors work us into the ground, usually until we see puddles of sweat in various spots around the floor. That is what we signed up for: a program that would get us into shape and would make us into the badass self-defense warriors we have always wanted...