By Lee Douglas WWW.KRAVCLASSES.COM
A Krav Maga Grading is not reality, but it is the ideal way for you to set goals and measure how your improving. You’ll grow your knowledge and test your application of the strategies and principles of Krav Maga. I’ve seen many emotions from my students during their gradings, the range of feelings are staggering and they can encompass mild discomfort, joy, fear, euphoria to anxiety and people struggling for breath. In short, both positive and negative feelings.
It is completely natural to behave in this way as it’s just our bodies way of managing us through the experience. Acknowledge these emotions for what they are, a chemical cocktail within your body and accept that it is natural for our bodies to do things that they would not normally do. However, if you find yourself performing differently to what you would expect:
“Do not panic, if you feel uncomfortable and make mistakes when you would not normally make them. Becoming comfortable with feeling uncomfortable is part of the test and you’ll grow mentally stronger as an individual from the experience.”
With this in mind, here’s my tips to help you with your Krav Maga grading and good luck”.
Pre Krav Maga Grading:
1. No limiting belief please. If you believe you can pass or you believe you cannot pass, you are most certainly correct. Some of the students see the testing examiners as their nemesis and that they are going to fail. Stop! If you’re training regularly then it should feel like “just another day in the office!”
2. Practice. Attend grading practises. Look through the curriculum for your grade and check you understand all of the elements. Make notes on the techniques. Be honest with yourself, if you think you need some help with a technique or concept, just ask for help before the testing.
Another article that may also help you prepare is this one on learning how to skip. It’s a great way to increase your fitness and footwork in a short space of time:
During your Krav Maga Grading:
3. Recoil. Send those punches and kicks out fast, bring them back quicker.
4. Move off the line. When you’ve performed a technique, Move off the line and commence passive scanning. Once you’ve moved, avoid the spot you started from and choose the best direction to advance/retreat to.
5. Active scan. When you’ve finished a technique, complete a 360 view of the room. With passive scanning there should only be a quick look needed.
6. Specificity. Be choosy about where you strike when you counter an attacker. Remember, most people expect a strike to the face, so remember to strike the groin as well using the appropriate method for the distance. PLEASE, no pats on the back etc, save this for afterwards.
7. Keep going, don’t give up. Easy for you to say watching from the side Mr Lee! Well my tip is to use an internal Mantra to help you finish a timed drill if you’re running on empty. I may on occasion use these Spandau Ballet lyrics:
Gold, always believe in your soul you’ve got the power to know you’re indestructable always believe in, because you are gold……….
(your singing it now eh!)
8. Scan, scan, scan – “Moving and scanning, stay out of the channel” “if you get too sweaty, mop with a flannel”.
Post your Krav Maga Grading:
9. Nutrition, have some goodies with you for afterwards as well.
Here’s some great nutrition sites with more information to help you:
General nutrition tips – https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/nutrition-tips-athletes#1
MMA training tips – https://fightcampconditioning.com/mma-nutrition-tips-twice-day-training/
10. Remember to thank the examiner and representatives of the KMG for the testing and putting you through all that crazy stuff. Remember pass or fail with the testing, the examiners feedback is not personal and if you take it on board and apply it, then you’ll find it’s Gold…..
