Going to school to learn Krav Maga defense technique
By: Courtney Gross
Two men dressed in black from head to toe circle each other, skillfully maneuvering around the wrestling mats of Princeton University’s Jadwin Gymnasium on Monday.
One lunges. The other blocks, successfully keeping at bay a supposed attacker.
"You got to think about what you’d do in this situation except ‘cry uncle’ perhaps," David Kahn, Princeton resident and longtime instructor of Krav Maga, warned.
Of course Monday’s maneuvers were just drills, but Mr. Kahn, who trains federal, state and local authorities in a self-defense tactic first used by the Israeli Defense Forces, was hoping to give the university’s Department of Public Safety a little insight.
Known for its emphasis on control, not force, Mr. Kahn conducted several sessions for the university’s independent security force for the second year in a row, hoping to help the group more easily deal with the incidents that arise during their day-to-day work.
A Princeton alumnus, who picked up the technique during law school at the University of Miami, Mr. Kahn said he has been to Israel to train five times in the last year and a half. Having taught several Krav Maga classes at the Valley Road School, Mr. Kahn has now opened up his own fitness center in Hamilton devoted to the practice.
Easy to pick up and uninhibited by grandiose moves like other self-defense tactics, Mr. Kahn said Krav Maga is based on instinct and adapts to multiple environments. From training officers of NJ Transit, where tight quarters were a factor, to Princeton Borough or Princeton Township police departments, the practice can be applied to anyone, Mr. Kahn said.
It is especially gender neutral, he said, relying on technique and not necessarily strength.
Firmiller Ford, a public safety access officer, said she is usually the first to see anyone walk into a university building from her post at lobby kiosks.
Noting the training program’s importance for men and women, Ms. Ford said public safety officers are not only responding to those affiliated with the university, but also people with no connection to Princeton who enter the campus and could be dangerous.
In between practicing blocks and holds with colleagues, Public Safety Officer Michele Aversa explained that the Krav Maga tactic made it easy to maintain control to protect not only herself, but also the assailant.
And, she added, the use of pressure points and certain types of holds ensures no matter how much or little strength you have compared to your attacker, you can be equally successful.
"Watch the wrist holds," Ms. Aversa explained. "Their faces turn red, too," she added of her male colleagues.
Because public safety officers are unarmed, self-defense tactics have become part of their training. Unlike mandated sessions, such as first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Krav Maga gives the public safety department another tool, but without lethal force, Duncan Harrison, associate director of public safety, said.
And many of the approximately 50 officers that will be partaking in the training sessions this week agree.
"People are carrying weapons today knives, bats, guns," officer and 22-year public safety veteran Don Thompson said during Monday’s training session. "This is my weapon."
The department’s associate director also noted Krav Maga gives public safety officers some hands-on training tactics that were more than evident as dozens of officers paired up and practiced blocks in Jadwin’s wrestling room.
Recognizing that burglaries and thefts are the most frequent crimes on campus, Mr. Harrison said you could never be sure when, and if, an officer could run into a crime in progress. Krav Maga could enable the officer to get everyone through the situation safely, he said.
While practicing moves with a fellow public safety veteran, Sgt. Jim Glasson, a member of the department for 19 years, said the university’s public safety department needs to stay abreast on all new training practices and tactics, and learning emerging self-defense skills can give the officers the greater advantage when fighting crime on campus.
"The expectation of the university is for public safety to handle everybody, and this is what we have to do," Sgt. Glasson said.