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Oct 01
2006
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November 2006 NewsletterPosted by KMSF in newsletter, interview |
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From Barny's Desk
There is no security on this earth; there is only opportunity.
We can all follow the advice of the masters. If walking at night have a friend with you, only travel on well-lit streets, know your route and the public places that are open, walk close to the curb, if driving find your keys and have them in your hand before leaving the building... Even if you do all the right things there is no guarantee you can avoid a potentially violent situation. If you find yourself in a bad place think of it as an opportunity to get out of the problem before it becomes physical. Posture yourself in a non-threatening manner and try to talk your way through it. If it does become physical your training will kick in, fight back as if you were a crazed animal and get to a safe place as quickly as you can.
Barny
Announcements and Events
Sword/Staff Seminar
This seminar incorporates a range of kicks for self-defense and sparring, combined with sword cutting and staff fighting, cardio and conditioning. Taught by Kuk Sool Won instructor Annika Kahn
Date: November 18th
Time: 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Cost: $28 members
$35 for non-members
New Personal Trainer at KMSF:
Chet Kirk has been a personal trainer for over 20 years in San Francisco. He has worked at Gold’s Gym and Club One as a personal trainer and at Alta Bates Hospital as a Physical Therapy Assistant.
Education: B.S. Kinesiology Exercise and Fitness
Certified Personal Trainer, ACE
Certified Trainer, ACSM
Chet's Philosophy
There is a fitness program for anyone who's interested in improving their overall health. Everyone wants to be more fit, get in better shape and improve their quality of life. Chet helps his clients achieve their individual goals and believes that to do this you cannot use a one size fits all approach. He takes the time to do a fitness assessment by sitting down with his clients to understand their goals, any health concerns they have and designs a program that takes all these things into consideration. Whether you want to tone up, bulk up, just lose a few pounds or rehab from an injury, Chet can put together a program for you and together you can work to meet your goals and track your results.
Meet with Chet for a 30 minute free evaluation and a proposal for a fitness program. Call 415-921-0612 for an appointment.
3rd Annual Pre-Holiday Party & Trunk Show
Brought to you by Pow Wow, Networking for Savvy Business Women
Date: Thursday Nov. 16th
Place: 2255 3rd street, SF
Time: 7-11 pm
Expand your circles far and wide! Grab your friends, networking buddies, or better half and come celebrate the season of sharing and get to know some of the best connectors out there. Event proceeds will benefit First Avenue by Hamilton Family Center.
Hamilton Family Center: www.hamiltonfamilycenter.org
Invitation: http://powwownetwork.org/email/holiday/
Hey Ladies! Pass it On!
We're excited to announce that CRAVE PARTIES has landed in San Francisco! We have been busily preparing for a fantastic season full of fabulous CRAVE events, opportunities to grow your network of wonderful women, and of course, PARTIES!
JOIN US for our first big CRAVE PARTY in San Francisco
Date: Tuesday, December 12th
Place: At the Green Room, War Memorial Opera House
401 Van Ness Avenue
Time: 5-9 pm
Everything you CRAVE under one roof!
Designers and Boutique Stores
Fabulous boutique clothing, handbags, jewelry, home accessories and more!!
Fashion Show with the newest and hotest trends
Brought to you by CRAVE Party SF
Help support Home Away from Homelessness by donating your gently used shoes and handbags.
Invitation: www.cravepartysf.com/SF_holidayparty2006.htm
Home Away from Homelessness: www.homeaway.org
Krav Maga Holiday Open House
Come & bring your friends for an afternoon of food & fun! Try a 30 minute sample classes of Yoga, Krav Maga, Cross-fit, or Heavy Bag. There will be raffle drawings all afternoon. Win private lessons, free memberships, and Pro Shop items such as Tshirts, Krav Pants, hats, duffle bags, shin pads, boxing or bag gloves.
There will be SPECIAL DEALS for new members who sign up during our open house!
