Coronavirus Update 22 September 2020

In response to today’s update statement from the government, we have assessed our services and procedures to ensure continued compliance.

My considered interpretation of the guidance has allowed us to conclude the following:

· As our club does NOT currently offer team sports, we are able to continue to offer our full range of indoor services and classes.

· To ensure compliance, we will continue training at individual workstations only.

· We are not currently required to restrict class sizes for adults and will continue to offer class sizes based on space available.

· Our existing risk assessments and policies continue to be sufficient.

To assist us in ensuring that we remain compliant, limiting the risk of the transfer of any virus and the possibility of being challenged on our provision, we request that all members and people attending trial lessons continue to:

· Only attend for pre-booked sessions.

· Use hand sanitiser before and after each session.

· Follow the one way systems at our venues.

· Maintain social distancing.

· Abstain from training in accordance with government guidelines if you have symptoms or have had contact with someone with symptoms of COVID-19, until the required isolation period has passed.

If you have any questions or concerns, I welcome you to contact me directly.

As always thank you once again for your ongoing support and co-operation.

About The Author

Mark Edwards is a professional Krav Maga coach, Personal Trainer and passionate advocate for good Krav Maga training. Mark heads up Krav Maga Taunton & Bridgwater and regularly coaches at national Krav Maga instructor training courses. Mark can be contacted on 07986516337

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10 Cracking Wilderness Survival Films and Krav Maga

krav maga taunton

Krav Maga is a system that prides itself on practical, gritty self defence and fitness training, combined with drills and assessments that test practitioners to the limit of their physical and mental capacity and prepare for dealing with the worst case scenario.

Mental robustness, stamina and resourcefulness should be the forefront of good Krav Maga training, they are also highly desirable in a survival situation.

How would you fare, on your own in a hostile environment, surrounded by people who wish you harm? Could you survive these films for real 🙂

