Gian Spencer is a cop, of Italian descent, serious about his career and public service, but a really fun guy. Although tall, not heavy looking. He always puts humor in everything around him. When he wasn’t wearing a police officer’s uniform, he could pass for a janitor. When he dresses for Sunday mass, he looks like a Wall Street guy. That’s Gian Spencer, policeman and KravMaga artist.
With the name, there is a person who is afraid of everyone to be attacked in dark alleys. With such a profession, there is a person who knows how to maintain peace and order. With Krav Maga, there is a beast that shows no mercy to bullies and any other individual who displays sinister plans on him or anyone in sight. That’s Gian Spencer, policeman and KravMaga artist.
He is like most of us. What sets him apart is his confidence that he can protect himself, his family, and his inner circle from unforeseen attacks by criminals, armed or unarmed. Gian Spencer is the embodiment of a normal person and the warrior we all want to be when threatened.
Enough Gian and let’s talk about Krav Maga. Meaning “contact combat,” it is Israel’s official hand-to-hand combat system, employed for decades by the Israel Defense Forces. Designed as a simple and efficient self defense art, “Krav” is an effective and brutal technique used against unprovoked attacks; the former you can learn and be skilled at, the latter you can get anywhere as criminals lurk in no particular territory. Those tactics that the usual martial arts prohibit, Krav Maga allows. From those nasty kicks to the muzzle to even nastier eye cuts, from deadly elbows to the throat and brutal neck wringing – Krav Maga teaches it and is practiced by enthusiasts. If this sounds vicious, it is. If you think it has the element of street fighting, well, heck yeah!
So, are there any rules in Krav Maga? Yes there are. And there is only one. “Do not get hurt”. This is the firm statement of Josef Belsari, owner and trainer of the Belsari Brothers Martial Arts Academy. “When your only concern is surviving an attack, why should you consider simply pinching your attacker on the nose?” By the way, Josef is only five feet five inches tall, wears glasses and works at the local library. His two older brothers make fun of his soft-spoken way, and his two sisters are always amused by his collection and his constant humming of Bon Jovi songs. Nothing about Josef talks about him being a Krav Maga artist until he is provoked or when those close to him are in danger.
With Krav Maga, you don’t get those dance moves to thwart your enemies, and you don’t get those “switch on, wax” tactics to take down criminals. Josef Belsari and Gian Spencer are strong testimony that protecting yourself isn’t about those moves and kicks and lots of dialogue you see in martial arts movies. Both would immediately follow this statement by saying that most forms of martial arts are sports oriented and designed to win competitions and tournaments solely. With KM, what makes you a winner is that you truly defeat any attacker, whether they’re pointing a knife at your face or baring biceps the size and pulse of a rhino preparing for an attack.
While other martial arts give you a skill level belt or some other form of recognition; your only acknowledgments would be being able to take down an attacker or, in most cases, being able to move freely and with the confidence that you can handle any attacker. Krav Maga workouts are informal and eclectic, liberating for many beginners as one goes through conditional exercises and calisthenics, routine sparring practices, and then different techniques adapting to the different dangers any attack poses.
Your instincts and your physical form are your best weapon in Krav Maga. When you’re in a fight, just a few Krav moves and your enemy is down and begging for mercy. No more of those punching or kicking exchanges, just an instant retaliation from your body and you’re done. The moves used in Krav are simple but leave your enemy defenseless. Ugly? Yes.
You might be wondering why this form of combat is taking shape and why KM videos are always out of print. It is because the truth is outside of all other varieties of martial arts. They work fine in the movies, but they never work in a street attack. Since the military and law enforcement have used Krav Maga in their operations, it doesn’t mean that only people in uniform can protect themselves and their loved ones from attack. You should be able to do it too.