Date: Saturday December 16th
Place: KMSF Training Center 1455 Bush Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
Time: 1-5 pm
$5 admission fee (includes 2 raffle tickets)
Additional tickets $4; 10 for $30; 20 for $70
All proceeds benefiting Home Away from Homelessness.
Upcoming Belt Tests:
Green Belt
November 11th and 12th
Yellow Belt
December 2nd
Orange Belt
December 9th
Interview: Krav Maga Black Belt Instructor Gabe Khorramian
KMSF: Where are you from originally? Were you born here?
GK: No, I was born in Israel, but I grew up here. I was originally in New York until I was about 7, and then we moved to Los Angeles. I was in Los Angeles until about three years ago.
KMSF: Where did you first get exposed to Krav Maga?
GK: In Israel, visiting family in the north of Israel. I always knew about Krav Maga, I've always heard about it. To be honest, the technique that got me really hyped was the headlock from the side. It was in a kibbutz. So I was kind of interested, you know, what's it about, how great is it going to be, is it real, is it not, what's going on, just get a feel for what it is. I just kind of peeked in and they let me play around a little bit. And I could see this being possible for a lot of people, it wasn't spinning jump kicks and stuff like that. When I came back I found the center in LA.
KMSF: So what did you do before you got into doing this full time?
GK: Mainly it was accounting and going to school. So we moved up here, it was three years ago when I was 24. I didn't even know what I was going to do yet. What brought me up here was that my girlfriend got accepted to Berkeley. So there was no plans, but we got the letter and opened it up, and not only did she get accepted - but she got a scholarship, which definitely changed plans. She had also gotten accepted to UCLA, and that was the plan since we lived a few minutes away from UCLA and everything was basically perfect so to speak. But she got the scholarship letter and that changed everything. When I first moved to SF, I was JCCSF security personnel when the JCC first opened. I actually got the job when they called Krav for security training for their staff.
KMSF: That's cool. I'm glad we got you.
GK: I appreciate it. Yeah, that's how life turns out sometimes.
KMSF: Can you tell me what originally brought your family to New York from Israel?
GK: Basically the American Dream. I always ask my parents that, and they didn't think there was a real bright future in Israel. Not so much that there wouldn't be a bright future there, but that the future would be brighter in the US. Plus the majority of the family all came over to the US. They kind of jumped on a ship so to speak, and moved to New York and then went to LA.
KMSF: You've studied other martial arts too, right? What did you study?
GK: Nothing as comprehensive as krav, kyokushin was like the main one.
KMSF: What kind of style would you classify that as? Is it more traditional?
GK: Yeah, it's more traditional. I mean, you do katas and stuff like that. What initially interested me is that it's more faster pace, a little bit more aggressive.
KMSF: How old were you when you did that?
GK: When I started I was 14.
KMSF: How long did you study?
GK: On and off for like four or five years. It was more for the fighting skills than anything. There's one in San Francisco, so I applied there when I first came - up to about a year ago. If I find the time to go in like once a month or once a week, or find any time to go by.
KMSF: Was there a conflict between the two styles or are they more complementary?
GK: I guess you have to filter yourself. Krav is so much more fluid and street oriented, as opposed to a traditional martial art with the katas, etc. One of the benefits of kyokushin, not to knock tae kwon do or anything, but to look at the differences - in kyokushin the fighting style is a lot more square, it's considered full contact in the sense that you punch at the chest, you can kick the head, knee the head, etc. So you're still square because you do a lot of punching to the chest. That was a positive because I didn't come off of a bladed stance like in tae kwon do. The kicks were great, and I learned a lot of techniques. The only reason I never went through the system is that I can't stand katas. Not that I don't like them, I just get ulcers when we're doing them. I seriously can't stand them.
KMSF: Was there a certain point after you started Krav Maga instruction that you decided you wanted to be a teacher, or was that something you felt right away?