  1. The Flight of the Phoenix (Robert Aldrich, 1965)
    By 1965, Jimmy Stewart had long since shed his ever chipper, cornpone ways by giving dark, obsessive performances for Anthony Mann and Alfred Hitchcock in the fifties. And here we find those unsavory shades fully integrated into his lead performance here as a pilot that crashes in the Libyan desert due to a sandstorm, leaving an all-star cast to run out of water and slowly go crazy. That is, until one passenger turns out to be an airplane designer who thinks they can build a new plane from the old one, and fly out.
  2. Hell in the Pacific (John Boorman, 1968)
    Within the first five minutes, anyone can guess where this movie is going. It’s WWII and an American pilot (Lee Marvin) crashes on a same remote island where a Japanese naval officer (Toshiro Mifune) is already stranded. Of course, they will eventually overcome their differences and work together to get home. But the movie’s lingering power comes from how slowly it takes them to get there, and just how fragile their truce proves to be.
  3. Deliverance (John Boorman, 1972)
    No list of this kind can ignore Boorman’s masterpiece of wilderness terror, made from John Dickey’s novel about a group of guys having the worst rafting trip in history. Deliverance is so much more than the scene that remains seared into zeitgeist to this day, but after being referenced for the nearly fifty years, the actual movie gets lost. Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ronny Cox and Ned Beatty play old pals rafting through the Georgia backwoods, until they piss off some craven locals who are looking for a terrible kind of fun.
  4. Rescue Dawn (Werner Herzog, 2006)
    Much of Herzog’s entire filmography could be defined as battles with nature, both in subject matter and the actual shoots. His status as meme engine now only solidifies the idea of the dead-eyed German reminding us how little the natural world cares if anything, or anyone, lives or dies. It also cheapens one of the richest, and most singular bodies of the work by any director. Rescue Dawn is a case in point. Far from some dour meditation, the movie is a high-spirited adventure picture about Dieter Dangler, a German-American POW in Vietnam that Herzog profiled in a documentary back in 1997.
  5. Arctic (Joe Penna, 2018)
    This austere Icelandic survival picture starts well after our lead, (Mads Mikkelsen) has crashed in the Arctic Circle. We watch his daily routine of fishing and SOS signals until a helicopter flies into view. But the winds are too much, and the chopper crashes, killing the pilot and wounding the other passenger (María Thelma Smáradóttir), leaving Mikkelsen to tend her wounds as best he can.
  6. A Lonely Place to Die (Julian Gibey, 2011)
    This underseen Scottish gem sports a great hook: A group of climbers hear a little girl’s pleas from a breathing tube in the middle of a mountain wilderness, and dig her out of an underground box. She speaks no English, but soon enough, her kidnappers are hunting the climbers to get their victim back in time to collect the ransom. The canny blend of crime and survival story upgrades both elements and feels fresher for it.
  7. The Grey (Joe Carnahan, 2011)
    Ever since Taken, Liam Neeson has been the patron saint of Dad movies, letting middle- aged working stiffs imagine themselves saving the day in increasingly preposterous scenarios. This survival flick from Joe Carnahan gets lost in that shuffle, mostly because it stands as an outlier from the star’s later work and even the director. Carnahan typically delivers macho grit with the tone and intelligence of a Mountain Dew commercial, but here he manages to impersonate Walter Hill, delivering a grim, taut picture about Alaskan oil workers that crash land in the wilderness, only to be hunted by a pack of wolves.
  8. All Is Lost (J.C. Chandor, 2013)
    So many of these pictures are true collaborations between director and star because left alone in the middle of nowhere, there’s no place an actor can hide their lack of screen presence and nothing a director can do to make up for that. And there is probably no closer collaboration among these than J.C. Chandor and Robert Redford in this tale of a man lost at sea. Redford is the only cast member, and the script was famously only 31 pages long. But director and star still managed to produce a classic from it.
  9. Southern Comfort (Walter Hill, 1981)
    A flop at the time, this survival picture eventually found its place as another fine addition to Walter Hills’ filmography. But in 1981, the tale of National Guardsmen getting lost in the bayou and running afoul of the locals was read as an allegory for Vietnam, at a time when audiences were at their peak ambivalence about that defeat. The country was just beginning to enjoy Reagan’s delicious historical amnesia, but more than anything, they’d be grateful to avoid reckoning with it for a spell.
  10. The Edge (Lee Tamahori, 1997)
    Producer Art Linson had worked with David Mamet on the massive hit The Untouchables, and with a new studio deal at Fox, was after another. So Linson suggested an adventure picture with two male leads, and Mamet, a fan of big paychecks, agreed. Linson needed something more to go on, so Mamet replied, “How about two guys and a bear?” And like that, one of the most entertaining wilderness thrillers was born.

About The Author

Mark Edwards is a professional Krav Maga coach, Personal Trainer and passionate advocate for good Krav Maga training. Mark heads up Krav Maga Taunton & Bridgwater and regularly coaches at national Krav Maga instructor training courses. Mark can be contacted on 07986516337

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Think you’re fit? While you might be correct, you might also be missing something important.

Let’s look at two common examples, and then see if you can improve your fitness levels and body composition without sweating more.

1. I’m the definition of fitness … I’m a Crossfitter/ marathoner/ etc!

It’s difficult to tease apart the fitness impacts of something like marathon running or CrossFit through a scientific study. You cannot just randomize a hundred people to run three marathons a year, and a hundred others to run no marathons. Adherence in the marathon group would be … low.

Not to mention differences in starting health, diet, supplements, and more.

When it comes to CrossFit, it almost certainly improves many aspects of fitness and is even more likely to foster motivation and a sense of community.

Marathoners are a healthy bunch, by and large. Long-term marathon running is associated with less coronary plaque in both men and women. Running, in general, seems to provide cardiovascular benefits, increasing in magnitude the more years you run.

So, what are the issues with marathon-running and CrossFit? Marathon runners with higher training level have more chronic knee lesions than marathon runners with lower training level. Case reports occasionally pop up of rhabdomyolysis (rapid and dangerous muscle breakdown from overly strenuous activity) after CrossFit. There’s also a small but non-negligible risk of death from actually running a marathon, especially in older males, a group in which cardiac-arrest rates during marathons have been increasing over the past few years.

