Troy Straith got beat up as a kid.
“I just got tired of it,” he says. “That’s pretty much how it all started.”
So the young Straith went into karate, which led to a fourth degree black belt in Taekwondo and more recently, a black belt in Krav Maga. (He’s one of few in Canada to have one.)
Never heard of Krav Maga? Neither had I until I spoke to Straith ,who currently has more than 300 students training in the relatively new martial art at his Krav Maga BC studio in Yaletown.
Meaning “contact combat” in Hebrew, Krav Maga is a unique amalgamation of boxing, judo, Muay Thai, wrestling and other techniques developed by the Israeli military to train its many soldiers. (All Israeli citizens are conscripted into the military after they turn 18.)
“We wanted the most realistic self-defence program in the world,” says Straith ,who is the owner of Evolution BC, which offers classes in Krav Maga as well as Crossfit. “It’s so simple to pick up… It’s based on the body’s natural instincts and you can get to a reasonably high level of expertise in a short amount of time.”
Because it is so instinctual, Krav Maga has attracted students of all shapes and ages, from 14 to 65 years.
Amanda Schwartz, a 31-year-old technical writer, took her first Krav Maga class last fall and enjoyed it so much she plans on enrolling again the spring.
“I wanted to do a physical activity, to get fit and healthy, that would hold my attention — I didn’t want to just go to a gym,” she says. “I thought it looked exciting so I tried it out. I love it.”
She says the self-defence system is empowering in that she now feels more confident about her ability to get out of a bad situation if needed.
“A lot of it has to do with muscle memory which is good and it really is instinctual,” she says. “You sweat your ass off, but after you feel like you’re on top of the world.”
“It’s realistic — there’s nothing fancy about it,” Straith says. “When you come in to do a class, you’ll feel empowered that first class. It’s an amazing system that’s very easy to pick up. You don’t have to practise moves a thousand time for your body to get comfortable with them. These moves are based on what your body does instinctively under threat.”
So has Amanda ever had to use Krav Maga to defend herself?
“Luckily I haven’t had to use it,” she says. “But walking through sketchy neighbourhoods, I feel more confident and it’s a comfort that I can defend myself.”
