KLTV 7 News Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville |Stay safe and in shape with Krav Maga

Stay safe and in shape with Krav Maga

For all of you looking to keep that New Year's resolution and stay in shape this year, one East Texas studio allows you to stay in shape and learn how to be safe all at the same time.

Nathan Lundstrom owns East Texas Krav Maga in Tyler, which offers classes in the Israeli self-defense method.

"Krava Maga is a hand-to-hand combat system developed by the Israeli military. A lot of people put it in the martial arts category. But we basically think of it as all martial, no art. There's nothing really pretty," said Lundstrom.

Krav Maga instructors lead their classes through a series of punches, elbows, kicks, and maneuvers to teach them how to defend against real-world scenarios, like being choked or grabbed from behind.

"A lot of people come in for fitness and they say, you know what, this is awesome, because I'm not only getting fit, I'm also getting safe. I'm able to have confidence," said Lundstrom.

"Personally, I hate working out. I don't like going to the gym. She (his wife, Natalie) tries to get me to do that sometimes and it just doesn't take. I don't like working out traditionally and this was something I could do that I really had fun doing," said Morgan Wade, a Krav Maga instructor at East Texas Krav Maga.

Natalie Wade got her husband Morgan into Krav Maga precisely because she thought he'd have fun. She started taking Krav Maga classes over a year ago because she says being safe is very important to her

"I've learned that self-defense is not as complicated as I thought it would be, and it's really empowered me as a woman to know that there are such simple things I can do to defend against someone who is bigger, faster, and stronger than myself, which is the case for most women," said Natalie.

"If you have trained yourself to automatically have the mindset of I'm going to fight, I'm not going to quit, I'm going to get out of this, and you have the tools to use to get out of it -- combatives, defenses -- it's a win-win," Morgan said.

East Texas Krav Maga offers classes for all skill levels, and holds weekend seminars several times a year. For more information, go to www.easttxkravmaga.com.

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