In honor of a recent list of cheesy 80s actioners, here is a list for us James Bond wannabes. This list looks at 10 of the special forces from around the world that have the honor of being the most elite and – consequently – badass. Feel free to mention your own favorites in the comments which will no doubt include a lot that are not listed here.

10. Spetsnaz

Whereas most of the training regimens of militaries around the world are designed to teach, Russia’s Special Purpose Regiments, equivalent to the U. S. Green Berets, endure punishment daily throughout their training. They may quit anytime they want. The Spetsnaz want only the best, pain-hardened, battle-loving killers.

They spar with the express goal of injuring each other, breaking ribs, fingers, vertebrae, healing only long enough to get back on their feet and complete the training. They are typically deployed for reconnaissance or house-to-house close quarters combat, but are also employed as extremely formidable bodyguards for high-ranking politicians.

They claim that they are not taught to ignore pain, since that is impossible. They are instead taught to enjoy it.

9. French Naval Commandos

They call themselves “berets verts,” or “green berets,” and consist of 6 units: Hubert, Trepel, de Montfort, de Penfentenyo, Jaubert, and Kieffer. Each unit is trained for special tasks, whether combat diving, close quarters sea combat, exfiltration, canine units, or long range fire support, including snipers and missile launchers. They were established much at the behest of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who was a naval officer in WWII.

8. MARSOC

Currently, only men are allowed to try out for the U. S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command. It’s primary missions are typically special reconnaissance, direct action, and internal defense within foreign nations.

Their training regimen is comprised of 4 phases, increasing in strenuousness. Phase 1 is SERE training, survival, evasion, resistance, escape. They are trained to make fire by friction, fire by mirrors, even fire by ice, depending on the location to which they are deployed. You mold the ice with the heat of your hands into the shape of a lens, which works just like a magnifying glass.

Of course, they take matches and Zippos with them. After this, they begin physical fitness training, and hand-to-hand combat, practicing a hybrid of the most functional martial arts: Jeet Kune Do, Wing Chun, Karate, Jiu-Jitsu, even Pankration. Then, Sayoc Kali, which is Filipino knife fighting.

This is just phase 1. Phase 2 is marksmanship, amphibious demolitions, reconnaissance. Phase 3 is a contrinuation of 2, but with the addition of field radioes and satellite data-uplink systems. Phase 4 is “irregular warfare” instruction, which is a euphemism for “anything goes.” This phase consists primarily of the Derna Bridge operation, which forces the recruits to use all skills acquired during the course.

7. MI-6

The closest thing to James Bond can be found in the personnel of the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service, or Security Service, section 6. It works in close partnership with section 5 (MI-5), the latter which is more of a pure spy agency, dedicated to counter-intelligence and counter-espionage.

MI-6, however, is the unit which deploys its agents all over the world to detect international intelligence threats and “neutralize” them before they become truly dangerous. Their headquarters is at Vauxhall Cross, London, and they will be quick to tell you there that there is no James Bond among them, and that their assignments and missions are quite boring.

They do, however, have an agent very similar to “Q,” who is in charge of all equipment and weaponry deployed for each operation. They also have indoor firing ranges, dojos, and a gym.

6. U. S. Army Rangers

After basic Army training, voluntary enlistment into the 75th Ranger Regiment will train the recruit for the HALO parachute jump, Hari ini i-dus.com bertemakan tentang” Update : 10 Pasukan Elite Terbaik Di Dunia SERE, languages, elite combatives expert, mountain warfare, combat diving, in addition to all the weapons qualification training.

After nine weeks of this, they enroll in Advanced Individual Training, to become masters of their chosen fields, then immediately enroll in the Army Airborne School, then in Ranger Indoctrination or Orientation Programs.

By the time they’ve graduated, they’re so well trained that members have reported waking up screaming from nightmares about Ranger school to be relieved that they are only in Vietnam.

But then, they lose a few points for an incident a Ranger told me about: he was the captain of a tank regiment on maneuvers in the Amazon jungle. Just an exercise, but because of the sweltering heat, they had to open their tank hatches. This captain, who shall remain nameless, heard a thump behind him, and turned to see a Goliath Bird-eating Spider crawling toward him, raising its front legs and hissing.

