Spring is here and we have a lot of new things at the KMTC.

Classes are now available 7 days a week.

Krav Maga Membership Contest:
The Krav Maga Membershipdrive starts now! Refer your friends and win prizes for every sign-up, plus 3 Grand Prizes are up for grabs for the students who refer the most new members by May 31st, 2004. Prizes for each sign-up are your choice of a KM t-shirt or a $15 Pro Shop credit. Grand Prize winners will receive a free 3 month membership for the top referrer, 2 months for 2nd place, and 1 month free for 3rd place. Let the battle begin!

Special Rate Continued for April
For dedicated Krav Maga students who know they're going to enjoy training here over the next year, we offer this rate:
Prepay 1 year for $999, get 3 months for free!

Fighting Posture
Fighting posture is a component of self defense training that is often under appreciated. Improving fighting posture can solve a lot of issues a fighter may be having, and enhance everything he or she may already be doing well. It prepares the body to move aggressively and absorb impact, and should allow the fighter to bring any weapon to bear equally. When you assume a comfortable fighting posture, it does not allow the opponent to know exactly how prepared you are or what you are going to do. You don't telegraph your movements by winding up, shifting your weight or feet, or any other preparatory movement that tips off your opponent to what you are doing.

The pattern of maintaining a bend in the knees, crouching slightly forward, and keeping the weight of the body on the balls of the feet is characteristic of a ready position in many sports. I was watching a football game a couple years ago, and the announcers focussed on Jerry Rice coming out of his stance at the line of scrimmage. Over and over again, they showed him running plays. No matter what pattern he ended up running, his posture at the line and the first few yards he ran were identical every time. His defenders had no idea whether he was going to stop, or turn, or run by them based on anything they could observe in his posture before and just after the beginning of the play.

A good way to test yourself in this area is to observe your reactions in drills that require you to move between attacks. If you feel like your feet aren't quite set while making your defenses, or you're a little late reacting, many times the culprit is incorrect postural alignment. Bending the knees, keeping the midsection tight, pushing a little at all times with the back leg are a few things to focus on that will help maintain a good fighting posture, one that allows you to react with a minimum of delay and effort, and a maximum of speed and power.

Martial arts saved my morning
Sometimes my studies get me in trouble, I try to do more things at once than I should. I was walking across the street, carrying my grande drip, checking my messages, and getting money out for the train...no I was not chewing gum too. My toe clipped the curb and I started to pitch forward. Years of training kicked in, I dropped to one knee and and turned my shoulder to absorb impact with the cement. I suppose I could have stuck a hand out, but there was no way was I going to end up on that train without my $1.55 worth of coffee. Knee, slightly scraped. Ego, slightly bruised. Coffee and cell phone, intact.

For thousands of years, martial arts training has saved much more than overpriced cups of coffee. Do you have any experiences where you felt your training has kept you safe, healthy and happy? Let us know, and have a great month of training at KMSF.