My job is to teach people how to be safe. That’s how I earn a living and the central focus of my study. I know even if I won the lottery tomorrow, it’s still how I would devote my time.
That doesn’t make it any easier when the world around me feels terrifying.
As I was writing this article this week, there was a subway attack in Brooklyn. A terrorist gunman fired 33 shots, wounding 10 people on the Manhattan-bound N train. Students wrote to me, telling me they were afraid to leave their homes. Students with post-traumatic stress disorder (a common condition for Krav Maga practitioners who began studying after a trauma) were feeling additional pressure.
In addition, I had my own trauma to process. In my home country of Israel, fourteen people have been murdered by terrorists in the last month. Most were ordinary civilians, walking around when they were brutally attacked. These attacks are happening a few kilometers from where my family is. I think of my parents, and I worry about their safety. I feel helpless.
Last week, three people who had gone out to enjoy cold beers in Tel Aviv were gunned down. I had been to that place many times growing up, it was across the street from my late grandmother’s home. When the army found the gunman, he was armed to the teeth and bent on massacring more people. I think about how easily that could have been me and my friends when I was back home a few weeks ago.
The world has become a truly dangerous place. I can imagine my fellow teachers in other communities feeling the same pressure. Random attacks have gotten to an unprecedented rate, a 400% increase in February. Anti-Asian violence has skyrocketed in New York by 125%. We are trying to make students feel safe in a world that no longer even feels safe for us.
As teachers, I believe we should do the following things for our students;
- Accept the reality of the situation. Don’t try to sugarcoat it to make the students feel better. They need our honesty and our validation of their very real fears.
- Use reality as a training device. Our grandmaster Imi said Krav Maga changes fear into something productive. Examine attacks from a critical perspective and have discussions about prevention and defenses. Any time an attack hits close to home, use it as a teaching opportunity. Make it clear that students aren/t helpless victims and can protect themselves and their loved ones.
- Pressure test to help them practice overcoming adversity. Don’t use hard times as a time to ease up, push your students harder. This allows them to practice overcoming in a safe place where mistakes just mean trying again, and also gives them the chance to see how strong they really are.
- Encourage them to keep training and not fall into unhealthy habits. Help them find healthy ways to deal with their stress. While stress-eating and binge-watching are common ways to deal with trauma, common doesn’t mean productive. Remind them that the martial arts school is a place for healing and community and empowerment, and all of this is just as important as any other form of mental health care.
- Work together. Cross-train with other martial arts schools, so students feel like they are part of a bigger community. Not only will you get to challenge your students, but cross-training with other teachers makes you a better teacher. Every practitioner has areas where they can improve, and working with someone allows you to learn new skills and teach in return.
- Train outside. The weather is getting better and the best training is one that mimics the real world. This means leaving the mats and heading to the park or the beach or any other open area. Just being outside the safety of the school makes students feel more vulnerable and forces them to up their game.
- It also sends a message to the community that we are not victims. Protectors are training and making themselves ready. This is a powerful statement that empowers those who see it. In the picture, I’m doing training with WeAreBrav3, a fantastic organization working with the Asian-American community.
- It also allows you to model how to be a part of the world. You become a powerful role model for living your life safely, despite the danger. Your personal example will inspire them to be braver.
- The teaching begins immediately. Just walking to the park together allows for a spontaneous discussion of important topics like situational awareness, exit strategies, and traveling safety.
This is only the beginning of a very long conversation we in the martial arts world need to be having, in order to use these skills for their highest purpose, the protection of human life. The world feels very dark. While we do everything we can to keep our schools a safe place for them, the vast majority of our students’ time will be spent in a world that feels hostile and frightening.
All we can do is give them the tools to show confidence in the face of darkness.
- Tehran fails to impress on Krav Maga - September 18, 2023
- The Pursuit of Perfection - August 7, 2023
- Grace Under Pressure - March 17, 2023
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