On January 28, 2015, thanks to the generous sponsorship of Trustpoint International and the intense and at times frightening expertise of Krav Maga Academy, our Women’s Committee, Young Lawyers Committee, and In-House Counsel Committee were able to hold an exciting self-defense seminar and provide one of the most rigorous workouts many of us had had in quite some time. There is a good chance that many of us are still feeling the ache in our muscles now, even days later.

The initial talk given us to Krav Maga Academy’s founder Matan made us realize why Past President James Chou claims that the man has changed his life. For Matan, self-defense is about being crazier than your attacker – a person needs to be willing to go for a person’s soft spots. In other words, go for the eyes, nose, jaw, throat, and groin; when it comes down to it, only either you or your attacker is going to go home, so you must do everything in your power to ensure that it’s you. Krav Maga, the official self-defense system of the Israeli Defense Forces, is the most practical and aggressive form of self-defense, which incorporates various techniques from traditional martial arts, including boxing, Muay Thai, Kung Fu, Karate, Judo, Brazilian Jujitsu, Wrestling and others, and targets the most vulnerable parts of the body to effectively neutralize the threat of an attacker. 

After conditioning exercises that took about 10 minutes but felt like 10 years, many of us reached the point of exhaustion and only then did we begin the aggressive jab, jab-elbow, jab-elbow-knee combinations that made us feel as though we could strike down a man who was unwise enough to approach us in a dark alley. Pairing up in the punching, running, kicking exercises brought out the competitive streak in some more than others. We left with a feeling of exhaustion as well as empowerment. 

Congratulations to Litigation Committee Co-Chair Connie Montoya for winning the Krav Maga Academy Jumpstarter Program, which includes a free three-month membership to Krav Maga Academy as well as a personal fitness assessment! For members interested in purchasing what James Chou refers to as a life-changing experience, Krav Maga Academy is offering the same discount at a special price for AABANY members. Details here. 

Once again, we’d like to thank our sponsor Trustpoint International who made our self-defense night possible. Special thanks to Past President James Chou ([email protected]), Young Lawyers Committee Co-Chair David Sohn ([email protected]), and Women’s Committee Co-Chair Naf Kwun ([email protected]) for organizing this incredible event. If you’d like to become more involved in future events, feel free to reach out to your Committee Co-Chairs and check the AABANY Calendar.