It might have been developed as hand-to-hand combat for the Israeli military, but Krav Maga today has morphed into a popular group activity with team building at its core. There are different programmes for civilians and for the military. And bite this: there are defence programmes for women and children too.

Ultimate Tactical and Combat, a private outfit of Krav Maga practitioners in Delhi, teaches the discipline at various locations like Radisson Hotel, Noida, Club Excel and its own studio in Saket. In Kolkata, Solace gym holds special classes for children twice a week.

Krav Maga trainer Udit Bagga, who conducts classes at Ozone in Delhi at least three days a week, says: “Apart from burning some 800 calories an hour, the highest in any group activity, it is about combat in a real-life situation.”

Exercising alone can be drop dead boring. So how do you get back your zest for burning that fat without letting the monotony of it kill you? Well, just go social.

Social workouts or group exercises are all the rage today. And the news gets better as group sessions — encompassing a wide spectrum from cardio workouts to body conditioning and flexibility routines — come free with membership at most savvy gyms across the country.

“A feeling of bonhomie pervades such sessions. If the person next to you is executing the same steps as you and an instructor is keeping up the tempo to peppy music, you are likely to exercise better,” says Devashish Singh of Fitness First.

According to fitness consultant Preetom Mukherjee-Roy, a good gym should offer at least four to five different group activities. He adds: “The routines are changed frequently which is also why group fitness is never monotonous.”

Les Mills Group Fitness

Group exercises conceived and formatted by Les Mills (a former athlete from New Zealand who developed a series of pre-choreographed fitness-to-music classes) are a rage internationally. At present they are available only at Fitness First and Celebrity Fitness — the two international health club chains in the country.

A typical session may include Body Combat that packs in a power-punching cardio session inspired by martial art disciplines, or Body Balance that incorporates yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates to improve flexibility and strength. For body sculpting there’s Body Pump that includes working out with weights.

“To keep the surprise element going the music is changed and the steps improvised once in three months,” says Singh of Fitness First.

Yoga

Yoga is the magic word in the world of fitness. While some go for the basic traditional yoga classes three times a week, others fit power yoga into their schedules.

If at Wildflower Hall, an Oberoi property in Shimla, group yoga is part of its wellness programme, at Fitness First, traditional yoga is on the schedule three times a week. Meanwhile there are yoga experts like Meera Bhagnani in Kolkata, who conduct classes in their studios.

At Vins, a fitness club in Gurgaon, power yoga is on the menu but only if members pass the flexibility test run by club-owner Vinodini Gupta.

Says Gupta: “If a little bit of power is added to it, yoga transforms into a cardio vascular activity that also helps one to lose weight. Depending upon your target, you can do it three times a week or more.”

Spinning

Non-stop cycling on a stationary bike for almost an hour at a stretch is a big hit too. With an instructor egging you on at intervals (“You are climbing a hill right now, don’t give up now”) and fellow spinners going at it with all they’ve got, it’s not hard to get into the swing of things.

Spinning tops popularity charts everywhere — at Gold’s Gym on AJC Bose Road, Ozone and Fitness First in Delhi.

Says Mukherjee-Roy: “Spinning came into being as off-season cycling. High-octane energy with the right kind of lighting, upbeat music and an instructor acting as motivator makes all the difference.”

Aqua Exercises

In Ballygunge, the heart of Kolkata, Solace Gym and Spa offers exercises in water. You can choose between sessions of aqua yoga, aqua therapy and aqua aerobics.

The deal: one burns more calories in water than otherwise because working out in water is very strenuous. The hydrostatic pressure of the water massages and refreshes you even as you exercise.

In Mumbai, fitness expert Deepali Jain takes classes of aqua aerobics with the help of equipment like aqua pumps, aqua balls, aqua resistance tubing and more. Her main focus is to strengthen the core muscles and the back.

Says Jain: “You cannot cheat the water. You’ve got to work yourself once you are in it.”

Source: I love Kolkata

The security set-up of business houses have been a source of concern. Most business houses engage private guards. In order to overcome this problem, more than 50 lakh security guards across the country will now undergo training developed by the Israeli defence forces called Krav Maga.

Ultimate Tactical and Combat Private Limited (UTCPL), a company which also provides training to specialised forces like Tihar jail police and SWAT teams, will train the guards. “One cannot deploy policemen at each and every house but since there are a large number of security guards who are engaged by private business houses, they can be trained to be more professional in case of any attack from terrorists or criminals. They can act as first line of defence,” said Kunwar Vikram Singh of Central Association of the Private Security Industry (CAPSI).

“Krav Maga emphasises training that will enable guards to execute appropriate tactics and defensive techniques in a timely manner with or without the use of force,” said Vikram Kapoor, MD of UTCPL. Experts claimed that the programme has been designed in association with the Security and Protection Training School in Israel and the guards after screening will be trained by Israeli commandos. The training will be devised according to the unit’s operation purpose.