GK: I don't know if you know Michael Margolin, who is the head of the National Training Center - I still remember the day, it was a class that he had to sub for - I think it was a level 4 class. He just took me aside and asked me, "Would you be interested in becoming an instructor?" And I thought, "Are you kidding? Of course! What do I have to do?" and he broke down the entire situation and explained about the phase training. I didn't hesitate whatsoever.
KMSF: I've heard some of the stories about the black belt test. Can you talk to me a little about that experience? I've been through three phases, but the black belt seems like far and above the hardest of all.
GK: It's four days, and I think truthfully the intent is just to break you down; it's a filtering process. They expect everything to be as close to perfect as possible. They also want to see you go hard, they also want to see how you deal with stress and fatigue and maybe potential injury and this and that. It's difficult. On Saturday, I remember finishing around 7 or 7:30, getting back to my place about 8, and I had to be there about 11 the following day. So it's the least amount of break time or sleep time that you have, and it's the day that you need it the most. It was literally go home, shower, get something to eat, and then pass out and make sure you wake up in time. I remember one of the guys said, "You enter the biggest test of your life at 70%." You enter the day of the test at 70% because of some injuries, this aches, that aches, you've got a bruise here, and now you're expected to go 100% for 7+ hours. First thing I remember us doing were fall breaks and rolls, and one of the guys ended up fracturing his clavicle on a high long jump. He did the roll, he didn't fall, but once he rolled up he was just holding his shoulder. So you could just hear the thump and see the pop out, and Darren had to take him to the hospital. I always wanted Darren to do the test, I was excited about that, so when he had to go, I was kinda bummed to be honest. I was hoping he'd be coming back, but he didn't. That definitely took the air out of people, half an hour into the test you already have someone going to the hospital. And what are you going to do? And you've got six more hours ahead of you, and the intent is definitely to wear you out as well. You do focus mitts and kicks for an hour, so they know you know the punch in the first five minutes, but they take the extra time just to grind you out.
KMSF: How do you keep yourself going through something like that?
GK: It's desire. 100% desire. You know what it's about, you know why you're here. It hits you after your seventh hour of training, your eighth hour of training, you say "What the hell am I doing here? I got another day and another day, and then I got the test." The day of the test, you're tired, and this part hurts and that part hurts, and you just gotta do it. I remember my left elbow started hurting a lot, and you figure out a way to go around it. It's LA, you know, I have a house 5 minutes away, you could always just leave and get out, catch a flight and leave, but you just do it.
KMSF: Do you feel like going through that and completing that milestone changed your attitude in terms of how you approach teaching at all, or personally in any way?
GK: I think it changed my sense of appreciation of what Krav's about. Everything you do is literally based on what you would face on the street. And that's another point that gives you motivation, that it's not for a dream situation, it's not for jumping kicks, flips, anything like that. It's eyes closed, multiple attackers could approach you: that's something that you can see yourself walking to your car in that situation. So that gives you a little bit of a lift as well. They respect what they do as well, so you can only respect that even more. They don't take it easy. When the guy broke his clavicle, Darren gave a speech as he was walking out because I think he saw the look on people's faces. And to his credit, he said, "Don't let this deter you." He didn't just say "Good luck, guys, see you later", he went past that to say, "I see the looks on your faces, and he'll be back. But make sure you guys don't sacrifice today after all this hard work, of years and years, all the phase training and the previous three days of this". And I thought, "You know, it's more than a punch or a kick or a choke. He knows what's going on."
KMSF: It's definitely more of a life approach, too.
GK: Exactly. It really is.
KMSF: What is it that you try to impart to your students when you're teaching Krav?
GK: To push yourself and not to quit. I think that's a huge thing. You know Krav, of it's many distinctions from the Asian martial arts, is that it's predominantly adults who do it. It doesn't rely on a kids program like most martial arts do, or people who want to do this for a living or end up in a tournament somewhere. You have people who own their business, regular joes, for whatever reason are here, whether it's for fitness, or they've been assaulted. You hear tons of stories of that, directly or indirectly; weekly, you hear that my sister got assaulted or my brother or my neighbor or "My car got broken into, and I saw the guy leaving and I was afraid to approach him." But to tell people to push themselves, to push themselves not only in the realm of fatigue and exhaustion - to keep kicking and keep punching - but in understanding the techniques. If you find it difficult, to continue, to not quit even in the next class and the class after that, and to be open minded.
