Fitness & Spa. Wait. Don’t pack your gym bag and definitely don’t write that cheque yet.

How big is the brand?

Ozone is not a pan-India chain yet. They have six studios in the country with three in New Delhi and one each in Gurgaon, Hyderabad and Chandigarh.

How’s the equipment?

“The circular cardio section at the Chandigarh club was quite good and there was ample floor space,” says Men’s Health India editor Jamal Shaikh. But MH contributor and fitness expert Vesna Pericevic-Jacob doesn’t feel the same about the club in Delhi’s Defence Colony. “The cardio section at the Defence Colony club was well laid out but I wouldn’t call it great. The spin studio is cramped. I loved the area designated for yoga, Bollywood dancing, Krav Maga and Pilates though,” she says. On the strength area, they reiterate the same verdict: Inadequate. “It’s definitely not for lifters like me and the place is very cramped,” says Rajiv Khati, assistant editor, Men’s Health.

What about the staff?

“I was very impressed with the reception staff. Well informed, not too pushy and very precise,” says Jacob. “But if you have a small car, like I do, don’t park it in front of the entrance, because according to the valets, the place is reserved for big cars like Mercs, Audis and Beemers,” Khati points out.

Are the trainers any good?

“Unlike other studios, the trainers here were quite hands on, especially in the strength area,” says Jacob. “They knew their stuff, but some of them were carrying a slight paunch, which I think reflects badly on the brand,” says Khati.

What about the cost?

A whopping Rs 82,725 per annum for single entry and Rs 1,43,390 for a couple.

Any extras?

The fee includes the use of the steam and sauna facilities, as well as a fairly impressive range of optional classes. Plus, a member can use any of the gyms in the country four times a month. “In Chandigarh, the path leading to the gym is laden with posters of bulky figures and thanks to the blue light, it feels like you are entering a dingy night club even during the day,” says Shaikh. So much for extras!

Verdict: Ozone still holds its guns and is one of the better places to workout, provided you want to and can shell out that kind of cash. But if your main aim of joining a health club is to socialise, go on, you may write that cheque now!

Source: http://menshealth.intoday.in/

New Delhi, December 14, 2009

Abay Deol learning Krav Maga

Interestingly, Akshaye Khanna was to play the lead in the film initially, when director Navdeep Singh was to direct it for Nikhil Advani’s production company. But the two parted ways due to differences and Deol stepped in to back his director ofManorama Six Feet Under.

Deol is so fascinated by Krav Maga that whenever he got time off  between shots while filming Aisha with Sonam Kapoor, he’d practise it with his trainer. Basra, which sees Deol in the role of a RAW officer, has extensive action sequences. And Deol wants to ensure that he does his stunts perfectly. Singh is planning to start the film early next year with a schedule in Iraq.

Indiainfo.com

Tuesday, December 29, 2009 10:48 [IST]

Mumbai: The different Deol boy, Abhay, is going all out to prepare himself for his home production Basra that will see him do action for the first time in his career. After Hrs has learnt that the actor has started training in the Israeli hand-to-hand deadly combat tactics Krav Maga. By doing this he joins Akshay Kumar, the only hero in India who can perform the art and international faces like Angelina Jolie, Michelle Yeoh and Keanu Reeves.

This deadly skill will see Abhay hit a variety of fast crippling attacks to vulnerable body parts of his enemies. He has to go through a mixed aerobic and anaerobic workout and has to also use heavy pads to protect his body from damage while training.

“The film will see me fight like a street fighter and I’m learning really fast. It is fun and I have to learn many things if I have to convincingly play an action hero. Plus, it’s my home production, I cannot take any shortcuts,” Abhay told DNA.

Sources close to the film reveal that the young actor has also set up a training area where he would look to challenge his body reactions and defense skills through simulated attacks. This will make him faster and agile at offense and defense. Abhay has been called a perfectionist by many critics and this clearly shows his diligent approach to cinema.

“I always believe that you have to know something to perform it with ease and convince people. Nobody buys a fake and if you are not good at something you are doing, it always shows. I know I have to perfect myself in action because that’s never been my USP,” he says.

When not fighting in the arena, Abhay is traveling the world visiting film festivals in Venice, Toronto, Cannes, Tribeca where he has also lectured on cinema. The actor is ecstatic that even though he has not done the so-called Bollywood masala movies, he has managed to rub shoulders with Hollywood icons like Martin Scorsese, Robert de Niro, Jodie Foster, Matt Damon among others.

