To mark International Women’s Day, self-defence school Rencounter and the Crags Community Sports Centre are inviting all women over 16 to a free self-defence workout in Edinburgh’s Old Town on Saturday 7 March at 4.30. The workout will give participants a taste of the no-nonsense martial art of krav maga.
“This workshop is our way of marking International Women’s Day. I believe that learning self-defence is a way for women to take power into their own hands to keep themselves and the people they care about safe.” explains Rencounter owner, Linn Haraldsvik .
She continued: “I believe that women should be able to take control of their own safety. That’s why I’m organising a free self-defence workshop to reach as many women as possible. The topic is serious, but the classes are not. I teach women how to keep themselves safe, and give them a fun workout at the same time.”
The self-defence workouts are a great combo for people who lead busy lives. It’s easy to learn, it keeps you fit, and it teaches valuable real-life skills at the same time. Krav maga is based on instinctive reactions. It also has its own method of teaching that makes it very easy to pick up. But it is not just about feeling safer and being able to get out of a scary situation, it’s also a great way to keep fit.
Participants use their whole body while practising the techniques, and working kicks and punches really gets the heart rate going. They develop strength, endurance and mobility, without really noticing that they’re doing it because they’re having fun and learning the techniques at the same time.
“The combination of fitness and fun was one of the things that kept me hooked after I started training in krav maga. I hated running and interval training and all those things that are very good to develop endurance, but through my weekly Krav classes I got all the same effects without it being a painful chore, I just couldn’t wait for the next class”, Linn added
A key part of staying safe is to be able to read situations, to identify potentially dangerous ones and avoid them, and if that fails, to get away as fast as possible. Krav Maga stresses this as part of the training.
“It’s also a great way to unwind and release the frustrations of the day. There’s nothing like kneeing people in the groin after a hard day’s work to get rid of any stress”, jokes Michelle O’Hara, a regular Krav Maga student who is currently attending a six week women-only self-defence course with Rencounter.
This no-nonsense martial art is less known than traditional martial arts like karate or kung fu but is starting to become more widespread. It has been picked up by Hollywood celebrities like Brad Pitt and Angeline Jolie who got in shape and learned fighting skills using training Krav Maga for their movie ‘By the sea’.
Krav Maga is suitable for all ages and levels of fitness and Rencounter offers regular mixed classes for men and women of all ages and levels of fitness from complete beginners to experienced krav maga practitioners.
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