KMSF: Were there certain things that occurred or people in your life that ended up pushing you in this direction?
GK: The main thing is family for me. I was never real close to family, a lot of the family were refugees. So we had some who came from Muslim countries, and they had to start a whole new life. A lot of them had their own way of living, lived in a nice place, and then boom! It was because they were Jewish. They were forced to leave, they were expelled, harassed. There's a lot of people who don't realize that it happens today. You hear about inquisitions and crusades hundreds of years ago, even the Holocaust, that was 60 years ago even though it's modern history, it's a long time ago. And this happened 20 years ago, 25 years ago, and in our lifetime. That was probably a huge thing for me. It's a cruel world, and sometimes you got to work for your own and be open-hearted and loving and caring. But at the same time, there's people who are not, and hopefully you can deter them from messing with you. But don't become bad just because other people are bad, stay level-headed. And when needed you have to put up a wall, but still maintain your sanity and good heart, etc. You can't have your guard down all the time, as much as you want to. And unfortunately, some places in the world is not like that.
KMSF: There's this relationship between martial arts and the way that it makes you think. How do you feel like your experience with training in a skill like this affected your personal life or the other things that you do?
GK: I don't think that it affected me a great deal. I think that mentality already existed in me before. Like when you asked about the influences in my life and it wasn't really just one person, it was my family that was flipped around the world until they found a place that they wouldn't get kicked out, or it's a cold world, that sort of idea. It's good, because you feel comfortable, it keeps you in shape, you can take care of yourself in that realm, that's there. That mentality has always sort of stuck with me. And in Krav it's the same basic idea: you have someone try to take something of yours, and you have to be able to defend yourself. The idea still initially existed before Krav or knowing any martial arts. Now I'm prepared for it in a physical way, and it does enhance you mentally in a sense of being open minded, or helps you put your foot down if you feel like someone is taking a hand rather than the finger that you offered.
Self Awareness
"Until you know what you do, you cannot choose to do otherwise." Moshe Feldenkrais.
Self-awareness is a necessary basis for improvement in any skill. Some of us are in constantly monitoring ourselves, while other of us can go along content to be less acutely aware of how or why we might behave in certain ways. Teachers play a critical role in developing self-awarenes. They are the outside observers that can perceive and relate behaviors the student has that he or she is not yet aware of.
Self awareness has been localized into a specific area of the brain with magnetic resonance imaging. It can be observed when this area is active or inactive. When the brain needs to divert all its resources to carry out a consuming task, this area is inhibited, becoming "human" or self aware again when it has the time to process the input and make more rational decisions. Neurobiologist Ilan Goldberg suggests that this ability may have evolved as a protective mechanism. "If there is a sudden danger, it is not helpful to stand around wondering how one feels about the situation." he points out. In survival situations it is necessary to switch this type of process off so "fight or flight" instincts can kick in.
However, the process of acquiring new skills is necessarily a process of breaking things down into components, and becoming aware of how we are doing things that may be inefficient or counterproductive to the skill we wish to learn. Training, being instructed by our teachers, and repetition become a basis for developing new skills that eventually become automatic responses.
As training progresses, there is an interplay between being self-aware, even self-critical perhaps, and then at times being able to lose ourselves in our activities. Some of us have had the experience in class or a sparring session, where we aren't thinking of anything at all, just reacting to the movements of our opponent and perhaps even feeling like there is a sens eof control over the situation without knowing what is going to happen next. If you haven't felt this way before, keep training and you will. As we acquire more skill and confidence, we begin to experience more of a sense of just being, rather than planning, plotting, or worrying.
This is the essense of self-defense. Eventually the need to feel defensive or constantly in a state of being on the edge falls away and can be replaced by a balance of self-awareness, awareness of our environment and others, and just being ourselves in any given situation.