“Hollywood is very excited and appreciative of Indian cinema. Whenever I have met people who are greats in their own rights, they have been very inquisitive about our industry. This just shows that Indian cinema has a global presence and it is a huge achievement. There is scope for everyone to get the spotlight even if you are not a traditional Bollywood movie star. That’s a healthy change for our industry,” he ends.

The 40 hours duration “Fighter 1″ module imparted hands on training in defence and attack against

• punch
• kicks
• head locks
• knife attacks
• stick attack
• baseball bat attack
• iron rod attacks
• handgun threat
• defence with or with out weapons
• dealing with falls etc.

to the participants

The police say the number of attacks is declining, but there are still hundreds of cases every year.

New Delhi has long been considered India’s crime capital. Over 1,000 rape and assault cases were reported there last year. Not surprisingly, many parents are encouraging their daughters to join self-defense classes.

“Every single day you read the paper – you pick up the paper and you’re reading about rape here, rape there, 18-year old raped by two taxi guys,” says Anuradha Patni, mother of a young girl herself. “Every day! So I’m not saying that it will happen, but I’m saying that I need to be sure that we’re prepared for it, that’s all.”

Combat studios offer women self-defence training for $50 a month. With classes three times a week, Ultimate Tactical and Combat studio offers Krav Maga, an Israeli martial art which specializes in hand-to-hand combat.

“It gives people confidence to deal with threats. They’re educating themselves, because the police or people or parents cannot be with the girl, or child or women all the time,” says Vicky Kapoor, the Chief instructor of Krav Maga India.

The 22-year-old fashion merchandiser Avantika Chandra has been training for over a month. Now she finds her reflexes have improved, along with her confidence. Knowing that she can take care of herself allows her to live life without having to constantly look over her shoulder.

“It does build a lot of confidence to deal with the most common attacks,” says Avantika Chandra, “They teach you a lot of simple stuff. You just work on your reflexes and that will help anyone.”

More and more women in Delhi are choosing to protect themselves with self-defense training. With many young women now working long shifts and finishing at all hours, such classes will go a long way in making them feel secure in their own city.

Israeli self-defence

The setting is somewhat similar at Ultimate Tactical and Combat studio in Saket. It offers Krav Maga – an Israeli form of self-defence and combat tactics – training, engaging young women, clad in black, in hand-to-hand combats.

In Saket, portraits of the famed Israeli Krav Maga trainers and a poster that reads ‘personal protection is not an option, it’s a responsibility’, serve as sources of inspiration.

Another poster, of Jennifer Lopez in Enough – a film in which Lopez learns Krav Maga to take on her abusive husband – is also another motivator.

“Recently, we trained a woman who was struggling to tackle her abusive live-in partner,” says Vicky Kapoor, director, Ultimate Tactical, and the best known trainer of Krav Maga in the country.

“She finally managed to drive him out with the help of Krav Maga. We have trained 200 women as per their requirements in the last two years.”

Unsafe city

Not surprising, considering the level of danger a woman faces in the national capital. Among 35 major cities in India, Delhi accounted for 31.2 per cent of total rape cases and 34.7 per cent cases of kidnapping and abduction of women in 2007.

Numbers don’t lie. Most women who practice at these studios have stories to share.

“Last year at a bus-stand near Gargi College, I was groped by a middle-aged man,” says Minakshi Bhardwaj, 22, a student of St Stephen’s College. “I cried for help, but no one came to my rescue. Today, I feel more confident on the streets.”

Mary Kurkalang, 31, who works in a publishing firm said, “Men have grabbed me from behind so many times on the streets. The training has really helped,” she says.

Street fights

The studio lessons are also practiced on the streets. “The idea is to give practical lessons in dealing with various situations that they might face in real life,” says Kapoor, who normally receives 10 inquiries in a day from women who want to know how Krav Maga can help them defend themselves.

Women also get tips on how to use things like mobile phones, hand bags, pens, and even duppttas as weapons.

“Physical drill teaches women to use quick reflexes to attack assailants’ soft spots like throat, groin and nose,” says Shihan Nawal Datta, a martial arts trainer. This new breed of laptop-wielding trainers say many parents are encouraging daughters to join classes.

