Kaze Uta Budo Kai Forum Archive

I have just completed a boot camp with Commando Krav Maga or perhaps better stated I survived....It was intense grueling training both physically and mentally and I'm still not sure why the hell I did it. What I can share with our readers is that if you are not in good physical shape don't do it. If you can hang it's a great way to find your limits in both your body and mind. We had 12 hour days of training techniques, while increasing the speed of delivery with a pressure testing of 70% effort attacks from kicks,punches,knife and gun attacks....This cycle of learning went on over and over all day and after every 5 or so techniques we would pressure test. This went on for two days straight and on the third day afte 11 and half hours they announced that we were having an initiation which was 1 hour straight of fighting plyometric exercises with no breaks....There were moments of mental break downs where I almost quit as well as physical break downs with vomit and severe cramps on my legs but I managed to continue on and complete this challenge. I really had to dig deep within me to find why I wanted to continue and not quit and at first it was anger. The anger from being bullied as a child and those situations gave me the initial push to fight and move foward. At about the halfway point when I developed cramps in my legs and was in severe pain I found a deeper motivation for training. It was the love of my girls and wife my family, that motivated and kept me going to the end. Ultimately the negatives of my experiences the anger burned itself out and what emerged is the love I have for my family....Thanks to my other family at windsong who also give me the opportunity to explore these same issues and allow me to grow under more serene conditions...

Just an addition to my experience...Aikido was very much a part of the commando krav maga system in its tenkan footwork of evasion,deflection,following ukes energy, stepping off the line, not meeting force with force, and utilizing the attackers energy against them.I felt at home!!!! The knife work was similar with a few nuances from some of our higher katas. During the pressure testing much of my aikido came to expression as some of the attacks were coming so fast I had no time to think about them but I redirected with my ingrained randori reactions from aikido either deflecting or redirecting ukes arms into arm bars or wrist locks and shoulder locks that we are so familiar with. I have seen the power of our aikido training come to life during the pressure drills and I must say I was very pleased .Our training with evasions transitioning into chokes seem to strike a chord with the krav folks as they like them and practice them quite a bit!!!If krav maga is considered to be a martial practice that emphasizes realistic self defense we have all the building blocks and if we use some of their ideas with our techniques it can certainly augment our aikido and judo....😉