Krav Maga, a fitness alternative?

Krav Maga is the official self-defense and fighting system of the Israeli Defense Forces. It was developed in the 1940's when the Israeli government was looking for a system that was easy to learn for all ages and for both genders, but was still effective in combat.

"In Israel, both men and women must give service in the military," Jarrett Arthur, a fitness and self-defense expert said. She is one of the highest ranking female black belt instructors in Krav Maga in the country.

"Krav Maga is not martial arts or sports; there is no competition. It is all about how you can defend yourself," she said. "There are no rules because once a physical confrontation starts, you need to be able to fight back aggressively so you can escape."

A competitive athlete all her life, Arthur found Krav Maga by accident just after college. "My mom saw flyers for a class and suggested that it would be good for me to learn self-defense."

"As a woman, you might have a lot of what if questions. What if I am grabbed while walking to my car, for instance? When you don't have the answers, you either ignore the potential problem or explain away why it won't happen to you. These are all band aid statements," she explained.

"Feeling that power in my body as I learned how to defend myself changed the direction of my life completely," she added.

For Arthur, even though the self-defense aspect is important, she also believes that athletes enjoy Krav Maga also for the great workout it gives.

"In terms of fitness, it is a total body workout. You gain power and speed, and it is very good for your cardiovascular health," she said. "It is also perfect for somebody who gets bored easily just going to the gym. I have seen some pretty major body transformations in our students within a couple of months."

Arthur described for philly.com some of the moves you learn in Krav Maga. "First thing you learn is a fighting stance – a basic stance that allows you stay balanced and move efficiently."

Get in the Position: Start with your feet shoulder-width apart. Step forward with your non-dominant leg (left leg if you're right-handed, right leg if you're left-handed). All toes should point forward, and feet should be wide left to right and front to back.

Bring your hands up in front of your face with your elbows in and palms facing forward in a "stop" gesture. Tuck your chin and shrug your shoulders slightly. Lift your back heel off the ground and bend both knees so that your weight is equally distributed and you have a lower center of gravity.

Move in this Position: To move forward, push off with your back foot and step forward with your front foot. Quickly follow with a short step with your back leg to finish in the same stance you started in. To move back, push off with your front leg and step with the back first. To move left, push off with your right foot and step with your left. To move right, push off with your left foot and step with your right. Always end up in a fighting stance.

There are three different categories of self-defense:

1. Basic self-defense including striking punches, elbows, head bunts –anything that will be effective is good

2. Learning how to get out of situations where there is immediate danger –how do you get away when you are being held in a headlock or are tackled to the ground?

3. How to handle special circumstances like when an attacker has a weapon or there are multiple attackers or you are being carjacked.

With Krav Maga, you don't need to invest a lot of time training in order to be proficient, nor do you need to already be in great shape before taking these classes.

"Even in the first class, you learn something that you can use on the street that night, and you don't have to wait until you head to the gym to get in shape before signing up. Our classes will get you in shape," she said.

High intensity sprint intervals, an important part of a lot of athletic training, are also crucial to fighting. An average street fight lasts 30 to 45 second and during that time it is an all out exertion of energy with short, explosive bursts of power. Arthur emphasizes that being in shape helps you to defend yourself.

For local Krav Maga classes, Arthur recommends Premier Martial Arts in Glen Mills run by Ernie Kirks, one of her mentors early in her training.

Read more Sports Doc for Sports Medicine and Fitness.