He admits to screaming like a girl, knifing the tarantula, jumping out of the tank and running off into the jungle for a mile and a half. His buddies still rib him about it.

5. U. S. Army Green Berets

That’s their nickname. Technically they are the U. S. Army Special Forces, as opposed to the special forces of other countries, many of which also wear green berets.

Typically, the Green Berets are trained to administer “unconventional warfare,” which entails infiltrating a hostile area in anticipation of a large-scale military engagement, and training the local resistance populations to fight back against the enemy. This was done in South Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, among others.

In the event that there is no local resistance to the enemy, the Green Berets infiltrate and soften up the enemy by “neutralizing” as many of its officers as possible. This usually involved sniping and throat cutting.

Training is very extensive and begins with the Army’s assessment of the recruit’s possession of 12 attributes: intelligence, physical fitness, motivation, trustworthiness, accountability, maturity, stability, judgment, decisiveness, teamwork, influence, and communications. 40% of applicants satisfy the Army that they have these attributes.

Final training consists of various endurance courses, carrying heavy backpacks over 40 miles of rugged terrain, with nothing but a live chicken and a knife, day and night. If the recruit can make a fire, he can eat the chicken cooked. He is not given matches or a lighter. He is allowed only a compass and his own hand-drawn map, completed from earlier reconnaissance courses.

4. The Delta Force

The only official United States counter-terrorism unit, dedicated to hostage rescues, counter-insurgency, and general counter-terrorism. They’re full name is 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, managed by the Army. Selection is done according to a physical fitness test: situps, pushups, followed by a 3-mile run, in an undisclosed time limit.

Then an all-night, 18-mile hike over mountainous terrain with a 35 lb backpack and a compass, no map. This finally culminated with a 40-mile hike with a 45 lb backpack, in a shorter time limit.

Then psychologists conduct a grueling battery of mental exams on the recruit to try to break him into confusion. If he passes this, he actually gets to begin Delta Force training, for 6 months. Firearms, heavy weaponry, elite hand-to-hand training.

3. Shayetet 13

The name means “Flotilla 13,” and their official motto is the same as the Israeli military: “Never Again,” in reference to the Holocaust. Their unofficial motto, as they like to joke, is “When the going gets tough, the Jews get pissed.”

They are 1 of the 3 most elite Israeli special forces units, but Shayetet 13 is the unit most similar to the Delta Force. They specialize in hostage rescue and counter-terrorism, and because they live so close to a host of nations that seem bent on eradicating them, they are at all times ready in an instant to travel abroad and kill. They are very secretive, but of their missions publicized, the most notable include Operation Spring of Youth, in which they hunted down members of Black September in Beirut Lebanon and killed them, in revenge for the 1972 Munich massacre.

Apart from their firearms and heavy weapons training, they train extensively in Krav Maga, the national martial art of Israel, to which they endearingly refer as “Jew-jitsu.” It’s philosophy is based on the principle that in a real street fight no quarter will be asked or given. Fight to kill. Groin strikes are quite prevalent.

2. Navy SEAL

You might think there are a lot of them, given the number of action movies dedicated to the plot device of an invincible warrior, but there are only about 2,000 of them. They are the Unites States’s most elite special warfare combatants. They are trained in all the fields in which the other U. S. special forces are trained, but to an even higher degree of competency.

SEAL training lasts over a year, and requires an age of between 17 and 28 years, male, incorrect vision no worse than 20/200 in either eye, and correctable to 20/20, and the physical screening test, which is beyond belief.

500 yd (460 m) swim using breast or combat sidestroke in under 12:30 with a competitive time of under 10:30.
At least 42 push-ups in 2 minutes with a competitive count of 79 or more.
At least 50 sit-ups in 2 minutes with a competitive count of 79 or more.
At least 6 pull-ups from a dead hang (no time limit) with a competitive count of 11 or more.
Run 1.5 mi (2.4 km) in boots and trousers in under 11:30 with a competitive time of 10:20 or less

Then training begins. Physical conditioning, diving, land warfare, for 24 weeks, then 26 more weeks of SEAL qualification training. Then specialization in whatever fields a SEAL team needs expertise in: anything from sniper to language specialist, rope climbing, diving, jumpmaster, surreptitious entry, dynamic entry (door breacher), etc.

