Krav Maga Oxford and Me
hi I’m Lee Markham, this is my story about Krav Maga and me. I first came across Krav Maga Oxford after watching multiple ‘Jason Bourne’ style films, and wondering how they seem to be able to always fight off the bad guys, regardless of the fact he’s outnumbered.
i remember having a conversation with a friend about how tough the Israeli military is. He told me, ‘That’s because they all learn Krav Maga, it’s like a military full of James Bonds and Jason Bourne only that they do it for real’. That was it, I finally knew the name of the lethal effective self defence system I had always watched in awe, and I wanted to learn it.
I quickly found Krav Maga Oxford, based just 20 minutes down the road. I sent an enquiry message, and Kennie got back to me straight away. I was invited down for a trial session and asked to fill out the relevant forms. I remember thinking; I bet I end up making an excuse to myself, talking my way out of going. I was a little apprehensive;
I have never done any martial arts or self defence training in my life and was convinced I would embarrass myself in front of other more experienced guys. I made a commitment to myself that I would attend no matter what, and give it a try at least. I arrived on the Wednesday, one day after I had initially enquired. I was greeted by Kennie who stood out with his Instructor T-shirt on and a firm hand shake with a big smile on his face, little did I realize the smile on his face was he knew I was going to get beasted in the physical training about to come, Kennie asked me about my current fitness level was.
I played it safe by saying “its ok” just in case he was expecting more than I was capable of. The other members came and said hello, and introduced themselves, which quickly put me at ease.
The session started with a warm up, which lead into some Tabata style training, I’m familiar with this style of training and I know how effective it is in building fitness levels, and stripping body fat.
We moved on to some basic techniques, such as fighting stance, Stomp Kicks, Clinch one, Knees to the groin, and defending yourself whilst on the floor. The 90 minute session absolutely flew by and just as I though the session was over, Kennie had us stand in the middle of a circle one at a time surrounded by people holding kick shields and had us punch as hard and fast as we could for around 2 minutes. It felt a lot longer and I felt a new level of tiredness.
But I came out the other end, and I felt great. My first session was finished and I couldn’t wait to go again. In the 3 months I’ve been at the club, we have covered a vast range of techniques, from ground defence to standing combatives. I have learnt a variety of blocks and strikes, as well as disarming knives and long barrel weapons. I feel 10 times more confident in my own ability and have seen my endurance increase.
I thoroughly enjoy attending sessions and always look forward to the next one. Kennie has a great sense of humour, however, he makes it clear that what we are learning is serious stuff and we need to get it right. He is patient and explains techniques extremely well.
I have hopes of completing my first grading sometime some next year with the aspiration of progressing further. After just 3 months training mind whole mind-set has changed, I have already tailored my own training regime to suit Krav Maga to enable me to be the best I can.
Krav Maga Oxford Kennie Gould
