When & How did you first hear about Krav Maga?
In 2003 a law school classmate told me about Krav Maga. She had been training for a few months.
I was looking for a good fitness activity, and had a background in martial arts. We went to
Barney’s afternoon class, where I found that — despite being half my weight — she could throw
harder punches than me. Then I learned the defense to a choke from the front with a push and I was hooked.
What’s your favorite aspect of Krav Maga training?
The thing I like best about Krav Maga training is how smart it is. Because reacting to an attack
quickly with an effective technique can make all the difference, Krav Maga doesn’t
include any more techniques than are necessary to deal with attacks. What this means is,
if the same technique can be used to deal with two, three, or four different types of attacks, we
practice using the same or a similar technique in all those situations. That’s brilliant because it
cuts down on reaction time.
Another smart thing I like about Krav Maga is that the defensive techniques are taught cumulatively.
For example, in the early curriculum I learned headlock and bear hug defenses. The object
of those techniques is to eliminate the threat and counterattack, preventing the aggressor
from wrestling me down or lifting me from my feet. But what if I’m unsuccessful in
applying those techniques? Well, as the curriculum continued, I learned further defenses
to use if I fail and end up on the ground, or get picked up for a body slam. Very smart stuff.
How long have you been training for and what level have you reached?
I have trained at Krav Maga San Francisco since 2002, and am a level 3 student. I have had a few
lengthy breaks from training due to the demands of my work, but I always come back.
What’s your most memorable Krav Maga test or training story?
It has to be the first time I saw Barney humble a big strong student. It happens from time to time in
any fighting school that a big strong student will try to use his strength to foil the techniques that
the instructor is teaching. I believe Barney was teaching how to buck, trap and roll an attacker
who has you in a mount and is throwing punches. In this case, the big strong student was trying to
resist the technique by sitting back, keeping his weight on Barney’s hips, and throwing
fake punches that never would have connected in a real fight. Barney’s response was to
explain, and then demonstrate with gusto, that if an attacker leans back and isn’t throwing effective
punches, one good tactic is to target his groin. It sticks with me as a reminder that there is
often a way to overcome a much bigger attacker. I think the big guy learned something too.
What’s your life like when you’re not taking classes?
My law firm is called de Larios-Heiman & Bercovitz, LLP. We are a lean,
scrappy operation, with a small office located in the Mission district. We offer representation
in business formation, business transactions, landlord-tenant suits, personal injury, and medical
malpractice. I spend a lot of time there. When not at the office, I’m trying to keep up with my energetic
wife, who is also an attorney and martial artist.