1 . British SAS

The Special Air Service is trained to perform equally well in all the fields listed for the SEALs, but is also trained by MI-5 and MI-6 for in-depth counter-espionage, more so than the SEALs. Physical competency must be of equal stature to the SEALs, to the degree that both special forces work closely together when necessary (Iraq and Afghanistan) and have good camaraderie.

They wear a tan beret, just as the U. S. Army Rangers, and both the SAS and SEALs are trained in knife fighting by experts in Apache Indian knife techniques, as well as Sayoc Kali, Krav Maga, Jeet Kune Do, and for the last 3 years or so, the Keysi Fighting Method, made famous by the Chris Nolan “Batman” films.

They have the distinction of being the model on which almost all national commando units are based today, including every other entry on this list.

Source: http://www.chrocodile.co.cc

Frank J, who conducts Krav Maga classes in Richmond Town, offered a different perspective. He usually delivers a five minute talk on how to deal with bullet wounds and shrapnel gashes, and also attempts to include a session by a doctor every two-three months. “Today, the war isn’t happening on the borders. If a car bomb goes off at a mall and your family’s injured, what do you do?” he asked. All of it may be rather grim talk for a city in which a pint is considered more a measure of beer than of blood, but, as Chatterjee said, “Everyone must know what to do in an emergency.”

There are many sobriquets our fair city has earned itself over the years – Bean Town, Garden City, Pub Capital and Silicon City. A rather strange one may soon join the list, going by a meeting of determined committee members of Nightingales Lifesaving Services on a Saturday evening. The group resolutely switched off the first match of the Indian Premier League between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians to thrash out marketing strategies which would make Bengaluru the Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation capital of India.

BV Murali Mohan, the project’s co-ordinator, and a pulmonologist and physician at Narayana Hrudayalaya, said, “It takes six minutes for the brain to die once the heart stops in the event of a cardiac arrest. Administering CPR helps to restart the heart, pump blood and keep the brain alive till emergency medical services get there, which would definitely take longer than six minutes in Bengaluru.”

Mohan cited the case of New Zealand tailender Ewan Chatfield to illustrate how an accident could happen to anyone, not just the elderly. In a match against England in 1974-75, Chatfield was seriously injured by a short delivery by Peter Lever. It took quick action in the form of a heart massage and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation by England’s physiotherapist Bernard Thomas to save his life. “One of our main challenges is to convince youngsters that they need to know CPR, because it could save someone’s life,” Mohan explained.

Another proponent of the importance of Basic Life Support courses is Somnath Chatterjee, a consultant at the intensive care unit at Manipal Hospital. “An emergency is what it is,” he stated firmly. “It could happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere.” Like at NLS, the BLS programme at Manipal Hospital (which includes CPR training) is carried out for corporates and groups comprising about 20-30 people, say from a particular housing colony. The classes are a mix of theory and practicals on mannequins, at the end of which a certificate is given to students who can confidently carry out the procedure.

Aysha H, a project engineer with the Quality, Safety and Technology department at Sobha Developers, attended the Manipal Hospital session in August 2008. “There are lots of accidents at construction sites,” she said. “We felt just auditing safety shouldn’t be our job, we should know how to have control over situations.”

R Jayachandran, a physical fitness instructor at Fitness First, joined the NLS programme in April this year, out of curiosity. He said, “There are so many accidents that happen in Indira Nagar and the outskirts. This way, I can at least try to save someone’s life.”

At Solace, a 20,000-sq-ft gym in Calcutta, members can choose from yoga, body balancing, Krav Maga and salsa.

Is it a gym? Or a dance studio? Or is it a spa? Or salon? Well, it’s all these and more. Welcome to the exciting world of new-age gyms that are springing up across India.

Fitness centres, once upon a time, were places where you worked out and walked out. Now they are turning into holistic wellness centres, where members are totally spoilt for choice.

