I stumbled upon Krav Maga in an article in the Globe & Mail one day and had that “ah-ha!” moment! The plethora of traditional martial arts didn’t interest me as I just wanted to learn how to defend myself should I ever need to. I then started my hunt for an instructor in Calgary, which led me to Jimmy Hall. My first three years were with Jimmy’s Commando Krav Maga classes, but I switched up to Traditional Close Quarters Combat when he started his own TCQC system. When I first started CKM, I found I was most often the only woman in the class. It was very intimidating at times, but it also gave me the opportunity to train with people the same size that would most likely be attacking me in real life. It was during the CKM classes that I met Robyn, and we’ve been friends ever since. What I love most about Krav Maga is I’m always learning something new or different. I might be working on the same technique as I have before, but today may be the day that I find the perfect way for me to perform a move – the most efficient and effective way that seemed to elude me in the past. I’m always learning something (no matter how big or small) from everyone I work with, every time we work together. Whether it be with Robyn, or with the students, I’m always learning from anyone and everyone, because everyone approaches things differently or moves differently, therefore forcing me to think about reacting differently than I may have before.
