Krav Maga of Southern Colorado teaches self-defense, avoiding dangerous situations
May 30—Robert Koski would prefer you use verbal judo over your fists, but if you must get physical, at least you'll know how to throw an elbow or use a knee.
About 15 men and women, of all ages, shapes and size, gather on the mats for an hourlong beginner class at Krav Maga of Southern Colorado. After a cacophonous warm up, the room goes silent as students watch instructor Britani O'Casey demonstrate defending herself against an attacker with a jab cross and front kick. The group then partners up and spends the next few minutes repeating the move on each other before moving onto the next technique.
"We teach until it becomes muscle memory," said Koski, the organization's owner.
Students aren't here to prepare for a competition, find a sensei or break a board. They're here to learn how to defend themselves in a dicey situation and how to avoid those situations altogether. Krav Maga teaches you how to counter an attack and which parts of your attacker's body are most vulnerable so you can strike and flee as quickly as possible.
Krav Maga (pronounced krahv mahgaw) is the brainchild of Hungary-born Imi Lichtenfeld, who developed the Israeli martial art for the Israel Defense Forces in the '40s. The self-defense system combines elements of kickboxing, judo, wrestling and jiu jitsu.
"We're not trying to teach you fancy techniques," said Koski, who shares the gym with Brazilian jiu jitsu instructor Bill Hosken. "When you're out on the street you're under stress. If you can't do it in here you won't be able to do it out there when you have an adrenaline dump."
Actor Jennifer Lopez made the system famous in her 2002 film, "Enough," when she starred as a woman who flees her abusive husband and learns to defend herself.
"That movie put Krav in the limelight," Koski said.
Krav also made headlines in 2017 when Israeli actor Gal Godot was cast as Wonder Woman, and stories touched on the two years she spent learning Krav in the Israel Defense Forces. All Israelis are required to serve in the military.
While other methods of self-defense exist, such as karate and judo, Koski, who retired as a sergeant from the Fountain Police Department in 2015, prefers Krav.
"The problem with martial arts is they spend a lot of time on tradition. People don't have 10 years to get a black belt," said Koski, who has taught the technique since 2008. "In one session, if they walked out and got mugged, they would know how to take care of themselves. They're not going to know everything, but they're going to be able to punch and kick somebody."
Koski first taught judo and Japanese jiu jitsu more than 15 years ago at a Fountain gym. In 2006 he traveled to Israel to train in Krav at Wingate Institute, then brought his knowledge back to the Fountain Police Department, where he worked as a police arrest control officer. Krav Maga, which means contact combat in Hebrew, is now taught by almost 700 law enforcement agencies around the world.
Nowadays, in addition to weekly classes, Kowki offers seminars to church groups, schools, security officers and others, including a recent partnership with Colorado Ballet Society to teach an anti-abduction class to female dancers.
"Our students, girls mostly, go on to become professionals and have to leave home at some point," said CBS Executive Director Dex Honea, who has trained with Koski for three years. "It's a good skill to have — self-defense, self-awareness and situational awareness. A little bit of self-defense goes a long way."
Many Krav techniques are groin kicks and throat punches, Koski says, which are particularly important for the ladies who make up more than half his classes.
"We want them to be able to exploit weak parts of the human anatomy so they can prevail," Koski said. "We want to teach you self-defense and create an opportunity for you to neutralize the attack as quickly as possible and extract yourself from that situation."
Classes focus on three elements: close combat, weapons and fitness. Mondays are spent working on strikes, defending against an unarmed assault and increasing situational awareness. Wednesdays are dedicated to defending against an armed attacker and Fridays are devoted to full-throttle conditioning.
"It's very rewarding teaching people how to defend themselves," Koski said. "They should get the same quality training as military and police officers."
Sandy Koski, Robert Koski's wife, learned Krav about five years ago and now teaches it alongside her husband. She'll soon add a bungee core class to the roster for older students and those with joint issues. The class makes use of an apparatus that helps with conditioning and removes pressure from joints.
She believes every woman should learn Krav.
"You don't have to be strong to do Krav," Sandy said. "It teaches you to become aware of your surroundings. When you walk like you can take care of yourself nobody is going to mess with you. You have to be your own white knight. Go save yourself."
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