Leading the change are international chains like Fitness First, True Fitness and Celebrity Fitness, which have set up shop here, hoping to turn India into a fitness zone. Others like F. Chisel, a gym-plus-spa set up by fashion channel FTV, too are redefining the concept of gyms.

These new temples of fitness have more high-tech exercise machines than ever before — for every imaginable body part. There are private exercise rooms for celebrity guests, and group exercise studios too. And you can chart your way through an exhaustive menu of workouts ranging from famed yoga guru Bikram Choudhary’s Hot Yoga — yes, he of the Madonna and Sharon Stone following — to Les Mills workouts like BodyPump and BodyJam.

There’s more. Wet areas or saunas now look more like spas than utilitarian gyms. And some gyms even have full-fledged spas as an integral part of their services. They’re also revving up service standards by bringing in internationally certified trainers and offering personalised training. They want to offer a complete lifestyle — that means swank interiors with juice bars, cafeterias and recreation lounges.

“We offer the best in yoga, fitness, spa and beauty treatments,” says Nicholas Kraal, assistant business development manager, True Fitness. The Singapore chain’s first centre in India, launched in Mumbai recently, includes a gym, the first Hot Yoga centre in India and its True Spa. By March, it will take a snip at a new business and open Hakim’s Aalim Hair Lounge.

Or take F. Chisel, a partnership between FTV and fitness consultant Satya Sinha, which is spreading the fitness gospel in Bengaluru and Delhi. “Ours is a lifestyle product. We want to combine everything under one roof,” says managing director Sinha.

Adds Sanjay Mani, head, licensing and merchandising, FTV Channel: “As a lifestyle channel, F. Chisel was a natural transition for us. Our approach is pretty holistic. We want to cater to the hard-working urban youngster, who also loves to take care of his or her body.”

Indeed, actor Milind Soman, who just opened his gym, Breathe, in South Delhi feels, “The way we work-out has changed. People are constantly looking for new ways of working out.”

Fit to lead

The push in the new direction is being led by a clutch of international chains that have set up shop in India, bringing with them, the latest in international gym trends.

So, you have Fitness First India which exists in 17 countries and which has already opened four centres and plans to add three more over the next eight months. “The indicators were right to start our chain here,” says Vikram Aditya Bhatia, managing director, Fitness First India.

Putting in a range of facilities can be expensive, so you have gyms like True Fitness planning to spend Rs 40 crore in India and which is looking at moving to Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru. And Celebrity Fitness’ managing director Steve Franklin says he wants to take international-standard gyms to small-town India.

And yes, size matters. True Fitness’ Mumbai centre is spread over two floors — or 60,000sq ft — of an Andheri mall. Celebrity First’s Gurgaon centre too occupies a huge 38,000sq ft.

So what are the five things to look out for in these new age gyms? Read on.

An exhaustive menu

Walk into True Fitness’ Mumbai centre and you’ll see two large expanses on either side of the reception packed with exercise equipment. There are over 250 machines including 140 cardio machines like cross-trainers and cardio-wave machines (which simulate the skiing motion) and 110 Signature Series resistance machines for different body parts. On one side is a beginner’s station where 10 machines are laid out in a circuit for the chest, back, abs, arms, shoulders and legs. At the far end is a spinning studio and just outside it True Fitness even has 22 cardio-wave machines set in a circle for a high-intensity group workout.

That’s not all. Further down are two private training rooms for celebrity clients. Each has a treadmill, cardio wave and Power Plate machine. Plus, there’s a new cable-based machine, Kinesis, for pulley-based workouts of the upper and lower body and legs.

Then, there’s a 2,500-sq-ft group exercise studio. A floor below is a 2,800-sq-ft women’s workout room, and a Bikram Yoga centre, which has a 2,800-sq-ft heated room for group classes and a smaller one for private lessons.

Move over to Celebrity First in Delhi and Gurgaon and here the activity chart reads like a menu card. With over 150 group classes a week from yoga to spinning, you can literally hop from one class to another all day. Again, there are separate yoga and personal training studios. “The idea is to make workouts fun,” says Franklin.

