Fight Like A Girl

After several years training in traditional martial arts, then facing real violence for the first time, Adori Bubble discovered the Israeli reality-based self-defence system of Krav Maga. She now heads Tactical Krav Maga’s Fight Like A Girl (FLAG) program in Melbourne.

How did you first get into martial arts, and what was the catalyst for your switch to Tactical Krav Maga?
I had been meaning to start martial arts for about four years, during which time I saw one of my friends attacked. Feeling that I had stood back too long before intervening, I was motivated to learn some self-defence. At the encouragement of a friend, I started learning taekwondo in a females-only class and went on to also learn OIKA kobudo [Okinawan weaponry]. After about two years of training, I started to realise that my current training was not covering self-defence at the level that I was looking for, and started to search for a purely self-defence system that covered all aspects of self-defence, including weapons attacks, ground work, pre-fight psychology and action, etc. While flicking through an issue of Blitz magazine (which I read religiously) I came across an advert for Tactical Krav Maga. Upon attending a class in Sydney, I was hooked. It was exactly what I was after. The training was tough, but you walked away knowing that you could pull off the defences that we were taught, even under pressure.

Having been a victim of violence yourself prior to starting with TKM, can you tell us what you learned from these incidents, and what did TKM offer that made you see it as the best solution for you?
The main catalyst for moving over to Tactical Krav Maga as my primary style was being attacked in Hyde Park in Sydney. It was 9am and I was walking to work. I was approached by a homeless man asking for change, I refused him money and it turned ugly. After doing just about everything wrong (i.e. not disengaging or launching a physical defence), I finally remembered some of the little TKM that I’d learnt thus far and threw my hot coffee in his face. It was enough to make him run across six lanes of traffic just to get away from me. This was a wake-up call to me. Although I knew by this time how to punch, kick and block, I didn’t know when or how to start my defence as I’d never learnt pre-fight tactics, space-management or verbal de-escalation skills. In short, I was unprepared for a real, violent attack. I realised that the elements that had saved me in this altercation had been learnt exclusively from TKM and I decided to focus my energy in that direction from then on.

How and why did the ‘Fight Like A Girl’ (FLAG) program come about?
FLAG came about through the desire of (TKM instructor) Kevin Marshall and myself, to bring the real life self-defence skills of TKM to a female audience. The reality-based self-defence world is almost exclusively the domain of very strong men. This is, of course, a natural progression from its military origin, however, this type of training environment is extremely confronting to most women, especially those who might have suffered at the hands of men in the past.

As a woman, I felt sad that so many women needed these skills but found it inaccessible due to the training environments currently on offer. Kevin and I decided that it was time that women had access to this fantastic information in an environment that prioritised their needs.

If most violence is perpetrated by men, isn’t it important to be training against men too?
You are right, the vast majority of attacks on women are perpetrated by men, and that’s one of the reasons we need all-female classes. Having suffered a number of attacks myself, I was more than aware of the challenges that survivors of abuse face in the aftermath of an attack. Sometimes it is just too hard to face a room full of men that will be laying in punches, no matter how nice the guys are. You need a space where you can train hard, but where you feel comfortable to show your emotions — a safe space.

I have learnt from and trained with many talented men, and still love training with some awesome male fighters. The size and intimidation factor that a skilled male training partner can bring is invaluable and I do believe that it is important for women, when they feel able, to start to train with men to allow for a more realistic attacker experience. This is why we hold mixed classes in both Sydney and Melbourne. Mixed classes also allow couples and family members to train together, which is a dynamic we support whole heartedly.

In your opinion, how important is fitness and conditioning in being able to successfully defend oneself? What part does this play in FLAG classes?
I hear all too often, “I’ll go to the gym first to get fit and then I will start my self-defence training.” I would warn against this type of thinking. Fitness is, of course, a factor in self-defence, to a degree. Your fitness level will determine how quickly you tire, both during the fight and as you (hopefully) sprint away. However the nature of self-defence dictates that you will be required to defend yourself at the level of fitness that you currently have when you are attacked. Unlike the sporting arena, where athletes are able to work towards a date of action, self-defence may be called upon at any time. For this reason, I stress that students should learn to make the most of what they have, while striving toward better fitness. FLAG training is focused on self-defence training. A nice by-product of that training is a natural increase in the participants’ fitness levels.

What are the elements of training that make up the FLAG program, and what’s their order of importance?
The FLAG program is comprised of a range of techniques that work around common principles. Approaching technique in this way allows students to have the flexibility to adapt to the infinite number of ways a real-life attack can play out. Our techniques cover: pre-fight and post-fight psychology and action; using improvised weapons defensively; general empty-hand solutions such as striking, gouging, blocks, covers, takedowns, throws, locks, holds and chokes; defence against grabs, holds and chokes; defence while grounded; and defence against a variety of common weapons such as knife, stick, pistol and rifle. We train these in a variety of drills, which include scenario-based training, repetition drills and determination drills.

As far as order of importance, I would have to say that the most important element of training is the drills that help our students develop their ‘fighting spirit’, because no matter what techniques you know, if you aren’t prepared to use them or you cannot use them under pressure, they’re of no use to you in a real attack. The dynamics of an attack can be complex, especially if you know your attacker. This means that people need to be very clear about their right to protect themselves and be ready and willing to act should the need arise. Training drills not only instil a correct initial response, but the strength to follow this up and get away from the danger.