Times of India Newspaper :: Bangalore Learns to Tackle Terror

Times of India, Frontpage

Leena Mudbidri | TNN

Fighting Back

First introduced in New Delhi five years ago, Krav Maga teaches Israeli self-defence skills against armed street attacks and muggings, home assaults, car thefts and attacks.

It was introduced in Bangalore last year and over 75 citizens have enrolled for the course.

Anti-terror training capsule, designed by New Delhi-based Vicky Kapoor, director and chief instructor of International Krav Maga Federation, India, is the first of its kind in India.

Bangalore: “Grenade!” shouted Frank, and the bunch of techies, a restaurateur and a homemaker jumped to the ground for cover and rolled over, shielding their bodies away from the impending blast. Thankfully, it was a mock drill and the grenade was only a tennis ball during a session on anti-terror training and hostage takeover survival skills introduced in city last week.

These Bangaloreans learning the techniques of Krav Maga, an Israeli military form of self-defence, in Richmond Town, prepare to cope with real crises. “As civilians, we cannot get into a hand-to-hand combat with armed terrorists. The least we can do is learn to survive with presence of mind, and use some formal training to save our skin,” says Frank, instructor and in-charge of the Bangalore chapter, International Krav Maga Federation.

“For example, if you are in a restaurant and an armed terrorist walks in and starts shooting randomly, your chances of survival are more if you throw yourself to the ground and roll away from the centre of the incident, instead of running and exposing your body to the gunman,” he says. The hostage-takeover survival module teaches you how to avoid confrontation with the captor if you are taken hostage, and how to behave and, yes, even talk to them.

“If I’m ever in such a situation, I know how to come out of it because my reflexes are faster, my level of alertness is higher and the techniques I’ve learnt are practical,” says Ashish Puri, product manager, Cisco Systems. Omer Basith, a restaurateur, & a Krav Maga trainee for the past one year believes in being prepared. “Who thought terrorist could come right to our doorsteps? Now, its up to us to learn to handle the situation as civilians.”

But Frank cautions, “But better leave the real fighting to the experts!” This group has its own mascot, a crow which has a bird’s eye view of the training on the rooftop. They call him ‘Crow Maga’.

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