There is no security on this earth; there is only opportunity.
We can all follow the advice of the masters. If walking at night have a friend with you, only travel on well-lit streets, know your route and the public places that are open, walk close to the curb, if driving find your keys and have them in your hand before leaving the building... Even if you do all the right things there is no guarantee you can avoid a potentially violent situation. If you find yourself in a bad place think of it as an opportunity to get out of the problem before it becomes physical. Posture yourself in a non-threatening manner and try to talk your way through it. If it does become physical your training will kick in, fight back as if you were a crazed animal and get to a safe place as quickly as you can.
Barny
Announcements and Events
Sword/Staff Seminar
This seminar incorporates a range of kicks for self-defense and sparring, combined with sword cutting and staff fighting, cardio and conditioning. Taught by Kuk Sool Won instructor Annika Kahn
Date: November 18th
Time: 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Cost: $28 members
$35 for non-members
New Personal Trainer at KMSF:
Chet Kirk has been a personal trainer for over 20 years in San Francisco. He has worked at Gold’s Gym and Club One as a personal trainer and at Alta Bates Hospital as a Physical Therapy Assistant.
Education: B.S. Kinesiology Exercise and Fitness
Certified Personal Trainer, ACE
Certified Trainer, ACSM
Chet's Philosophy
There is a fitness program for anyone who's interested in improving their overall health. Everyone wants to be more fit, get in better shape and improve their quality of life. Chet helps his clients achieve their individual goals and believes that to do this you cannot use a one size fits all approach. He takes the time to do a fitness assessment by sitting down with his clients to understand their goals, any health concerns they have and designs a program that takes all these things into consideration. Whether you want to tone up, bulk up, just lose a few pounds or rehab from an injury, Chet can put together a program for you and together you can work to meet your goals and track your results.
Meet with Chet for a 30 minute free evaluation and a proposal for a fitness program. Call 415-921-0612 for an appointment.
3rd Annual Pre-Holiday Party & Trunk Show
Brought to you by Pow Wow, Networking for Savvy Business Women
Date: Thursday Nov. 16th
Place: 2255 3rd street, SF
Time: 7-11 pm
Expand your circles far and wide! Grab your friends, networking buddies, or better half and come celebrate the season of sharing and get to know some of the best connectors out there. Event proceeds will benefit First Avenue by Hamilton Family Center.
Hamilton Family Center: www.hamiltonfamilycenter.org
Invitation: http://powwownetwork.org/email/holiday/
Hey Ladies! Pass it On!
We're excited to announce that CRAVE PARTIES has landed in San Francisco! We have been busily preparing for a fantastic season full of fabulous CRAVE events, opportunities to grow your network of wonderful women, and of course, PARTIES!
JOIN US for our first big CRAVE PARTY in San Francisco
Date: Tuesday, December 12th
Place: At the Green Room, War Memorial Opera House
401 Van Ness Avenue
Time: 5-9 pm
Everything you CRAVE under one roof!
Designers and Boutique Stores
Fabulous boutique clothing, handbags, jewelry, home accessories and more!!
Fashion Show with the newest and hotest trends
Brought to you by CRAVE Party SF
Help support Home Away from Homelessness by donating your gently used shoes and handbags.
Invitation: www.cravepartysf.com/SF_holidayparty2006.htm
Home Away from Homelessness: www.homeaway.org
Krav Maga Holiday Open House
Come & bring your friends for an afternoon of food & fun! Try a 30 minute sample classes of Yoga, Krav Maga, Cross-fit, or Heavy Bag. There will be raffle drawings all afternoon. Win private lessons, free memberships, and Pro Shop items such as Tshirts, Krav Pants, hats, duffle bags, shin pads, boxing or bag gloves.
There will be SPECIAL DEALS for new members who sign up during our open house!
