Krav Maga

From Wikipedia: Krav Maga /krɑːv məˈɡɑː/ (Hebrew: קְרַב מַגָּע [ˈkʁav maˈɡa], lit. "contact combat") is a martial art and self-defense system developed for the military in Israelthat consists of a wide combination of techniques sourced from boxing, savate, Muay Thai, Wing Chun, Judo, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, and grappling, along with realistic fight training.

I first read about Krav Maga on a weightloss forum. It was July 2012 and I was a single woman, living alone. I was looking for something to help me to defend myself and get me fitter at the same time, and Krav seemed to fit the bill. I checked on the internet, found a class near me, and went along to see what it was like. The whole of the class, apart from me, was male, but I didn't feel intimidated. Everyone was really friendly and made me feel included.

I came away completely enthused about it and couldn't wait for the next class. My arms were covered in bruises, but I really didn't care. I'd had so much fun and learned some real defence.

 My licence arrived in August, which meant that I was now insured to train.

And when I got my t-shirt, I felt like a proper part of the club.

Since joining and deciding that this was the martial arts system for me, I have taken and passed the first three grades first time, and I'm now Practitioner Level 3.