2. Well, my cholesterol is really low, so …

Cardiovascular fitness is a cornerstone of overall fitness. And since low LDL is a predictor of lower heart disease risk, you might feel proud of your super low LDL.

There are a couple of problems here though. The LDL that is reported by your doctor (LDL-C) doesn’t always align with the number of LDL particles floating around (LDL-P), and LDL-P is a better predictor of heart disease. 

Want to optimize your body and your fitness levels? You do not need to sweat it!

What do these two examples above have in common? They look at fitness through narrow lenses. Fitness is not just about working up a big sweat. It does not mean having Instagram worthy abs or exercising two hours a day.

Fitness is a mix of several components:

  • Optimal cardiovascular function
  • Joints that don’t cause you pain
  • Enough muscle and low enough fat to meet your goals
  • Good hormonal balance
  • Sufficient daily sleep to support all the above

A lot of people think that you need to exercise more and more if you want better fitness and a better body. Not true! The most common blocks to optimal fitness are rarely a lack of training time, but more often things like persistent sleep issues or chronic joint pain.

Ways to address these blocks:

  • Nutrition and supplementation
  • Tackle dieting psychology, an incredibly common stumbling block
  • Understand the data behind popular diets
  • Discover the answers to the most frequently asked dieting questions we get
  • Address non-exercise movement (like your body positioning at work)
  • Find how best to track your progress and set realistic fitness goals
  • Keep your joints healthy, so you do not get pain from getting more “fit”

About The Author

Mark Edwards is a professional Krav Maga coach, Personal Trainer and passionate advocate for good Krav Maga training. Mark heads up Krav Maga Taunton & Bridgwater and regularly coaches at national Krav Maga instructor training courses. Mark can be contacted on 07986516337

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Krav Maga Outdoor Training

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KRAV MAGA TAUNTON & BRIDGWATER COVID RESPONSE POLICY

Following an assessment of risk and in line with government guidance, this policy has been created to inform and advise club members of the procedures put in place by us in response to COVID-19.  Please read and comply with the following information to help us minimise risk to other members.  Our aim is to deliver the best possible service and training whilst doing everything we can to support social distancing and infection control, however, please understand that no location can make a guarantee of eliminating the spread of COVID-19.  You are therefore asked to exercise common sense, awareness, and compliance so that we are doing everything possible to adhere to all guidelines we have received.

Instructors may ask anyone who we believe poses a risk to the welfare of other members, either in their actions or in deliberate defiance of our policies, to vacate the premises.

This policy sets out how we intend to progress with the services we offer and will be reviewed and updated as guidance and procedures change.

We ask for your understanding and support while we adjust to a new way of delivering our service to you.  We have worked with all necessary parties and carried out all actions that we feel are needed to safeguard everyone visiting our training, however if you have any concerns or wish to highlight anything you feel is a potential issue, then we welcome direct feedback.

COMMUNCIATION

We will update you on any factors affecting our services and response to COVID-19 at any point of change.  The primary location for information on this policy and updates will be via https://krav-maga-taunton.co.uk where you will find the latest version of this document.  We will communicate with you via other channels such as email or our Facebook Pages and Private Facebook Groups, however, please ensure you refer to our website as your primary source of information on this matter.  Our App will include updates on this policy and any associated activities, such as last minute closures, timetable changes, and any unforeseen circumstances.

ATTENDANCE & HYGIENE

  • Club members are invited to bring their own hand sanitiser, we will also ensure that it is available for all and we encourage you to use it as often as necessary.
  • Please do not visit if, in the past 14 days, you have displayed symptoms of COVID-19 or have been diagnosed or been in contact with anyone else who has been diagnosed or is displaying symptoms.  Failure to adhere to this may result in the closure of our classes. Please consider carefully if you are in a demographic group that is considered vulnerable.
  • Anyone displaying symptoms whilst on site may be requested to isolate and use PPE until they can leave the premises at their earliest possible opportunity.
  • Anyone who presents with symptoms within 7 days of visiting a site should contact the person named at the end of this document so we can assess whether any further action is required.