It’s the same at Fitness First, which first introduced Les Mills formats like RPM (spinning) and BodyPump (a group weights class) in India.

Now, others like True Fitness are offering these too. Its members too can choose from over 100 group classes a week including Bikram Yoga. “The response to our Bikram Yoga classes has been fantastic,” says Rowena Ooi, who has moved here from Choudhary’s Australia centre.

A 90-minute Bikram Yoga class entails 26 asanas done at 43°C. “There are a lot of benefits of exercising under heated conditions. It improves the immune system, breaks down fat faster and releases more toxins too,” says Ooi.

At Solace, a 20,000-sq-ft gym in Calcutta, members can choose from yoga, body balancing, Krav Maga and salsa.

The new gyms are bringing in the latest machines too. Amatraa Spa has two Advanced Human Performance Studios with high-tech VibroGym machines. Unlike Power Plate, which has a single motor and so doesn’t vibrate the entire body, the VibroGym has two motors for whole body vibration. “The VibryoGym is used by ultra-busy people as you expend more energy in a shorter time,” says Shilpi Tandon, a trainer here.

Tailor-made and personal too

These facilities are backed by world-class service and personalised care. At Fitness First, it starts even before you join. Members undergo several tests and consultations first. The gym assesses their fitness on five parameters: resting heart rate, body composition, flexibility, lung capacity and blood pressure. It accordingly prescribes an exercise regimen.

On joining, there’s a structured assessment programme. At least 15 of the gym’s 25 instructors are always on call. And every member gets two free personal training sessions. “We’re raising the standard and delivering it with consistency,” says Jeremy Cheong, head of fitness, who has relocated from Fitness First’s Malaysia centre.

True Fitness too offers personalised training. Under its basic membership package (Rs 50,000 per annum excluding Bikram Yoga), members get 12 free personal training sessions. There are 48 free sessions under the Rs 5 lakh package (for a couple, for five years).

Celebrity Fitness’s Rapid Result Training personalised workout is based on five elements: aerobic exercise, resistance training, diet, professional assistance and correct protein and vitamin intake. “We follow these elements strictly to ensure maximum results in the shortest time,” says Franklin.

World-class trainers

The new gyms are ensuring they have the best qualified trainers too. For instance, 50 per cent of Fitness First’s instructors have undergone the Les Mills training programme.

“We fly in master trainers from Dubai and Philippines for training, and keep investing in such things to ensure quality,” says Cheong.

Celebrity Fitness puts its level one Rapid Results trainers alone through six weeks’intensive training. And it has got instructors from Malaysia like Kris Malhotra, who takes the spinning class.

True Fitness too brought a four-member team from Thailand to train its local trainers. Its current fitness manager is from Malaysia too.

And at Breathe, Soman and his partner Rahul Dev have handpicked instructors certified by the American College of Sports Medicine. “The more fit the instructors, the more enthusiastic they are,” says Soman.

Wet and cool

At Amatraa gym, you feel like a VVIP whenever you enter the wet room. For as you sit in the sauna or Jacuzzi, an attendant waits on you offering herbal tea, fresh lime sodas and fruits. The gym has one wet area for women and two for men, stocked with specially-made Amatraa body scrubs and oils.

Meanwhile, F. Chisel, True Fitness and Solace have full-fledged spas. F. Chisel offers varied treatments like Javanese, Balinese and hot stone massages, and hydro treatments too. It has eight luxurious treatment rooms manned by international therapists.

True Fitness’s True Spa has nine massage and two facial rooms. The two VIP massage rooms have Jacuzzis for hydrobath treatments in chocolate or milk. Again, there are various treatments like the Balinese deep tissue massage and Royal Sports massage.

F. Chisel’s Delhi centre even offers body sculpting and makeovers. It has an in-house team of nutritionists and beauty therapists. “We’re committed to transforming the total image of our clients,” says Sinha.

Even older players like Gold’s Gym are beefing up their offering. Its Calcutta outlet has two 900-sq-ft wet areas for men and women, where it offers spa treatments. It has a swanky juice bar too.

