Krav Maga: The fight against Anti-Semitism through self-defense martial arts in New Jersey
ENGLEWOOD, New Jersey (WABC) -- The rise in anti-Semitic attacks throughout the country has led many in the Jewish community to find ways of protecting themselves using self-defense methods like the ones taught at Englewood Krav Maga in New Jersey.
Krav Maga, Hebrew for "contact combat", is a self-defense system for use in the street and martial art that can be practiced by anyone regardless of size, strength and fitness ability.
"Krav Maga is not a traditional martial art that you see out there. It is strictly for the street, there are no tournaments or point sparring. Our students will be able to neutralize a threat as well as have a few seconds to get out, whatever they can do to save their life," said Tracy Edwards, trainer, and owner of Englewood Krav Maga.
The techniques used in Krav Maga strike an attacker's most vulnerable targets.
"The vulnerable targets are the eyes, the throat, the groin, and the solar plex. Those are targets in the human body that can stop a person," said Juan Berrios, trainer, and owner of Englewood Krav Maga.
"Attacks against Jews are increasing to levels not seen since the late 1930s, so I decided to seek out an art that was efficient and practical in real-life situations," said Moshe Levy, a student at Englewood Krav Maga.
In addition to the defense techniques taught by Edwards and Berrios, the students are trained to be aware of their environment and recognize when and how to remove themselves from a bad situation before it needs to become physical.
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