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Saturday, August 29, 2015

A Brief History of IKMF Toronto


Humble Beginnings in Ottawa
I first experienced Krav Maga in 2004.  Laurent Mougeot, now our Canadian National Director, taught a hybrid class of karate and Krav Maga - more karate than Krav Maga at the time.  Laurent was an excellent teacher who encouraged our passion for self defense.

2004 Karate/Krav Maga class in Ottawa
Leaving an Impression: The IKMF Visits Ottawa
In 2005, a high ranking member of the IKMF at the time, Phillippe Kaddouch, visited Ottawa to offer a workshop.  At the time, I was full time social worker with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and a part-time PhD student (history) with aspirations of becoming a history professor.  Little did I know that this workshop would change my career path.

March 2005 The IKMF visits Ottawa

The workshop? In short, we were very impressed!  Besides being extremely skilled, his exercises were all based on practical scenarios from knife threats to multiple attackers to defending ourselves from a chair.  That year, one of his senior students, Thierry Cimkauskas, set up a school in Montreal and became IKMF National Director for Canada.  Thierry offered some excellent workshops and as we became more immersed in Krav Maga we considered becoming instructors.

In 2006 and 2007, Laurent Mougeot, Christopher Gagne, and Bella Motzen enrolled in the Civilian Instructor Course (CIC).   It was one of the most challenging - physically and mentally experiences of my life, but also one of the most gratifying and exhilarating. The instructors, Avi Moyal, and Gabi Noah, (both of whom were granted Master's status by their teacher and the founder of Krav Maga Imi Litchenfeld) were excellent.  In August of 2007 we earned our CIC certifications.

2007 CIC Instructors - happily exhausted...

IKMF sets down roots in Toronto
In September 2007, Laurent continued teaching in Ottawa.  Christopher Gagne and Bella Motzen began teaching courses at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre (JCC) in Toronto.  In February 2008, Christopher rented space at the Kapissisaan Centre in the Kensington market, beginning with one class Sunday afternoons.

Teaching at Wuxing Martial Arts
In September 2008 Christopher began renting space from Wuxing Martial Arts, then located at 25 St. Nicholas.  Here, students began testing with Thierry. The larger space and floor mats gave us more teaching options.  Students liked that we were 1 block away from the Wellesley subway station.  Our classes grew from 1 to 3 per week.

First IKMF Level Grading in Toronto - 2009
374 Dupont St.
When Wuxing moved to 374  Dupont  in January 2011, we went with them.  Here, our classes grew from 3 to 8/week. With both Wuxing and IKMF Toronto growing we decided to get our own studio.  During this time, Henry Karabela became an instructor and opened a school in Oakville.

Avi Moyal visits Wuxing Martial Arts 


Yonge and Eglinton: 2013
In March of 2013, we moved to 2156 Yonge Street.  The space was smaller but we were able to dictate our schedule, expanding out class offering from 8 to 14 including a kids class, a women's class, and an advanced class.  The first year was a period of adjustment.  Every year since we have worked hard to improve our self defense training and every year we have grown.  More important than numbers are the quality of people who train with us.  Students are polite, welcoming and enjoy themselves. This makes teaching easy!

Expert 2 Marcus Torgerson visits IKMF Toronto



Looking Ahead: Expanding Through the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)
As of 2015, we continue to grow and strive to improve our classes.  Now we work as part of IKMF Greater Toronto Area (GTA), with training also offered in Oakville and Scarborough.  From 16 students in 2007, we are approaching 200 active students in the GTA.  We are excited about how far we have come and are even more excited about where we are going.


Watch for an upcoming blog on the short history of IKMF Greater Toronto Area (GTA).



Saturday, August 15, 2015

Self Defense Workshop: Introduction to Edged Weapon Assaults (August 29th, 4-6pm)

Edged weapon assaults are among the most common weapon assaults as such objects are readily available,  Some examples:
  • knives
  • broken bottles
  • carpet cutters
  • screw drivers

This workshop will focus on some of the more common attacks and how to survive them.  Topics include:
  • how to defend against medium and short range attacks
  • defending from different directions
  • escape tactics

The focus of this workshop will be on escaping rather than disarming.

Workshop is open to all levels.  Beginners welcome!

For an overview of surviving knife assaults visit:  http://ikmfto.blogspot.com/2012/07/knife-assaults-5-general-tips.html

International Krav Maga Federation (IKMF), Toronto
2156 Yonge St.
Saturday August 29th, 416pm
$40/person


Please feel free to contact me with any questions.


Stay safe,


Christopher Gagne
Lead Instructor, International Krav Maga FederationToronto
torontokrav@rogers.com
416-657-1028
Ikmftoronto.com




Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Describing Krav Maga as a Self Defense System....

Krav Maga is often referred to as a self defense system or a reality based system.  Sometimes, people will insist it is not a martial art.  The latter comment is not something I will address because the term martial art simply includes too many systems and I strive to avoid generalizations.

What I will do, however, is describe some fundamental characteristics of Krav Maga, particularly how we teach it in Greater Toronto Area as part of the International Krav Maga Federation (IKMF).  Along the way, I will reference other systems.  I won't make any claims that Krav Maga is the best system as I find such claims unnecessarily antagonistic. I have met and trained with students and instructors of other self defense systems, enjoy working with them, and have the utmost respect for what they offer.

Here are some points to help you understand what Krav Maga offers.

A Focus on Realistic Contexts: As much as possible, Krav Maga training considers various environments where assaults might occur(otherwise known as everywhere!).  In competitive fighting, you are facing an opponent, often someone of your own level or weight class, in a controlled environment (boxing ring, cage...).  In a realistic situation, you will likely face an attacker you have never met before.  You won't be in designated area but rather on the sidewalk, on a subway, a parking lot, an elevator....the possibilities are endless.  Krav Maga factors these scenarios into its training.
Training outside with street clothes


Focusing on Realistic Situations:  There might be more than one assailant.  You might be walking with family or friends.  You might be: standing/sitting down, carrying a briefcase, gym bag, umbrella, a coffee...  The attacker(s) might approach from the front, side, or back.  Krav Maga training strives to mimic these situations.
Defending from a sitting position (e.g. subway, pub)




No Competition and No Rules:  Krav Maga does not observe any particular set of rules.  Groin strikes, biting, pinching, eye gouges, etc... are all acceptable.  Why?  Because you might be in mortal danger and you have to do whatever it takes to survive. Participants in competitive sparring and fight competitions (Mixed Martial Arts, Judo, Wrestling, Boxing), need to abide by certain rules.  In real life the attacker is not confined to a rule book and neither are you!

Rules? What rules? Attacking the eyes of a larger attacker

Using Appropriate Force/Avoid or Escape if Possible:  Krav Maga tends to have a brutal reputation.  Perhaps this is due to its military heritage or the no rules component. (no.2).   What some people are surprised to learn is that we offer various "soft techniques" appropriate to situations where striking is not necessary.  Some wrist release techniques, for example, do not involve striking.  In fact, we advocate avoidance and escape as the best self defense.

Techniques Grow From Natural Reflexes:  Techniques, as much as possible, are based on our natural reactions.  For a more extensive description of this go to:  http://ikmfto.blogspot.com/2013/02/self-defense-doing-what-comes-naturally.html


These are some general characteristics of Krav Maga that I find compelling and address my criteria for a practical self defense system.  If you have any comments or suggestions please feel free to offer them.


Stay safe,


Christopher Gagne
Lead Instructor, International Krav Maga FederationToronto
torontokrav@rogers.com
416-657-1028
Ikmftoronto.com