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.

New Delhi, Jan.10 (ANI): Under constant threat of terrorism and urban street crime, all military forces, security & law enforcement agencies, youngsters of India are opting for ”Krav Maga, an Israeli system of self-defence and combat tactics.

In this system, students are instructed in state-of-the-art defensive principles that apply to a variety of threatening attacks that occur during commonly documented street crimes. Defensive maneuvers are combined with simultaneous counter-attacks until all potential danger is eliminated.

This system of martial arts was introduced in India in 2003 by Vicky (Vikram) Kapoor, who began his training in Krav Maga in Israel in 2003. He heads the “Ultimate Tactical & Combat Pvt. Ltd.” as the CEO and Managing Director of the company.

“Because this system is developed on the natural reflexes and natural movement of the body, which makes the system unique and very simple to learn and retain. Unlike controversial martial arts, the Chinese and the Japanese forms which is developed from the animal behavior. If you are learning somebody’’s behavior, you are mastering, perfecting and then using it. So the process of learning and using it takes a lot of time. Whereas in ”Krav Maga”, if I teach you one technique now, you can go out and if somebody attacks you, with an eye you can defend yourself,” Said Vicky Kapoor, Director, Ultimate Tactical and Combat Private Limited.

This system of self-defence is totally different from the other traditional martial arts. A common criticism of the traditional martial arts is the lack of real-life applicability.

Post Mumbai terror attacks; Krav Maga is gaining popularity among youngsters for self-defence.

“We are also aware that at no point of time, I as an individual be better equipped than the terrorist. But it is more of the reaction, speed and frame of mind. If I can maintain my calm, maintain my peace and think rationally and think fast, I can help a lot of people overcome that situation,” said Gaurav Shourie, a trainee.

Krav Maga, literally means ”contact combat”, is highly effective, battle tested, fighting skills and defensive tactics that was first developed in Czechoslovakia in the 1930s by Imi Lichtenfeld.

Krav Maga is the official system of hand-to-hand combat and self-defense employed by the Israeli Defense and Security Forces, the Israeli National and Military Police and its Special Operations and Anti Terrorist Units.

It has been expanded outside the borders of Israel and is very successful in the USA, Canada, Brazil, United Kingdom, France Finland, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Japan etc .

It is beginning to make its presence felt in the military and law enforcement sectors in India as well. (ANI)

Source: thaindian.com

“Our country needs pro-active awareness and training from the grass-root level. Our people, staff and society itself is the first line defense by being aware & provide constructive surveillance & be prepared in any kind of crisis management, hostage evacuation or to dodge terror hostage takeover like Mumbai 26/11.

Vicky Kapoor”

Indian Express Newspaper

Sweta Dutta

Posted: Dec 07, 2008 at 0309 hrs IST

New Delhi Hotels give staff combat training

Following the Mumbai terror nightmare, several hotels and corporate houses in the Capital are training staff to deal with hostage situations and bomb blasts. A city-based tactical and combat training institute has been flooded with calls for training modules post 26/11.

The training institute, Ultimate Tactical and Combat Pvt Ltd in Saket, claims three five-star hotels and as many prominent BPO firms have hired its services to train staff.

“Beefing up security arrangements will not help, so a number of hotels and corporate houses which are potential targets nowadays are gearing up to face threats by training their staff on coping with blasts and hostage situations,” said Vicky Kapoor, managing director and chief instructor of the training institute. The five-star hotels are based in Central Delhi. Right from the basics of first-aid and fire fighting to minimising blast impact, the module has it all.

“Even if the staff is unarmed, they can dodge terrorists just by using certain tactics. Usually when terrorists strike, they are know they may not survive and so try to kill as many people as they can. The psyche of the terrorist is analysed in detail,” explained Kapoor.

“While the impact of blasts can be minimised by opening up all air flow inlets, the key to dealing with hostage situations lies in predicting the terrorist’s next move. Hostages are usually huddled together or locked up in a room or tied up. So in the beginning, we teach trainees to fight,” Kapoor added.

The module also trains hotel staff to deal with panicky guests and the injured. “First aid is crucial an can save lives. Several people die because they are not lifted in the right manner after sustaining injuries,” he said.

Batches of 50 are taken in and mock sessions are held for the entire team to work in tandem. “It is difficult to train the entire staff at one go as hotels have to cater to guests. So we arrange the training in shifts. Once it is over, mock sessions are conducted,” Kapoor told the Newsline.

The training institute has tie-ups with two Israeli training schools, International Security Academy and International Kravmaga Federation, both of which specialise in tactical combating with suicide bombers and hostage situations.

Several other MNCs and five-star hotel chains in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai have also hired the services of the training institute, authorities said.

Source: Indian Express