Date: Saturday December 16th
Place: KMSF Training Center 1455 Bush Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
Time: 1-5 pm
$5 admission fee (includes 2 raffle tickets)
Additional tickets $4; 10 for $30; 20 for $70
All proceeds benefiting Home Away from Homelessness.
Upcoming Belt Tests:
Green Belt
November 11th and 12th
Yellow Belt
December 2nd
Orange Belt
December 9th
Interview: Krav Maga Black Belt Instructor Gabe Khorramian
KMSF: Where are you from originally? Were you born here?
GK: No, I was born in Israel, but I grew up here. I was originally in New York until I was about 7, and then we moved to Los Angeles. I was in Los Angeles until about three years ago.
KMSF: Where did you first get exposed to Krav Maga?
GK: In Israel, visiting family in the north of Israel. I always knew about Krav Maga, I've always heard about it. To be honest, the technique that got me really hyped was the headlock from the side. It was in a kibbutz. So I was kind of interested, you know, what's it about, how great is it going to be, is it real, is it not, what's going on, just get a feel for what it is. I just kind of peeked in and they let me play around a little bit. And I could see this being possible for a lot of people, it wasn't spinning jump kicks and stuff like that. When I came back I found the center in LA.
KMSF: So what did you do before you got into doing this full time?
GK: Mainly it was accounting and going to school. So we moved up here, it was three years ago when I was 24. I didn't even know what I was going to do yet. What brought me up here was that my girlfriend got accepted to Berkeley. So there was no plans, but we got the letter and opened it up, and not only did she get accepted - but she got a scholarship, which definitely changed plans. She had also gotten accepted to UCLA, and that was the plan since we lived a few minutes away from UCLA and everything was basically perfect so to speak. But she got the scholarship letter and that changed everything. When I first moved to SF, I was JCCSF security personnel when the JCC first opened. I actually got the job when they called Krav for security training for their staff.
KMSF: That's cool. I'm glad we got you.
GK: I appreciate it. Yeah, that's how life turns out sometimes.
KMSF: Can you tell me what originally brought your family to New York from Israel?
GK: Basically the American Dream. I always ask my parents that, and they didn't think there was a real bright future in Israel. Not so much that there wouldn't be a bright future there, but that the future would be brighter in the US. Plus the majority of the family all came over to the US. They kind of jumped on a ship so to speak, and moved to New York and then went to LA.
KMSF: You've studied other martial arts too, right? What did you study?
GK: Nothing as comprehensive as krav, kyokushin was like the main one.
KMSF: What kind of style would you classify that as? Is it more traditional?
GK: Yeah, it's more traditional. I mean, you do katas and stuff like that. What initially interested me is that it's more faster pace, a little bit more aggressive.
KMSF: How old were you when you did that?
GK: When I started I was 14.
KMSF: How long did you study?
GK: On and off for like four or five years. It was more for the fighting skills than anything. There's one in San Francisco, so I applied there when I first came - up to about a year ago. If I find the time to go in like once a month or once a week, or find any time to go by.
KMSF: Was there a conflict between the two styles or are they more complementary?
GK: I guess you have to filter yourself. Krav is so much more fluid and street oriented, as opposed to a traditional martial art with the katas, etc. One of the benefits of kyokushin, not to knock tae kwon do or anything, but to look at the differences - in kyokushin the fighting style is a lot more square, it's considered full contact in the sense that you punch at the chest, you can kick the head, knee the head, etc. So you're still square because you do a lot of punching to the chest. That was a positive because I didn't come off of a bladed stance like in tae kwon do. The kicks were great, and I learned a lot of techniques. The only reason I never went through the system is that I can't stand katas. Not that I don't like them, I just get ulcers when we're doing them. I seriously can't stand them.
KMSF: Was there a certain point after you started Krav Maga instruction that you decided you wanted to be a teacher, or was that something you felt right away?
GK: I don't know if you know Michael Margolin, who is the head of the National Training Center - I still remember the day, it was a class that he had to sub for - I think it was a level 4 class. He just took me aside and asked me, "Would you be interested in becoming an instructor?" And I thought, "Are you kidding? Of course! What do I have to do?" and he broke down the entire situation and explained about the phase training. I didn't hesitate whatsoever.
