The First Class
We showed up at their Lakewood location not knowing what to expect. Lyle, the instructor, met with us for just a few moments and explained a couple of basics. It is very informal – if you need a break for water or the bathroom, just take it. He also showed us the basic fighting stance and what we would be doing in the shoulder tap warm up exercise.
Before we started the warm up, we all lined up and bowed to the mirror — symbolizing bowing to everyone in the class as a sign of respect. After that, Lyle had us warm up by jogging, doing jumping jacks, etc., followed by some stretching. Then we did the shoulder tap drill — basically, you pair up with a partner and try to tap them on the shoulder while at the same time defending yourself.
Next we moved into the technical skill portion of the class. Lyle demoed a couple of skills like the hammer fist and then had us practice with a partner and a punching pad. As we practiced, Lyle went around the room correcting technical mistakes before we moved on to a new skill.
After a bit of time, we moved on to learning how to escape from an attacker choke hold. Lyle gave great pointers and also joked about what happens when things go wrong. Once again, we got to practice with a partner.
The final part of the class was a drill involving the skills we learned that day. Half the class would close its eyes, and the other half would attack. After a few attacks, we then switched who was attacking.
The class ended as it began — we all lined up facing the mirror. Before we bowed to each other, Lyle went over a summary of what we learned in class and asked if there were any questions. We then bowed and started to disperse. We thanked Lyle for his instructions before we left.
Immediately after the class, my son, Liv, and I talked about whether we liked the class and if we should sign up. It was immediately clear that we all liked it a lot. The skills we learned seemed to be of value and the class was a pretty good physical workout. We didn’t sign up on the spot, but we all decided we wanted to ASAP.
Membership
The next week, I signed us up for the first 6 months of classes. It has been about 3 months and we all still love it. I have attended classes at the Denver, Littleton, and Lakewood locations. Since I frequent the Littleton location the most, I am becoming most familiar with the community there. Aaron is the manager of that location and is the one that handled signing us up. He is great to work with and very friendly. I’ve also started to get to know the other instructors and classmates. It is a friendly atmosphere and everyone is willing to help the newbies learn.
They also have lots of other activities and classes. They have seminars and they do stuff like a Halloween party, a Turkey Burn workout, and a toy drive. Check out their website for their other class offerings. At the end of February, they are offering a two day minicamp with a high profile guest instructor.
Recommendation
I highly recommend Colorado Krav Maga. There are many reasons to choose them. One, I like krav maga over some of the other martial arts (that is just my personal preference). It is a good workout and you will learn some useful skills. They have been very helpful and welcoming to me and my teenager son.
So go give them a call. If you are in the south or west Metro, you will probably talk to Aaron. You can also check Groupon, since they occasionally have special offers there.