CLASSES

  • Class sizes may be reduced to allow the required social distancing and will be adjusted in accordance with any changes to government guidance.
  • To allow for track and trace protocol classes must be booked in advance via the booking system provided.  This can be accessed via:

TAUNTON CLASSES

https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=20156493&appointmentType=15878946

BRIDGWATER CLASSES

https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=20156493&appointmentType=15879324

Access to classes will not be permitted without prior booking.

  • To maintain social distancing, instructors will only provide verbal guidance alongside tuition from the front of the class.

ACCESS & MOVEMENT

Club members will be allocated individual spaces marked by coned off areas, couples/ family groups may train together but must remain within their own household bubble.  Physical contact with anyone outside of your own household is not permitted.

If you require any alternative arrangements to the above, please contact us prior to your arrival.

No grappling, releases, or physical contact of any sort is permitted.  There must be 2m between

people from different households, or 1m plus with mitigations (such as face coverings or avoiding face to

face contact) where 2m is not possible.

EQUIPMENT

  • Strictly no sharing of equipment is permitted during classes.
  • Wherever possible, bring and use your own pads and gloves.

ONLINE CLASSES

We will continue to offer a limited timetable of online classes for those unable to return immediately.  The timetable for these classes will be available via our website, the members private Facebook Group or YouTube.  These classes will be delivered from the main each site (weather permitting) allowing members to follow along with the class taking place in real time.

The online timetable will be subject to demand and instructor availability.  Other online training opportunities and courses may be available and information on these will be available in the App.

Additional training content, drills, activities and the video curriculum will continue to be available in the App.

ADMINISTRATION

Wherever possible we will be operating a cashless payment system.  Payments can be made by card in person, or via the online shop.  Where possible, please make clothing and equipment orders and workshop and event bookings via the Club online shop at https://thekravshop.co.uk

FIRST AID

A fully stocked first aid kit is available and includes PPE.  We ask that initial treatment is carried out by the member if possible.  If we need to administer first aid, we will do so using PPE.  It must be noted that in this situation social distancing may not be possible.

INSURANCE & RISK ASSESSMENT

We wish to assure members that by following procedures, guidance and risk assessments, our business insurance policies continue to be valid and the cover our members have to train remains fully active, subject to the member holding an up to date training license (current paying member/ or attending a trial lesson). This cover is valid for onsite and online training.  For any training undertaken online or outside our premises, please refer to our online training terms and guidelines (accessible via the members private Facebook Group, ensuring that personal cover is adequate for your own personal circumstances.

CONTACT

We will address any issues relating to the current COVID-19 situation with the highest priority.  If you have any concerns about anything relating to this policy, your training or safety, please contact Mark Edwards on:

Contact Telephone Number: 07986 516337

Contact Email Address: kravmagataunton@gmail.com          

Please note that this policy is in addition to all other policies, including Safeguarding and Health & Safety, but overrides any activities or actions that are deemed similar in nature for the duration that this policy is in circulation.

Mark Edwards

Krav Maga Taunton & Bridgwater

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Krav Maga Taunton & Bridgwater Class Schedule

All classes will remain outdoors until I receive confirmation from Wellsprings and Bridgwater YMCA that we can train indoors. Both centres have my booking requests, COVID secure policy, and risk assessments. I’ll update you all when I hear from them.

I had to go with the masses, and after chatting with you during the sessions this week the majority are in favour of earlier start times.

