So, that being said, I'll pick up where I left off. As the final part of our "Individual Test" we had a Krav Maga session that lasted from 11 PM until 6 AM the next morning. As a reference, a normal session is usually somewhere between an hour and a half and two hours because it is two hours (or in this particular instance 7) of all-out physical exertion.
Normally, we begin a lesson with a warm-up of about 30 minutes. This includes wind sprints, push-ups, and various aggression drills. On this night our "warm-up" lasted the better part of two hours, the majority of which I spent crab-walking. This was my first Krav Maga session with the entire company, it is usually one team at a time, so there were several instructors who divided up the teams. Each team did something a little bit different. One team mostly sprinted, one hung from the pull-up bar the majority of the time (I'm not quite sure the purpose of this drill), and after a few sprints my team and one other team crab-walked for about an hour and a half (for those who are unfamiliar, the crab-walk is basically sitting down, lifting yourself off the ground with your arms and legs, and then walking on all fours). It actually isn't to terrible, and probably preferable to sprints, except that after about ten minutes your joints start to ache, especially your elbows. Needless to say, after an hour and a half I was pretty certain I would be struggling to keep my arms up to defend myself, let alone manage to throw a punch of my own. What I hadn't bargained for was the amount of kicking that would go on in the next 5 hours. By the time the session was over there were at least 10 people sitting on the side, and I don't think there was one person who wasn't limping.
After the warm-up everyone put on the appropriate gear and broke up into four circles for the combat portion of the test. The general principle behind the test was simple - one person enters the circle and fights several combatants in a row, and often simultaneously, beyond the point of exhaustion and until the instructor is satisfied that he has squeezed every last drop of energy and aggression out of said individual (I tried to post a video, but it said it was loading for about two hours and in the end I don't think it worked, if I get a chance I may try again). In my specific circle the instructor is someone I had never worked with before (he normally works exclusively with the reconnaissance team), and for some reason, I assume my size (the average Israeli is built more like a "David Beckham" than a "Brian Urlacher," to say the least) he seemed to take a liking to me. Which in this setting is not a good thing. Time and time again I was called on to enter the circle to face various opponents.
Towards the end the instructor decided on a tournament style of combat. Fights were held one-on-one and the winner advanced. After two rounds I had made it to a three way finals. Going into my first fight I decided I would try to mix things up a little. With the thick vests everyone was wearing (there is a thinner version, but apparently for a 7 hour Krav Maga session the thinner version would lead to too many injuries) punches were extremely inefficient, and low kicks had to be well timed and well placed. I figured I would try going with the knees. Twenty seconds into the fight I realized my opponent had the same idea, and my left knee met bone-to-bone with his. I had to take a few minutes to recuperate on the side, during which time I apparently forfeited my fight. Meaning the third guy, one my buddies, was the crowned the champion of our circle, which turns out was a blessing in disguise. He was then sent to all of the other circles as our representative. Therefore, I was given a welcome break.
The third and final phase of the test was what is known as an "absorption exercise." The idea being that absorbing punishment is a good way to teach you to take a hit, or more appropriately - a beating, and to teach you how to throw a punch (for the person doing the hitting). So, my team stood up against a wall alternating between being the absorber and the one dishing out the punishment. At this point everyone was both tired and nursing various injuries, when combined with the fact that at the end of the day the person you are beating is your friend made for a rather dangerous situation. On the one hand, you have the option of not hitting your partner very hard. However, on the other hand, if one of the 5 instructors or 8 commanders sees you not giving 100% they would take it upon themselves to show you what 100% is (and the person who is up against the wall really doesn't want that). Mercifully, the session came to an end after about an hour and a half of the absorption exercise. I actually have some video from this, but I think it is probably better if I save that for a different forum.
1 comment:
Sweet mother of mercy. You need to be made into a cartoon called Joe IG. Easily the most bad ass thing any of my friends are doing right now. Man.
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