An Israeli combat system that teaches students to deal with real-life situations such as muggings or sexual assaults is gaining interest in St. Charles Parish.
Darren DeSalvo, who owns Cyclone Martial Arts and Fitness in Luling, brought the self-defense form, called Krav Maga, to the parish four weeks ago.
“Krav Maga is a reality-based self-defense form that trains people to fend off attackers who have guns or knives and teaches them how to box, kick, scratch and bite…anything that would occur in a real-life fight,” DeSalvo said. “This isn’t something that kids come to to learn discipline, though there is discipline involved.”
Krav Maga was developed in Israel and is mainly known for its extremely efficient and brutal counter-attacks, which is why it is taught to elite special forces around the world. It was derived from street-fighting skills developed by Imi Lichtenfeld, who made use of his training as a boxer and wrestler as a means of defending the Jewish quarter during a period of anti-Semitic activity.
The self-defense combat system is big in California and Texas, but DeSalvo is one of only two certified instructors in the greater New Orleans area. DeSalvo, who is a deputy with the Tangipahoa Sheriff’s Office, said that he is surprised by how fast the class has caught on.
“We only started the class four weeks ago and we have already grown by leaps and bounds,” he said. “In fact, we are outgrowing our current facility and will move into a bigger one in December.”
Almost half of the people in DeSalvo’s Krav Maga class are women.
“This is a great class for women because they usually aren’t as strong and big as their male attackers,” he said. “Everything we teach can be used in real-life situations. I don’t teach my students to punch an attacker in the face or stomach, but to attack vital areas like the throat, groin and eyes.”
An important part of the class for the women is that DeSalvo shows them how to be aware of their surroundings.
“We show them how to walk with confidence, the safest way to walk to their car and even how to place a buggy between them and their attackers if they’re shopping,” he said.
And when it comes to the fighting, everyone in the class gets first-hand experience.
“Women don’t get in fights like men do, so we get them pumped up and put on big body suits and attack them in various ways,” DeSalvo said. “When they see that they can fight back, its very encouraging for them.”
To get everyone in class pumped up, DeSalvo said his students scream obscenities before an attack to “desensitize the body.”
“Most people aren’t used to getting screamed at, and that could cause them to freeze up before a fight,” he said. “By desensitizing the body, we make sure they are prepared for whatever an attacker might say.”
DeSalvo brought up a recent training exercise where a car was placed outside of the classroom and each student took turns walking to it.
“I would attack them from different directions and show them the best way to defend each attack, which even calls for using the car door as a defense mechanism,” DeSalvo said. “Krav Maga is something that can be picked up quickly by anyone because it uses only a few different defenses that are capable of fending off thousands of different attacks.”
In fact, DeSalvo said most people can become proficient in Krav Maga in about eights weeks.
Another plus to the class is that DeSalvo, who has been teaching martial arts for 15 years, brings a lot to the table because of his job in law enforcement.
“That’s an advantage for both me and my students,” he said. “I have witnessed attacks, seen domestic violence and read reports on sexual assaults. I know what real violence is and I can tell them with authority that this stuff really does happen.”
DeSalvo, who has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, also teaches that self-defense system at Cyclone Martial Arts and Fitness.
“Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu teaches a lot of grappling techniques and is similar to wrestling,” he said. “95 percent of all street fights end up in clenches and then go to the ground. This teaches people to get those fights to the ground quickly and then perform submission moves.”
Krav Maga is taught at Cyclone every Tuesday and Thursday from 7:15 p.m. until 8:15 p.m. The cost of the classes is $64 a month. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes are held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The kids’ classes take place from 6:15 p.m. until 7:15 p.m., while the adult classes start at 7:15 p.m. and end at 8:15 p.m. The cost of those classes is $69 a month.
Cyclone, 12225 Hwy.90 Suite C, is located next to Tiger Town Gifts in Luling. For more information, call (985)855-0209.
Be the first to comment