KMSF: I've heard some of the stories about the black belt test. Can you talk to me a little about that experience? I've been through three phases, but the black belt seems like far and above the hardest of all.
GK: It's four days, and I think truthfully the intent is just to break you down; it's a filtering process. They expect everything to be as close to perfect as possible. They also want to see you go hard, they also want to see how you deal with stress and fatigue and maybe potential injury and this and that. It's difficult. On Saturday, I remember finishing around 7 or 7:30, getting back to my place about 8, and I had to be there about 11 the following day. So it's the least amount of break time or sleep time that you have, and it's the day that you need it the most. It was literally go home, shower, get something to eat, and then pass out and make sure you wake up in time. I remember one of the guys said, "You enter the biggest test of your life at 70%." You enter the day of the test at 70% because of some injuries, this aches, that aches, you've got a bruise here, and now you're expected to go 100% for 7+ hours. First thing I remember us doing were fall breaks and rolls, and one of the guys ended up fracturing his clavicle on a high long jump. He did the roll, he didn't fall, but once he rolled up he was just holding his shoulder. So you could just hear the thump and see the pop out, and Darren had to take him to the hospital. I always wanted Darren to do the test, I was excited about that, so when he had to go, I was kinda bummed to be honest. I was hoping he'd be coming back, but he didn't. That definitely took the air out of people, half an hour into the test you already have someone going to the hospital. And what are you going to do? And you've got six more hours ahead of you, and the intent is definitely to wear you out as well. You do focus mitts and kicks for an hour, so they know you know the punch in the first five minutes, but they take the extra time just to grind you out.
KMSF: How do you keep yourself going through something like that?
GK: It's desire. 100% desire. You know what it's about, you know why you're here. It hits you after your seventh hour of training, your eighth hour of training, you say "What the hell am I doing here? I got another day and another day, and then I got the test." The day of the test, you're tired, and this part hurts and that part hurts, and you just gotta do it. I remember my left elbow started hurting a lot, and you figure out a way to go around it. It's LA, you know, I have a house 5 minutes away, you could always just leave and get out, catch a flight and leave, but you just do it.
KMSF: Do you feel like going through that and completing that milestone changed your attitude in terms of how you approach teaching at all, or personally in any way?
GK: I think it changed my sense of appreciation of what Krav's about. Everything you do is literally based on what you would face on the street. And that's another point that gives you motivation, that it's not for a dream situation, it's not for jumping kicks, flips, anything like that. It's eyes closed, multiple attackers could approach you: that's something that you can see yourself walking to your car in that situation. So that gives you a little bit of a lift as well. They respect what they do as well, so you can only respect that even more. They don't take it easy. When the guy broke his clavicle, Darren gave a speech as he was walking out because I think he saw the look on people's faces. And to his credit, he said, "Don't let this deter you." He didn't just say "Good luck, guys, see you later", he went past that to say, "I see the looks on your faces, and he'll be back. But make sure you guys don't sacrifice today after all this hard work, of years and years, all the phase training and the previous three days of this". And I thought, "You know, it's more than a punch or a kick or a choke. He knows what's going on."
KMSF: It's definitely more of a life approach, too.
GK: Exactly. It really is.
KMSF: What is it that you try to impart to your students when you're teaching Krav?
GK: To push yourself and not to quit. I think that's a huge thing. You know Krav, of it's many distinctions from the Asian martial arts, is that it's predominantly adults who do it. It doesn't rely on a kids program like most martial arts do, or people who want to do this for a living or end up in a tournament somewhere. You have people who own their business, regular joes, for whatever reason are here, whether it's for fitness, or they've been assaulted. You hear tons of stories of that, directly or indirectly; weekly, you hear that my sister got assaulted or my brother or my neighbor or "My car got broken into, and I saw the guy leaving and I was afraid to approach him." But to tell people to push themselves, to push themselves not only in the realm of fatigue and exhaustion - to keep kicking and keep punching - but in understanding the techniques. If you find it difficult, to continue, to not quit even in the next class and the class after that, and to be open minded.
