Nov 15 2010

Krav Maga Yellow Belt Test


“Grajulations!”
— Lucy, holding a “Congratulations!” helium balloon, congratulating me for completing my test

This past weekend was rough. On Sunday I worked from 7:30am to midnight to get a work project completed. And that was after a Saturday that was also tough, but in a very different way. Saturday was my belt test…

A couple of years back, I started going to a gym a few days a week. There I do a regular workout with weights and cardio machines.

I’m actually surprised I’ve stuck with it for this amount of time because the truth is I don’t enjoy it much. I find it a real chore and doubt it’s something I’ll be able to stick with long-term.

Because of this, I’ve always been on the lookout for an alternative way to stay semi-fit. Last May, I stumbled upon a gym in Santa Clara that offered classes in various forms of self defense along with a heaping helping of exercise. They offered a two week free trial, so I checked ‘em out. I was especially interested in Krav Maga. This YouTube video tells a little about it:

Midway through my first Krav Maga class, I had to take a short break in the alley next to the gym to get sick. Though by this time I’d been hitting my other gym for over 18 months, I wasn’t prepared for the full body workout of the KM class. During the workout, as I struggled through some awful exercise, the instructor, Ev, came over to me and said, “I’m going to get you in the best shape of your life, Mike.”

Despite my alley pit stop, once that first class finished I knew I was hooked. This class had everything I was looking for:

  • A fun and interesting way to get a workout
  • I was actually learning something of value while I worked out
  • Excellent instruction along with a really good camaraderie at the gym
  • No attitude, just people looking to get in shape and learn something practical in the process
  • Something that Jill and Lucy might want to join in once Lucy gets older

I’ve been a regular at the gym for over six months now, so this past Saturday I found myself testing for my first belt. Though the yellow belt I tested for is only one level above a novice, the test was grueling, three hours of constant exercise and combatives. It was similar to this YouTube video showing another yellow belt test being taken at my gym last December:

Two random things I remember from my test:

1) During the test, we got a handful of one minute water breaks. During one of my breaks, I was so thirsty I got frustrated with the phlegmatic rate at which my water canister dispensed water. To combat this, I tried to pour its contents into my mouth as if it were a pitcher and ended up having a lot of water run down the front of my shirt.

As the break ended and I jogged back to my spot, I looked down at my dark non-cotton workout shirt and thought “at least the water doesn’t really show.” I then took my place on the mat and looked across the room at the mirrors on the adjacent wall. I immediately discovered that all that water had traveled down my shirt and drenched the front of my light gray cotton sweatpants. I looked like I’d wet myself. Nice.

2) Another observation: At least one of the three instructors who ran the test was a PI. Before the test started, one of his partners said, “I don’t care if we’re here until 8:30 at night—we’re gonna stay here until you get this stuff right!”

Immediately, I thought to myself, “Yeah, right—like that PI’s gonna stay here late when Pacquiao’s fighting tonight.” As soon as that thought popped into my head, the PI said, “I’m not staying all night. Pacquiao’s fighting tonight.” I got a chuckle out of that.

As of right now, I don’t even know if I passed the test. But for now, I’m just glad I completed it. I’ve been walking around like Fred Sanford since I took it, stiff and achy, but I’m a proud Sanford ‘cuz I know I wouldn’t have made it past the 30 minute mark back in May.

Either way, I’m keeping my test notes below. I know I’ll need them again the next time I test, whether it’s for this same level or the next.

Krav Maga Yellow Belt Notes (11.13.2010 Test)
Testing Procedures – 1.5 hour seminar/review (taken the week before), 1.5 hour warmup, 1.5 hour test

YELLOW BELT (LEVEL 1)

A. History of Krav Maga and its founder, Imi Sde-Or (Lichtenfeld)

Krav Maga (“close combat” or “contact combat”), is the official system of self defense employed by the Israeli military. It was developed by Imi Lichtenfeld (1910 – 1998).

Lichtenfeld was a wrestler and boxer. In the late 1930s, with the rise of Nazism, Lichtenfeld and others had to defend their neighborhoods from anti-semitic riots.

It was during this time that Lichtenfeld noticed the stark differences between sport fighting and street fighting and started to develop what would be known as Krav Maga. Lichtenfeld wanted a system that used natural movements for defense along with immediate and decisive counter-attacks.

Following Lichtenfeld’s immigration to Israel in the late-1940s, he began providing hand-to-hand combat training to what would become the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) further refining the techniques that became known as Krav Maga. Lichtenfeld looked at Krav Maga as a way to build people mentally, spiritually, and physically.

B. Safety in Training and Vulnerable Points

C. Stances and Movement
1. Neutral stance
2. Passive stance (Thumbs in!)
3. Fighting stance
4. Moving forward, backward, sideways
Notes: No hopping, no crossing feet.

