We read about the stories of kids being abducted in broad daylight, abused by ayis, ganged up on by other children, and we never think it’ll happen in our groups – until it does. Child abuse at the hands of adults isn’t unique to any specific city or age group. Just because your child is old enough to go to school and hold interesting conversations doesn’t mean that they’ll be safe from abusers.
Know how to protect yourself
One of the skills that I believe every child should learn is self-defense. You don’t want your child going out and picking fights, but should they encounter a dangerous situation, they should know how to first, identify the source of the danger, second, find the quickest way to remove themselves from the situation, and lastly, if they can’t remove themselves from the danger, they should be able to defend themselves.
I spoke with Krav Maga Global (KMG) Beijing’s Yonina Chan about the launch of their latest KMG Krav Junior program that teaches techniques specifically designed for self-defense situations that are unique to their age group living in China. Instead of theatrics, the class focuses on techniques that you can (but hopefully will never need to) use in everyday life.
Learning the practical skills
So what is Krav Maga and how is it different from the other martial arts classes out there for kids? “Unlike taekwondo, karate, Muay Thai, boxing, or other martial arts and combat sports, Krav Maga has absolutely no sport aspect to it, nor is it for competition or performance. Krav Maga is first and foremost a system of self-defense, designed to prevent, avoid, or escape conflict situations,” says Chan. “All the techniques and tactics are practical, straightforward, and designed to be as easy [as possible]to start learning and apply for the average person. More importantly, we cover stranger danger, awareness and avoidance, conflict resolution skills, and many other non-physical skills which are key to self-defense training. ”We consider both age-specific issues and the size of the child (especially versus potential attackers). Even issues like bullying would vary significantly between an eight-year-old child and a 12-year-old teen.”
Created for kids of all age, sex, size, and fitness background, the trainers help instill the confidence of situational awareness and the skills that they need to protect themselves in real-life situations. They use learning games for the younger group and a more structured curriculum for the older kids who have longer attention spans and can comprehend the more complex ideas.
Not to be messed with!
Krav Maga is a military self-defense and fighting system developed for the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli security forces, derived from a combination of techniques sourced from aikido, boxing, wrestling, judo, and karate. It’s known for its focus on real-world situations and its extreme efficiency. The KMG Krav Junior was created several years ago by KMG Master 2 Instructor Ze’ev Cohen and his team in collaboration with educators from different fields, and with input from real parents and families. The program is now active in over 60 countries around the world and has provided fundamental self-defense, awareness, and practical life skills training to several thousands of kids and teens. It also covers all aspects of self-defense training from the physical and technical to the educational aspects (self-control, violence prevention, stranger danger, functioning under stress etc.), to simulation training.
Classes are held every Sunday at the SHANG building in Xinyuanli where kids as young as five can be dropped off to attend the classes alone. Kids classes range between 60 – 90 minutes depending on the age group. And while parents wait, they can either squeeze in a workout session themselves on-site without worrying about their kids or head over to Bottega, QMex, Boxing Cat, or Turkish Feast that’s also located in the same building for brunch while the kids learn.
We can’t always be there for our children, so it’s time they learn to defend themselves. It’s like CPR; it’s a skill that you never want to have to use, but you never want to be caught not knowing in case you need it.
Strength and conditioning
Classes are held every Sunday at the following times:
Junior Class (ages 11-14) – 9:30 – 11am
Youth Class (ages 8-10) – 11:10 – 12:30pm
Kids Class (ages 5-7) – 1 – 2pm
First time trial is free. After that, packages are as follows:
Kids Class (ages 5-7) RMB 3,600 for 15 sessions
Youth Class (ages 8-10) and Junior Class (ages 11-14), RMB 4,200 for 15 sessions
Krav Maga Global (KMG) Beijing Headquarters at Warrior One
Address: Basement 1, Jin Shang Building (金尚源SHANG), No. 20, Xinyuanli West Road, Chaoyang District
朝阳区新源里20号楼金尚源SHANG大厦地下一层
WeChat Inquiry Account: WarriorOne_BJ or KMG_BJ
WeChat Subscription Account: W1xKMG or KMG_China
Ph: 150 1051 4712 (English), 157 1108 9776, 150 1024 6131 (for Chinese)
http://kravmagaglobal.com.cn/krav-junior/
KEEP READING: No Babysitter Needed! Bring the Kids Along to Mommy’s Bootcamp
Photos: Courtesy of Yonina Chan