Lounge about

The 1,400-sq-ft lounge at Celebrity Fitness could well house your neighbourhood gym. But it’s not just a large space — it has all the features of a pub with its swank décor, psychedelic lights and pulsating music. Plus it has a fresh juice bar. “We’re creating a club atmosphere. You hear the music and immediately feel like dancing. We want people to feel energised here,” says Franklin.

The members’ lounge at Amatraa too resembles a plush bar with leather-and-wood interiors, and a juice bar. “We keep investing on the upkeep as we have high-profile members,” says Amatraa’s Vandana Uberoi.

Meanwhile, Fitness First too has a member’s lounge with coffee machines. It even plans to start a DVD library. True Fitness has a live DJ on the exercise floor and it will open a cafeteria soon. And Solace has a juice bar-cum-lounge.

Clearly, then, the new gyms are ensuring that their members get the best in fitness and that they have a good time exercising too.

Additional inputs by Aarti Dua and Tania Bhattacharya;
Photographs by Jagan Negi, Rupinder Sharma, Rashbehari Das, Gajanan Dudhalkar

Source: The Telegraph

It’s never too late to learn a how to defend yourself — after all, the streets aren’t getting any safer

You could be petite or small-built, but never underestimate what your body can actually do. And that goes even for the women. The world isn’t getting any safer and one of the best ways to protect oneself is to learn a form of art that will come handy when you’re in trouble. From judo, karate, kick-boxing, kalari — there are plenty of options. Even a form that has its roots far away in Israel like Krav Maga is fast-gaining popularity in Bengaluru.

Krav Maga enables you to defend yourself without having to use a weapon.

Frank, a certified instruction, has been training 200 people and most of his students are women. “It is important for women to learn this more than the men as they can defend themselves better during a blind-attack situation as they kick and punch their way through the brawl. This form of martial art also instills confidence and improves a person’s body language,” he says.

Many women have secured themselves from the fear of being attacked and harassed by kicking and punching away in Krav Maga style. Frank has been trained by Vicky Kapoor, chief instructor, Krav Maga, India, who has also trained Abhay Deol for his upcoming film.

“My tryst with Krav Maga began while I was living alone in Delhi, since it was an unsafe city. It was when I met a few army officers who told me about this martial art that I developed a passion towards it and finally turned into my profession,” says Frank.

There is no specific criterion required to learn Krav Maga and Frank says, “There is no strength factor involved in this form.  Krav Maga does not mean getting into a fight. Instead, it works as a stress buster that helps you get away from it.”

“Twist and turn …straight punch” — an instructor barks out these orders in a room full of women learning to kick and punch their way out of trouble.

It’s a place where young female professionals are undergoing training in Krav Maga, the lethal Israeli martial art. With an alarming rise in crime against women professionals, many firms have started offering self-defence training courses to their female employees.

The trend is more pronounced in the BPO industry where women often have to work on the graveyard shift. As more and more women swipe into offices, harassment is one of the issues they encounter as they step out of their homes.

Manisha Bedi (name changed), a 24-year-old executive, is thrilled about a session organised by her employer where she discovered the technique of how to kick, strike a blow and get out of an attacker’s grip.

Crimes against women, including sexual harassment and rape, have gone up 93% and 40%, respectively, in 2007 compared to 1996, according to National Crime Records Bureau and Home Ministry. A significant number of women are employed in the services sector — IT-BPO, airlines, hospitality, hospitals and retail.

Over 35% women comprise the workforce of the $60 billion IT BPO sector. A few years ago, the rape and murder of a call centre executive had rocked the industry, underscoring the lapses and loopholes in corporate security practices. To safeguard women’s interests, companies are conducting self-defence workshops on the campus.

A power-to-telecom corporate has arranged a post-lunch 90-minute session for its women employees to practise fist-to-face moves. Such initiatives help in promoting women empowerment and gender inclusiveness, said industry observers. At these  workshops, women are not only given training in the physical aspects of warding off an attack but are also taught to be mentally alert.

Hindustan Times Newspaper

Let’s face it — it is easy to tire of workouts. Running on the treadmill every day or following the same weight-training routine for a few months can become boring. It also ceases being challenging when your body gets used to it.