5. Shadow boxing
Notes: Do logical combatives (ie, don’t follow long range combative w/ short range)

D. Punches – punches are done from neutral & fighting stance
Notes: Rotate hips, elbows in, hands up.

1. Straight punch-left/right combination
2. Palm strike
3. Eye/throat strike
Notes: Eye/throat strike go upward.

4. Low Punch
Notes: Low punch – Punch on way down (don’t wait)

5. Punches with movement advancing, retreating
6. Hammer fist strike in all directions
Notes: Hammer fists – don’t wind up. Think fast, economical movements.

7. Elbows ( 1-7)
#1: Horizontal High Elbow Strike – FW, horizontally across the chin, nose, throat
#2: Sideways Elbow Strike – LOOK first, then strike. Lean into strikes
#3: Vertical Elbow Strike, Backward Low – LOOK behind, elbow straight back to strike midsection
#4: Horizontal Elbow Strike, Backward – LOOK behind, strike backward horizontally across throat / jaw
#5: Vertical Elbow Strike, Backward – Bent over LOOK behind, (start lawnmower) strike behind high
#6: Vertical Elbow Strike, Forward and Upward – Swing elbow upward, into the chin (middle of attacker’s body—not your side)
#7: Vertical Elbow Strike, Forward and Down – Bend knees, drop weight down as you swing downward in front

E. Kicks – (Kicks are done from neutral & fighting stance)

1. Front kick-to groin using top of foot or shin / with half step
Notes: Front kick – similar to punting a football.
2. Front kick-ball of foot (low or high targets)
Notes: Bring thigh up so parallel with floor, swing foot forward up (check on this one)
3. Round kick
Notes: Round kick – use non-kicking foot as pivot base. Practice left and right.
4. Back kick
Notes: Back kick – remember to look behind you before kicking. Make this really obvious.

F. Knees (Use knee—not top of thigh)

1. Long knee (no grab)
Notes: Long Knee – remember to go forward rather than up. heel to butt and lean back
2. Knee with grab (straight and round)
Notes: Knee – grab tricep and shirt/skin; remember to control partner with forearm across neck/upper chest. Elbow down

G. Combination Attacks
1. Short combos with hands & feet. Attacks should emphasize recoiling punches & kicks

H. Hand Defenses

1. 360 outside defenses-from a passive stance
2. 360 outside defenses with simultaneous counter attack
Notes: Defend/Attack as soon as movement is being made. Do not time it!

3. Inside defense against straight and low punches
4. Inside defense against straight and low punches with counter attacks
5. Inside and outside defenses with counter attacks
6. Outside Defenses (hands down)
a. Palm to self (thumb out)
b. Thumb to self
c. Ducking under punch/roll punch over head
d. Stabbing
e. Palm out/”pinky” out (to defend from side)

I. Defense Against Shove/Grab

1. One Hand – (One hand plucks(?), other backhands groin)
2. Two Hand – elbow (One hand over head, one hand on side of head, bent elbow facing opponent)
3. Cross Push – (One hand grabs, rotate toward attacker’s arm and hyperextend his elbow)

J. Choke Defenses (Standing/Sitting)

1. Front-two hand pluck (Follow w/ knee to groin)
2. Front-one hand pluck (Simultaneous strike to groin)
3. From behind
(Back two hand pluck, step back, groin strike, elbow, make space for backward kick to knee)
4. From side – Static (Two hand pluck, rotate hips, knee)
4a. From side – Moving (Establish base, one hand pluck, one hand push, elbow combative)
5. Front with a push (Snake/throat poke/ear slap)
(Follow w/ combatives: strike, recoil, knees, hammerfists, exit

K. Headlock Defense
1. Head lock from the side / defense against punch
Notes: Remove back leg out as partner falls. Do not help them up

L. Wrist Releases – Soft Techniques
1. Same side hand (elbow to elbow)
2. Opposite side (hitch-hike out)
3. 2 hands, reach in and grab strong hand shake-middle knuckle strike or thumb lock

M. Ground Fighting – Side Position
1. Movement
2. Kicks – Front, round, ax, side
3. Getting up – “Bicycle” up attack
Notes for getting back to feet:
Figure 4 / Turn & Run / Tactical [law enforcement]. Keep eyes on opponent

4. Use of improvised weapons for self defense

N. Training-watching, awareness, prevention

1. Looking at attacks coming towards the student at various distances
2. Imagining a reaction to a certain attack
3. Preventative measures – Educational block, kicking, or running away
Notes: When breaking away and scanning, do not go backward in a straight line.
Break away at an angle.

RESOURCES

ASD Class Schedule
Krav Maga Training Diary
Wikipedia – Krav Maga
Wikipedia – Imi Lichtenfeld

By mike • by Mike • 4 • Tags: , , ,