Holiday Hours

Happy Holidays!

Here is our schedule.  *denotes regular schedule 


Wednesday December 20th*
Thursday December 21st*
Saturday December 23rd........no classes
Sunday December 24th...........no classes
Monday December 25...........no classes
Tuesday December 26.........no classes
Wednesday December 27......no classes
Thursday December 28st*
Saturday December 30th*
Sunday December 31st*
Tuesday January 2nd*


Feel free to contact me with any questions. 

Christopher Gagne, torontokrav@rogers.com

Holiday Gift Certificates

Give the gift of safety and fitness:

Pricing options:  http://ikmfto.blogspot.ca/2016/07/group-class-and-private-pricing.html


For more information: Christopher Gagne, torontokrav@rogers.com or 416-657-1028

7 traits of an effective Krav Maga practitioner

      Over the past 13 years, I have seen many Krav Maga students and instructor. Since this time I have seen various levels of progress. The ones who become the most proficient self-defense practitioners have the following traits:

1. Consistency. Three, two, even one session a week consistently over a long period of time seems to lead to the best results.  Some students come in, "gung ho" to get their next level, train 3 or more times a week then disappear for a time until the next test date. Their progress is relatively slow compared to the student who trains consistently week to week. 

2. Attention to Detail. There are no shortcuts. A flashy gun technique entertains the untrained eye but a well-trained expert will see the flaws that could be fatal in real life. The A practitioner attends to details that can determine the outcome of a self-defense situation.

3. Fundamentals. Students who work on the fundamentals- footwork, body defenses, striking, etc- progress and are able to better protect themselves. Again, no shortcuts. 

4. An Open Mind vs Memorization: Assaults are unpredictable so memorizing techniques limits your capacity to adapt.  The best practitioners learn to adapt to unpredictable/surprises by understanding Krav Maga principles.  

5. Open to Correction/Feedback. Most students want to know how to get better. Others, (happily this is rare), don't welcome criticism and don't progress near as quickly. 

6. Fitness.  You don't have to be an Olympian to train in Krav Maga but having a decent fitness level allows you to train consistently and helps to prevent injury.

7. Stress Training. Stress training reveals, among other things, how well you know how to protect yourself. It highlights your strengths and your weakness giving you an opportunity to further improve.

Surviving Assaults on the Ground: General Tips

       Many assaults end up on the ground.  You can fall, trips or slip.   An assailant might hit you, pushes or pulls you to the ground. Being on the ground is very dangerous. Here are some general tips for surviving assaults on the ground.

Avoid the ground (if possible). This is not easy as many assaults go to the ground.  Training needs to include prevention techniques such as sprawling.

Protect Your Vulnerable Parts. Chin into the chest, head off the ground, arms protecting head and ribs and legs between you and the attacker.

Keep Limbs Close. Don't give someone an opportunity to grab your limbs and put you in a lock or expose your vulnerable parts. When striking makes sure you recoil as fast as possible.

Fight Dirty, Look for vulnerable targets. Bite, pinch, gouge, scream, scratch.... whatever it takes to protect yourself. There are no rules, only your survival. 

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Keep Legs Between You and the Attacker:  Having your strongest muscles between you and the attacker give you the best chance of defending yourself.  If the attacker gets around your legs, he has easier access to vulnerable areas such as your head, ribs etc...

Get Up!  Easier said than done ut being on the ground leaves you more vulnerable to concealed weapons, secondary attackers, the primary attacker and the ground itself!

Training must also include "troubleshooting", meaning exploring unexpected incomes.  We cannot forget that attackers will adapt of might have some training in wrestling, jujitsu or other excellent systems.

Explore the Unexpected: Krav Maga Training and asking "What if?.."

Many of the most welcome questions from Krav Maga students begin with "What if..?"

What if they don't let go of my wrist?

What if I am sitting down instead of standing?

What if I am in a small space and can't escape right away?

What if there are two of them?

These questions show that students recognize that self-defense situations are dynamic, and to a large extent, unpredictable. After all, there can be so many variables at play.  

• where the assault take place (elevator, parking lot, private vs public space)
• When you perceive the danger (avoid, escape, fight)
• How the assailant attacks and perhaps adapt to your Defense/counterattack

This list could go on and on because there are so many possibilities to mention!

The IKMF curriculum offer an excellent foundation that covers many of the assaults people encounter.   As we outlined in another blog, it is only the tip of the iceberg as there are so many variations of attacks and so many potential situations.  

With this in mind, we encourage students to work on the fundamentals, refine the curriculum techniques on the curriculum and to ask "What if?"