KMSF: Were there certain things that occurred or people in your life that ended up pushing you in this direction?
GK: The main thing is family for me. I was never real close to family, a lot of the family were refugees. So we had some who came from Muslim countries, and they had to start a whole new life. A lot of them had their own way of living, lived in a nice place, and then boom! It was because they were Jewish. They were forced to leave, they were expelled, harassed. There's a lot of people who don't realize that it happens today. You hear about inquisitions and crusades hundreds of years ago, even the Holocaust, that was 60 years ago even though it's modern history, it's a long time ago. And this happened 20 years ago, 25 years ago, and in our lifetime. That was probably a huge thing for me. It's a cruel world, and sometimes you got to work for your own and be open-hearted and loving and caring. But at the same time, there's people who are not, and hopefully you can deter them from messing with you. But don't become bad just because other people are bad, stay level-headed. And when needed you have to put up a wall, but still maintain your sanity and good heart, etc. You can't have your guard down all the time, as much as you want to. And unfortunately, some places in the world is not like that.
KMSF: There's this relationship between martial arts and the way that it makes you think. How do you feel like your experience with training in a skill like this affected your personal life or the other things that you do?
GK: I don't think that it affected me a great deal. I think that mentality already existed in me before. Like when you asked about the influences in my life and it wasn't really just one person, it was my family that was flipped around the world until they found a place that they wouldn't get kicked out, or it's a cold world, that sort of idea. It's good, because you feel comfortable, it keeps you in shape, you can take care of yourself in that realm, that's there. That mentality has always sort of stuck with me. And in Krav it's the same basic idea: you have someone try to take something of yours, and you have to be able to defend yourself. The idea still initially existed before Krav or knowing any martial arts. Now I'm prepared for it in a physical way, and it does enhance you mentally in a sense of being open minded, or helps you put your foot down if you feel like someone is taking a hand rather than the finger that you offered.
Self Awareness
"Until you know what you do, you cannot choose to do otherwise." Moshe Feldenkrais.
Self-awareness is a necessary basis for improvement in any skill. Some of us are in constantly monitoring ourselves, while other of us can go along content to be less acutely aware of how or why we might behave in certain ways. Teachers play a critical role in developing self-awarenes. They are the outside observers that can perceive and relate behaviors the student has that he or she is not yet aware of.
Self awareness has been localized into a specific area of the brain with magnetic resonance imaging. It can be observed when this area is active or inactive. When the brain needs to divert all its resources to carry out a consuming task, this area is inhibited, becoming "human" or self aware again when it has the time to process the input and make more rational decisions. Neurobiologist Ilan Goldberg suggests that this ability may have evolved as a protective mechanism. "If there is a sudden danger, it is not helpful to stand around wondering how one feels about the situation." he points out. In survival situations it is necessary to switch this type of process off so "fight or flight" instincts can kick in.
However, the process of acquiring new skills is necessarily a process of breaking things down into components, and becoming aware of how we are doing things that may be inefficient or counterproductive to the skill we wish to learn. Training, being instructed by our teachers, and repetition become a basis for developing new skills that eventually become automatic responses.
As training progresses, there is an interplay between being self-aware, even self-critical perhaps, and then at times being able to lose ourselves in our activities. Some of us have had the experience in class or a sparring session, where we aren't thinking of anything at all, just reacting to the movements of our opponent and perhaps even feeling like there is a sens eof control over the situation without knowing what is going to happen next. If you haven't felt this way before, keep training and you will. As we acquire more skill and confidence, we begin to experience more of a sense of just being, rather than planning, plotting, or worrying.
This is the essense of self-defense. Eventually the need to feel defensive or constantly in a state of being on the edge falls away and can be replaced by a balance of self-awareness, awareness of our environment and others, and just being ourselves in any given situation.
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