To mix things up a bit, take up a martial art. It’s a great workout that tones your body, jogs your mind, and also sharpens your reflexes, keeping you safe on the streets. Not only are there plenty of options to choose from, but you’ll also never have a dull moment in your workout.

Whether you pick a “soft” martial art like t’ai chi chuan, which focuses less on combat and more on holistic health, or a “harder” martial art like karate that teaches you how to protect yourself in everyday situations, you are certain to reap health benefits.

Krav maga

Less a martial art and more a system of hand-to-hand combat devised by the Israeli defence forces, Krav Maga isn’t for the weak-willed. The system combines grappling and wrestling techniques with street-fighting skills. You learn how to break the stranglehold of an attacker by going for his groin, face or knee. Unlike in martial arts where certain moves are not permissible, the focus of Krav Maga is crystal clear: be aware of threats and deal with them as effectively as possible.

Trust us, this ends up giving you as good a workout as any. “Krav Maga improves your cardiovascular strength to the highest level,” says Vicky Kapoor, chief instructor of Krav Maga India. “It also increases your muscular strength.” Apart from improving your coordination and flexibility, Krav Maga also helps you burn calories. “Each workout is an hour-long and can help you burn nearly 800 calories,” he says. A stress-busting workout that makes you think on your feet? Now that’s what we’d call a win-win situation.

Interested in learning? 
Delhi: Krav Maga India, 011-41764207

Often I have come across this sarcastic query, “Do martial arts really work in a street fight! Is it worth training at all!?”

That may be asking like why maintain a fire brigade since it is idle most of the time. Any physical activity is beneficial in some manner.

It could be games, yoga, swimming, cycling, dance or anything. It could improve some element of total fitness – either cardio-vascular, muscular endurance, flexibility or atleast co-ordination and quick thinking; which help in a crisis. But, if you are in a job prone to confrontations like security, policing, hotel bouncer etc., learning fighting arts is definitely a plus.

Or if your life style makes you vulnerable, like living in a crime prone locality, commuting late or transporting valuables.

But a word of caution, look out for these inherent failures in any fighting art before signing up. These system weaknesses make you victim and at worst a casualty. So choose carefully. Your life depends on it.

What are the signs that a martial art is NOT street-smart -

1) CHOREOGRAPHED MOVEMENTS – That is nice in dance. In the street it can make one look ridiculous. Because the most shocking realization in the street is the ‘unpredictability’. Choose a fighting method like KravMaga, which constantly exposes you to attacks from different directions, angles and timings, which makes one adaptable.

2) NO AGGRESSION TRAINING – Having an obliging partner who holds back his punches politely, stands still till the partner goes through all the movements makes one complacent. Choose a method which teaches you the basic skills, then escalates physical and mental stress. KravMaga classes have some energy sapping aggression training.

3) TRAINING IN A SINGLE METHOD LIKE STANDING STYLE OR GROUND STYLE The reality is, one could be standing, sitting or on the ground when attacked. Or it could be even an attack by more than one. Or it could be in a suffocating crowd. If you are training in a martial art which says punching & kicking will solve all problems, or just grappling will do, start praying in a street fight. Better still, choose KravMaga which trains one in kicking, punching, grappling, restraining with locks / holds. And to face street weapons like sticks and knives too.

4) COMPLICATED AND EXOTIC TECHNIQUES Looks great in movies. Or in a demo to school kids. On the street it’s quick and decisive movements which count. Fancy kicks and locks fail miserably in reality, unless you are facing a still dummy. And they take years of repeated practice to be effective. Leave that to the grey-haired masters.

5) PHILOSOPHICAL MUMBO-JUMBO IN CLASS Philosophical nuggets went along with the movie Karate Kid. A self-defense class is about facing a rapist, a mugger or a bunch of drunken goons. Learn that first before worrying about self-actualization.

