Krav Maga Test
I was fortunate enough to be able to help with the Krav Maga testing and promotion last Saturday at Elite. I rarely get the chance to be at the school on Saturdays, and it was so fun to be a part of the Krav Maga test. All of the testers and promoters worked incredibly hard and pushed themselves while also helping the person next to them push through and succeed. Many people also participated who were not testing or promoting; they were there to help their teammates achieve their goals in Krav. It’s such a rare thing to see in the world, and I was so proud of each and every person there! Krav is such a powerful tool in self defense, and it’s great to see so many people making an active commitment to their safety and the safety of their loved ones.
One thing I wanted to address in particular…while I watched Mike and Chris go through advanced technique during the Krav Maga test (and then Chris go though the masters path technique portion of the krav test), I also watched the faces of the students watching the testers. Many of them were yellow belts testing for the first time. It brought me back to the first Krav Maga test I had ever gone to. I had just joined the program (I don’t think I even had a belt yet!) and four people were testing for their green and blue belts. I remember watching them and feeling completely overwhelmed by the amount of information they were responsible for knowing and applying. How would I ever remember that much and be able to perform it under that kind of pressure? Everyone in the room was watching those four people. When it was my turn how would I handle the stage fright? It seemed like too much. All I can say to those students who might be feeling similar things is to continue to trust the school and the krav/ self defense program. The instructors and your teammates will get you where you need to be each step of the way. The fears I had at that first krav test turned out to be unfounded. Yes, there is a lot to learn, but you will learn it all and practice it a piece at a time, building on the pieces you already have, and at testing times you will be ready. Yes, you will eventually be testing on that mat in front of everyone. But you won’t see them at the time…you will, however, feel their support and energy and use it to help you push yourself farther than you thought possible. It’s an amazing, unique journey, and I hope to see every person in that room yesterday testing for their black belt someday. Everyone should have that goal, and everyone is capable of achieving it!
The same is true for all of our programs at Elite. MMA mixed martial arts, Kali Silat, BJJ Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Muay Thai kickboxing Thaiboxing all have similar structures when it comes to building skill and information and in the preparation for testing. It’s a process that creates successful students and martial artists.
~Katie Toney
Elite Training Center
1628 South Pacific Coast Highway,
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 543-1600
www.elitetrainingcenter.net
