Whether you’re stuck at a hotel or lucky enough to be home, it’s difficult to stay active and productive during quarantine. What’s more, when you don’t have to contend with subway rides or commutes to work, it can be a slog just to get yourself out of bed at an otherwise reasonable hour. Nevertheless, the other day I did, and I’m beyond happy with my decision because I got to join a “Krav Maga Combat Ready” class conducted on Zoom, and led by Von Ng, the China Director of Krav Maga Global (KMG).
Ng leading a Krav Maga beginner’s class on Zoom
Ng with his students
Ng has been training in Krav Maga since 2005, and teaching Krav Maga at KMG in Beijing since 2010. According to Ng, “Krav Maga is the primary fighting system used by the Israeli defense forces. It is [also]used by military, security, third party protection, law enforcement, civilian adults and children all over the world. It’s known for its simplicity, it is easy to learn, easy to retain, and it’s direct to the point approach.”
Despite my weariness and sleepy eyes, it was great to get up early and sweat the stress out with a bunch of “Internet friends” through the little screen on my phone. Needless to say, after the workout, I felt fresh and energized.
As it happens, I had stumbled upon the class in a WeChat group called “Yoga Under Quarantine”, in which folks share free online workout classes such as Yoga, Zumba, Chinese Plum Boxing, and more. They are all organized by different people who are passionate about various sports and happy to share their expertise with others.
Meredith C. Wen
Despite its name, the group offers much more than just yoga. According to Meredith C. Wen, the group’s founder, “At first I figured it’d be yoga only because that’s what I’m trained in and I didn’t know if anyone else would want to teach. But within the group, I’ve been approached by really amazing instructors!”
Asked why she decided to start the group, Wen explained that, “When we were initially preparing to return to China and quarantine, I was thinking about what I would need to stay sane. For me, it’s books and movement [so]I wanted to help people out in this way. ”
The online platforms used by instructors in Yoga Under Quarantine may vary, however a pretty popular one right now is Zoom, which is available for both iOS and Android users. It’s quite simple to navigate and comes in English. All you need to do is download the software from your App Store and then join a class by plugging in a Meeting ID, which will be provided by the workout class’ organizer.
During the class, you can choose to mute yourself or switch off your side of the video depending on your situation. But of course, it would be better to turn on the video so the teacher can check your moves and form. As a total beginner and outsider of KMG Combat, I switched the video to keep a low profile. But rest assured, no one is out there to judge, I’m just afraid I would judge myself.
Photos: Courtesy of Meredith, Von Ng, and Wendy Xu
