Krav Maga

Mine aren't pink, but I wish they were.

I NEVER thought I would own a pair of boxing gloves... or a mouthguard (to ensure I keep all my teeth), hand wraps (to protect my hands inside my gloves; mine are pink!), and the ugliest shirt in my closet (uniform; no choice in the matter).

As jiu-jitsu was not a match for me (too much testosterone, I thought), I decided to try out Krav Maga. While no less testosterone is required for this particular martial art, there are more women in the class. This is fortunate because very intimate physical contact is involved in this activity, and women smell MUCH better. Especially in summer. (Fighting becomes even more challenging when you're holding your breath.) Neither do women hit as hard as the men who don't know their own strength. It is fortuitous that most of the men there do, though I'm currently typing this with a painfully bruised thigh from an overzealous one who didn't.

Pink hand wraps and mouthguard. (These ones are mine.)

I've been asked by numerous people what prompted me to take up self-defense, some of whom seemed to expect a horror story. (I thank God I don't have one.) There are a couple of reasons. The first is that, after contemplating learning some form of self-defense for the past 25 years, I've finally gotten around to it.

The final push, however, was that I felt I needed a Really Big New challenge, something that scares the heck out of me. And let me tell you... this does. I normally do everything possible to avoid getting hurt (my instinctive self-defense tactic: RUN AWAY FAST). And here I am, intentionally attending a class where I hit, and get hit.

The intense apprehension I feel before every class is lessening slowly. (The first two classes, I was deathly scared I'd end up in the hospital. I still pray before every class.) When I hit and connect well, I apologize - it's the Canadian in me. And when I get knocked about by a punch I should have blocked or ducked, my instinctive reaction is to start giggling like an idiot, and I do. Argh.

The people in the class are extraordinarily nice, supportive and encouraging; a mix of secular, Messianics/Christians, and quite a few Orthodox men (surprising, right?). The instructor is great. It's been an exhilarating adventure, so far, in addition to a practical life skill, and I invite everyone - especially if you're a woman... or a man who showers - to join me.

(And if you, too, feel the need to recuperate your femininity after the class, you're welcome to join me at ballet the following day.)