GMAC,
Perry Barr, Birmingham
16th
March 2013
After P1 last October I had been forewarned
that P2 is P1’s older brother and therefore in a different league, i.e. HARDER.
At Reading for P1 we had about 50 guys
doing the grading simultaneously. This time the grading was down the road in a
new venue Birmingham, so no 5.30am alarm calls BUT there were a lot less
people, with around 20 doing my level due to the increased options on venues.
There’s something reassuring about having loads of people besides yourself.
Like being at a school disco when you’re 12 and don’t like dancing, it means
that you can try to blend in a little more.
The instructor was an Israeli guy and very focused but friendly. We watched the P1 guys finish and realized just how
different this grading would be, as the instructor had made notes for each
person and gave them verbal feedback in front of everyone else, which hadn’t
happened last time. It was good to see guys from KMM get their certificates and
we shook their hands before taking to the mat for our turn.
Instructor Ran Laskov Expert 1 from Israel.
The instructor welcomed us and said that
not everyone might pass but to regard the experience not with a heavy heart but
instead as an opportunity to improve and as “extra training.”
After a quick warm up we split into A’s and
B’s. As there was an odd number of guys, me and my partner agreed to take
another lad on board with us. In some ways this made it easier for us (less
workout time, time to quickly practice a move) but in others it was harder
(alternating focus, breaking off to let the other guy have a turn).
My one weakness during the build up to the
grading had been backward rolls. I kept either coming down on my neck (which
HURTS!!) or rolling off to the side like a drunken sailor slipping on the deck.
I had finally nailed this a couple of days before, with extra training from
Bartosz and was relieved when it went smoothly and I didn’t go spilling off the
mat with my arse in the air, into the P3- 5 guys sitting around the edge waiting
for their go.
A touch that I appreciated to the
proceedings, was that if the instructor realised that more than a couple of us
didn’t understand what he wanted us to demonstrate, then he would pause the
grading and show us himself. This happened with both body defences and palm
strikes to the groin (the latter of which had him explaining why it hurts so
much, as the nerve endings are at the top of the testicles which is why you
should aim to hit “up” (we all laughed but I am clenching now just remembering
that).
At the end we had a bit of slow fighting
and then sat on the floor dripping sweat to get our feedback. The instructor
demonstrated moves he felt that all or most of us needed to improve on (such as
blocking a hook punch) and then came The Moment.
I once saw a documentary on TV about the
Royal Marines. After gruelling assessment over a period of weeks, the
candidates sat on three benches in an
army sports hall and one at a time a Captain read their names out. The soldiers
were not allowed to show any emotion, regardless of outcome and it went like
this:
Captain: “Smith?”
(Smith stands up): “Sir?”
Captain: “Fail”.
Smith: “Sir”. (Sits down again).
Captain: “Jenkins?”
(Jenkins stands up): “Sir?”
Captain: “Pass”.
Jenkins: “Sir”. (Sits down again).
The instructor warned us that not everyone
had passed but again said that we should regard this experience as a positive
one and try again if it was us. He added that he himself had failed a couple of
times on the way up and not to be too downhearted about it. He finally said
that we would be receiving feedback via email from him within a couple of days.
This last bit was a nice touch and much appreciated as it is beyond what we
either expected or had paid for.
As the names were read out we took the
certificate from another guy and shook the instructor’s hand, while everyone
else clapped. Both the guys in my “pair” got their certificates before me and
when my name was finally read out I think the air rushed from my lungs with the
force of a hurricane.
We then had a quick word with Bartosz and
Russell and a couple of photos before heading home.
A positive experience and I can’t wait for
P3 in October.
http://www.kravmaga-midlands.com/self-defence-classes/self-defence-krav-maga-classes-in-rugby
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