The Elite Defence Academy opened its doors to the community of Fourways to help equip all residents with the skills to ward off danger, this was because of a spike in violent attacks in the area.
The news of a horrific act of violence in Fourways sent ripples through the neighbourhood. People were up in arms and ready to fight back. Ivana Ries, a local to the area, runs a Krav Maga class twice a week. She saw the need within the community to equip people with the skills needed to defend themselves against an attacker.
She opened her Elite Defence Academy doors, free of charge, to the members of the community. She gave free classes in the hopes that the skills learned, would benefit the attendees.
“The first of the free classes took place this past weekend and I was in attendance. The experience was one to remember and learning some of the self-defence has greatly boosted my confidence. As a small framed women living in South Africa, the thought of possibly being attacked always has space in my brain. As it does for every other woman (and man) living in the country.”
“We are raised to always be aware of our surroundings or never walk alone. The number of times I heard my mother remind me of those things and more, are too many to remember. Doing the class taught me how to defend myself should an attacker attempt to harm me unarmed, with a gun and with a knife. She taught us how to overpower a person much larger than ourselves and take control of the situation in a calm manner. I never imagined I could drop a person to the ground in less than 2 seconds.”
Krav Maga was developed for the Israeli Defence Force and has since been adopted by all major special forces such as the CIA, FBI, US and Royal Marines, and more. The main philosophy of Krav Maga is to not fight in the first place, it is taught as a way to de-escalate situations rather than seek out combat. Its main objective is the preservation of life!
The classes taught by Ivana teach South Africans how to handle 24 of the most common attacks you could face.
Ivana gave some truly helpful tips, not only in aid of self-defence but helpful life tips regarding personal safety. These are some of them:
- Keep a spare phone, charged and with an active sim-card, concealed in the boot of your car. That way, should you ever be put in the boot, you have an emergency line to get help.
- It is also a good idea to keep pepper spray or a defence tool there to help you defend yourself once the boot is opened again.
- Always watch your mirrors when parked at a red light.
- Be vigilant and aware of your surroundings, always have an escape plan.
You can find out more about Ivana and her academy here.
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Hi, I have a 17yr old turning 18 soon,female and am interested to enroll her in short courses for basic self defense. Pls send me fees schedule and venue for the classes. We live around Fourways area.