“My daughters are learning martial arts. One is even building muscles. Martial arts training has instilled discipline and confidence in them,” says Manjari Sharma, a teacher.

With terrorists getting bolder and carrying out audacious attacks in Mumbai and Lahore, the Special Protection Group (SPG), established in 1985 after the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi, is training in Krav Maga, a martial art devised by the Israeli Army for hand-to-hand combat.

New Delhi: They are representatives of the people, for the people, and by the people, but they have been advised not to go very close to the people.

The Special Protection Group (SPG), the elite force that guards the country’s top politicians, has asked them to avoid coming in close contact with people while campaigning for the Lok Sabha election. The advice comes in the wake of terror attacks in Mumbai and Lahore.

Prime minister Manmohan Singh and the Gandhi family, including son-in-law Robert Vadra, are among 23 top personalities guarded by the SPG. Though BJP veteran LK Advani is not an SPG protectee, he gets special cover because of the high threat perception to his life.

The SPG advice may keep these leaders away from roadshows and rathyatras — tried and trusted formulae to drum up election hysteria.

The SPG has expressed the fear that roadshows would be an “unmanageable security risk as protectees come into close contact with a large number of people”, a source said.

Instead, the star campaigners have been asked to confine themselves to public rallies and “sanitised” smaller meetings.

“Of course, it is ultimately a political decision whether the roadshows will happen, but our view has been that these are unwieldy and difficult to handle,” said the source in the force. “For example, Rahul Gandhi, during his tour of Orissa, went off on his own during the night to visit a tribal village. So, we can only express a view.”

Though the campaign details of SPG protectees have not been made public, most of them seem to be following the SPG advice. Rahul Gandhi has been largely meeting small groups or addressing large rallies, like the one in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. Advani, who abandoned a series of rallies a year ago because of the enhanced threat perception, has also avoided roadshows so far.

With terrorists getting bolder and carrying out audacious attacks in Mumbai and Lahore, the Special Protection Group, established in 1985 after the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi, is training in Krav Maga, a martial art devised by the Israeli Army for hand-to-hand combat.

“We have also started an assault group which is trained to take on attackers while one group will whisk away the protectee from the troublespot,” said a source in the SPG. While most SPG personnel carry small arms, the assault group will carry Pavor 21 assault rifles.

The SPG has about 3,000 personnel, mostly drawn from the ranks of various police forces and the elite National Security Guard.

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/

Photo source: RAVEENDRAN/AFP/Getty Images Flickr

Krav Maga India is happy to announce the opening of its newest center in Delhi & NCR Region in Vasant Kunj.

Given below are the details of all our centers in Delhi & NCR region.

Krav Maga India Headquarters,

M-6 (LGF), Saket, New Delhi – 17.

Class Timings :

Morning Batch, Tue-Thu-Sat (7-8 a.m)

Evening Batch, Mon-Wed-Fri(7-8 p.m)

Special Weekend Batch, Sunday (09:30 a.m to 12:30), this class is taken by Mr.Vicky Kapoor

Personal Training available on request.

Registration Fee (One Time)- Rs.1000/-

Monthly Fee – Rs.3370/-(Incl. of 12.36% service tax) for Men, Rs.2500/- for Women.

Contact: Shashi – 011-41764207

ClubXCell,

B-7, G.K-1, New Delhi.

Class Timings :

Evening Batch: Wed-Sat (07:30 p.m to 08:30 p.m)

Registration Fee (One Time): Rs.1000/-

Monthly Fee: Rs.2000/-

Contact: Ms.Raj – 011-29235247

Ozone3 Fitness & Spa,

D-27, Defence Colony, New Delhi.

Class Timings:

Evening Batch: Tue-Thu (07:30p.m to 08:30 p.m)

Monthly Fee: Open only to Ozone members

Fitness Fusion,

1, Shanti Kunj, (Behind Church), Vasant Kunj, New Delhi.

Class Timings:

Morning Batch: Mon-Fri (07:30 p.m to 08:30 p.m)

Registration Fee (One Time): Rs.1000/-

Monthly Fee: Rs.2000/-

Contact: 011-41764207

Radisson MBD Hotel,

Sector 18, Noida.

Class Timings:

Evening Batch: Tue-Thu (07:30 p.m to 08:30 p.m)

Monthly Fee: Rs.2000/-

Contact: Shashi – 011-41764207

Please feel free to contact us for any further information on 011-41764207.