Train Hard, Fight Easy

I was first introduced to the idea of “Train Hard, Fight Easy” during my Royal Marines’ Young Officer Training.  My Young Officer Batch and I learned very early on that this mantra, although originally coined by an 18^th Century Russian General, General A.V. Suvorov, was very much at the heart of the Royal Marines’ training ethos.

It was applied across all aspects of Royal Marines training not just the more obvious physical parts, but it especially had resonance in this area because of the very high standards of physical fitness expected of Royal Marines, in order to meet the demand of our highly specialised commando role.

These high standards applied equally to Royal Marine recruits as well as attached ranks participating in the All Arms Commando Course, although, as Young Officers, we were expected to lead from the front and our Commando Test pass level criteria was higher.

As a training ethos it really is quite simple; make training more intense and demanding than the thing your training for (the fight), and you will be able to deal with the stress and demands of the fight more readily and with the confidence that you can cope both physically and mentally because you have experienced far worse in training.

In Krav Maga training we do the same thing by stretching your physical, technical and mental capabilities in class, so that should the time come when you actually need to defend yourself in the street, you are able to cope adequately well with the mental stress and the physical strain of a violent confrontation.

We achieve this by focusing on 3 Areas

Physical Preparation:

Krav Maga training is a dynamic activity which requires the Kravist to make demands on their bodies cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems. Over time these demands will lead to an increase in fitness as the body adapts, meaning more demanding training drills can be conducted.

The more physically fit and robust a Kravist is then the better able to execute the techniques they will be and the more able they will be to manage the physical and mental stress involved in a real-life confrontation situation.

A typical training session will consist of a demanding warm-up to prepare the body for the training, followed by technique training and practice drills including sparring, ground-fighting and pressure testing.  A typical session will involve periods of cardio work including high intensity interval training and strength and power training exercises.

Technical Preparation:

Krav Maga is a self-defence system based on principles and techniques.  Each principle is supported by a number of different techniques; the techniques are selected for their relative simplicity and their application to as many different variations of threat as possible, so fewer techniques are involved keeping the system simple and easier to learn.

The Kravist learns both the principle and the various techniques for different types of threat.  The idea being that techniques provides a framework of combative and defensive options based on an understanding of the Krav Maga principles.  The Kravist decides which combative technique to use depending on the particular situation and threat faced at a particular time and place.

The more proficient the Kravist is at executing correct techniques, then the more instinctive their reaction will be.  Instinctive reaction increases the chance of a successful outcome because they react more quickly and positively when a technique is used instinctively.

Confidence in their own ability to defend themselves will also increase leading to a greater chance of a positive outcome, because they will have executed the technique correctly and with conviction.

Mental Preparation:

Stress reduces performance.  Involvement in a conflict situation is highly stressful, therefore, Krav Maga training seeks to prepare the Kravist for the impact of stress on their performance by including stress training in their training sessions.

This involves applying Krav techniques and principles under various realistic scenarios which are designed to create pressure and put the defender at a disadvantage.  For example, a very effective pressure test is defending against multiple attackers.

The more able a Kravist can manage the stress of a violent confrontation then the more likely they will execute techniques correctly and survive the experience.

Krav Maga training will stretch you physically, technically and mentally but it is designed to do this, so that should the time come when you actually need to defend yourself in the street, you are prepared, ready and able to do so.

Train Hard, Fight Easy – it’s not just a mantra it works in real life and we believe in it at Krav Maga Cambridge.

Shaun

Krav Maga Cambridge