Eyal Yanilov (born in 1959) studied Krav-Maga under the personal tutelage of its founder, Imi Sde-Or (Lichtenfeld), and has served as the Grand master’s closest assistant and foremost disciple since the early 1980s. Active in this field since 1973, he is now its most senior instructor. Mr. Yanilov is the only individual who carries the highest grade ever given by Imi (Master level 3/Expert level and holds the unique “Founder’s Diploma of Excellence” (This diploma was given only to two persons, the other – one of Eyal’s top students, Mr. Darren Levine, Expert level 6, of the United States).

Eyal Yanilov started his Krav-Maga training with Mr. Eli Avikzar (one of Imi’s top students at the time) and soon after- wards began to study directly with the founder himself. At an early age, Eyal was instructing at the training studio that Imi had entrusted to Eli Avikzar, and on many occasions assisted and substituted for the Grandmaster in lessons and preparations with students who were to be tested for grades of expert level. At a later stage, when Imi appointed him Head of the Krav-Maga Professional Committee, Eyal was responsible for preparing and updating the Krav-Maga curriculum. In this capacity Eyal had the task of imparting the new developments and accumulated knowledge, changes in techniques, and the latest training methods to the other senior instructors.

In 1984 Grandmaster Imi Sde-Or placed Eyal in charge of preparing the complete and comprehensive series on the Krav-Maga discipline (of which this book is a part). Since then, and until the system’s founder passed away in January 1998, the two were deeply engrossed in the task of writing down the principles of Krav-Maga and clarifying its various techniques.

Since directing the first self-defense instructors course for American citizens, in 1981, Eyal Yanilov has been teaching a large number of Krav-Maga and self-defense instructors courses in many countries around the world, under the auspices of the Israeli Ministry of Education and the International Krav-Maga Federation (IKMF). Eyal, together with his most advanced students who serve as local directors or chief instructors in their countries, are the key force in spreading Krav-Maga teaching throughout the world. Mr. Yanilov is currently serving as Chairman and Chief Instructor of the IKMF, and heads the International School of Krav-Maga. In this capacity, he is in charge of the development, definition, and dissemination of the system.

Mr. Yanilov is a graduate of the School for Trainers and Instructors at the Wingate Institute for Sport and Physical Education, and also holds a degree in Electrical Engineering. He has spent years training fighters of elite units and members of special anti terrorist squads, while teaching at colleges for physical education instructors.

Since the early eighties Eyal has been training different groups, in various seminars and courses: ordinary civilians coming to learn self-defense, military units, police units, executive protection personnel, special units, SWAT teams, and other security-oriented groups in Israel, Europe, South America, and the United States. Within this context, he specializes in improving the fighting skills and general abilities of members of these groups.

Mr. Yanilov’s main objective now is to educate future Krav-Maga instructors around the world, and he always enjoys promoting any such initiative in this direction.

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.

Martial art techniques ranging from Jujitsu, Taekwondo and the novel Krav Maga ruled the roost on the second day of Vitalsport.

There was then Krav Maga, something you might have heard of if you have followed singer Jennifer Lopez closely. Closer home, Abhay Deol is learning it for his next movie.

Dressed in fatigues of a soldier is Frank, Bengaluru’s Krav Maga practitioner. Krav Maga is a system of self defence created by Israeli military and combines the various forms of martial arts. It is highly dynamic and street oriented. “There is nothing fancy. Instead, Krav Maga teaches you how to enhance your energy and protect yourselves and those around you,” he says.

It is also very situational. “The training we give depends on the situation you are under,” says Frank. So while some of his clients require him to train employees on how to escape from a building on fire, there are MNC companies who want him to train employees on anti-terrorist drills.

“There is a lot of demand for them and in these workshops, I give people basic information such as how to duck when a hand grenade is thrown at you, what to do when a car bomb explodes, and even when to cry or not to cry in front of a terrorist!”

With a self-defence technique to handle every possible danger you can think of, Krav Maga, Frank elaborates, is more about instilling confidence in the person. Tactical and martial arts are only a small part of it. It is about combining science, psychology and physical strength to protect yourself.

With even schools facing security threats, Frank also conducts workshops at schools , training kids in things such as identifying a bad guy in the crowd. With around 200 students learning the art from him, Krav Maga has definitely come here to stay.