Chicago Self-Defense FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions About Self Defense
Q: What is Self Defense?
A: It is the protection of oneself, one’s family, possessions or home from a violent situation BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY
Q: What is the difference between Martial Arts and Self Defense?
A: A martial art is a way to develop ones personal attributes. The practitioner can use the art to develop his or her spiritual, mental, and physical discipline through meditation and the practice of prearranged techniques called kata. Some martial arts prepare the practitioner for application of the learned techniques in a sport setting. The practitioner may learn some cultural and philosophical aspects of the country where the art originated. Self defense is learning self preservation. In self defense systems the practitioner learns the techniques that will most quickly and effectively help him or her survive armed conflict.
Q: Do I have to practice a lot?
A: It depends on what you mean by a lot. Usually, a practitioner can learn the techniques in this system with two to three 1 hour practice sessions per week. Remember, perfect practice leads to perfect execution and you will need quite a few repetitions to actually use these techniques under stress.
Q: Why is Haganah a good system?
A: Haganah is an Israeli martial art that was really born out of conflict in the Middle East, was designed from many years of trial and error in modern armed conflict and is the evolution of Israeli self defense systems. The founder of the Haganah System, Mike Lee Kanarek studied the not only the top Israeli military defense systems such as Krav Maga, Hisardut, and Lotar, but also many self defense systems around the world and used the best effective techniques and cut out the fluff. He is a survivor of several hand-to-hand and armed encounters and has a REALISTIC sense of what is effective in life or death situations. Also, if a technique that is practiced in the system is found to be obsolete by practitioners in the field, the system is upgraded to include the more practical variation. Not many systems can claim that!
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Q: Is Haganah easy to learn?
A: Yes, You will find that the defenses in Haganah require very simple movements that take little time to learn with practice. The system is not dependent on athletic ability, physical strength, or prior knowledge of fighting. A practitioner can see all of the hand-to-hand, knife, and gun defenses in the system during a rotation of 3-4 months. It usually takes 4-5 rotations to become proficient.
Q: What is the best way to protect myself?
A:There are many things that you can do to ensure your safety, but here a a few things that I find important:
- Awareness You should be aware of potentially unsafe situations. You should also be able to assess primary and potential dangers of face-to-face conflict.
- Mindset You should avoid violence at all costs, but when presented with threatening situation, be prepared to overwhelm you attacker with violence. Remember, preservation of you and your loved ones is your prime directive.
- Physical Preparedness While you don’t need the fitness of a pro boxer, self defense is still a physical skill and you need to be in relatively decent condition to ensure your safety. Survival of the fittest isn’t restricted to the theory of evolution.
- Technical Skill Again, perfect practice makes perfect execution. You need to drill your techniques so that they are committed to muscle memory so that you are able to use or even improvise a self defense technique in an unavoidable conflict. Learning a movement skill such as Haganah is simple but not necessarily easy. Very simple movements are used in this system that augment the body’s natural responses to a given situation. For the body to acquire the self-defense techniques in the muscle memory, you’ll need several hundred repetitions of precise practice. This doesn’t realistically happen in 3 months.
Q: Won’t the police protect me?
A: The police have a very difficult job when it comes to apprehending suspects for a multitude of crimes. If you are involved in a conflict, the police usually will respond after the fact. Your self defense needs are always immediate and you should be proactive about acquiring self defense skills.
Q: Should I carry a weapon?
A: That depends on the laws of the city. Carrying a weapon also requires that you know how to use it in any situation. Remember that in an armed conflict the stress levels of you and your attacker are very high. When you are stressed you revert to your training. Weapons in that case could be more harmful than helpful.
Q: Can I learn all of the techniques from the manual and DVDs?
A: The manuals and DVDs are a great compliment to taking a class. Nothing beats working with a qualified instructor. He or she can correct mistakes and help you refine your technique. This is very difficult to do by only watching DVDs. Also, the Haganah system is constantly upgraded so the supplemental material may be a bit dated.
Q: Why do you advocate violence?
A: Actually, I hate violence and refuse to be a participant in violent behavior. The fact is that two of my friends were killed violently and two were sexually assaulted. They were good people who were victims of horrible circumstances. All of the images of those days are still burned into my mind and are painful. So, when my safety or the safety of my loved ones is threatened, it is my duty to respond in a manner necessary to preserve my life and the lives of those around me. In other words, while I hate violence and fighting, I REFUSE TO BE A VICTIM of the whims of a criminal.
Q: What should I expect in a typical class?
A: A typical class starts with a proper warm-up. The class then practices all of the combative techniques for 30 minutes. This time could include drills with focus mitts. The final 30 minutes are devoted to learning the hand-to-hand defenses and armed defenses. The techniques are built up slowly to ensure proper learning and the techniques are all built off of one another. This certainly helps with faster learning.
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