Face to face Group Sessions
All class times are 7.00 pm to 8.00 pm with the same pre lockdown schedule:

Mondays – Wellsprings Leisure Centre
Tuesdays – Bridgwater YMCA
Wednesdays – Wellsprings Leisure Centre
Thursdays – Bridgwater YMCA

Online Training
By popular request, I will continue with online training for as long as you guys want it 🙂

Tuesdays – 6.00 am, Fit in 30 (HiiT training)
Tuesdays – 4.30 pm, Juniors Club
Thursdays – 6.00 am, Fit in 30 (HiiT training)
Thursdays – 4.30 pm, Juniors Club
Saturdays – 10.00 am, Krav Maga

Face to Face Group Session Booking Links

Taunton Classes
https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=20156493&appointmentType=15878946

Bridgwater Classes
https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=20156493&appointmentType=15879324

The new class time timetable will commence from Monday 27th July.

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Krav Maga Taunton Values – Tenacity

Krav Maga Taunton Values Tenacity
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Martial Arts Classes have so many amazing benefits for children

Krav Maga Taunton Online Martial Arts Classes For Children

PARENTS – IT’S FREE TO JOIN IN MAY!!

Martial Arts has so many amazing benefits for children, helping the development of:

✅ LIFE SKILLS
✅ CONFIDENCE
✅ RESPECT
✅ SOCIAL SKILLS
✅ STRENGTH

all while having loads of FUN!!!

Contact us Today for more info…

About The Author

Mark Edwards is a professional Krav Maga coach, Personal Trainer and passionate advocate for good Krav Maga training. Mark heads up Krav Maga Taunton & Bridgwater and regularly coaches at national Krav Maga instructor training courses. Mark can be contacted on 07986516337

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Krav Maga Taunton Online Self-Defence Training

online martial arts training

How are you? If its been a while since you contacted us at Krav Maga Taunton and a lot has changed!

All our classes are fully online now and we are getting great feedback!

Because we value everyone who has ever been a part of the Krav Maga Taunton family, we wanted to offer you the chance to come back for a FREE trial session!!

Thank you for contacting us.  Since the current lockdown restrictions came into effect, we have been running our Krav Maga Self-Defence sessions online and fully interactive, we have found them to be of great benefit to our students mentally and physically, it is great to be able to continue training, ready for when we are back in class.

Our fully-interactive classes are taught via Zoom and streamed live to our private Facebook group enable us to teach authentic Krav Maga and coach our students whilst allowing us to correct form and technique as we go, one of the major benefits is having the ability to answer questions as we run through the sessions helping our students to learn faster than watching videos alone.

In addition to this as a club member you will access to:

  • On demand videos including self defence, personal protection, fitness, and mindset classes.
  • 12 additional Facebook live instructional sessions a week with various British Krav Maga Instructors from across the country who specialise in their fields.
  • Weekly virtual get together & wellness check, a social online gathering with other club members, and an opportunity to share a few laughs and training tips.
  • Special access to all our online members’ only content via our mobile phone App.
  • Our fitter families programme incorporating children’s martial arts and family fitness sessions.

The great news is that we will be opening our online classes to new members. If you would like to attend a free online trial session, then please let us know when you would like to attend, and we will book you in. If after this session you would like to become a member, we can set up your preferred no minimum period, cancel at any time payment option.

If you have any further questions, then please do get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you to book your free trial!

About The Author

Mark Edwards is a professional Krav Maga coach, Personal Trainer and passionate advocate for good Krav Maga training. Mark heads up Krav Maga Taunton & Bridgwater and regularly coaches at national Krav Maga instructor training courses. Mark can be contacted on 07986516337

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Krav Maga Online Classes

Did you know that all our classes are fully online now and we are getting great feedback!

Our fully-interactive classes are taught via Zoom and streamed live to our private Facebook group enable us to teach authentic Krav Maga self defence and coach our students whilst allowing us to correct form and technique as we go, one of the major benefits is having the ability to answer questions as we run through the sessions helping our students to learn faster.
Because we value our community we want to offer everyone the chance to attended a FREE trial session!! Let me know if you want to book one.

In addition to this as a club member you will access to:

  • On-demand videos including self defence, personal protection, fitness, and mindset classes.
  • 12 additional Facebook live instructional sessions a week with various British Krav Maga Instructors from across the country who specialise in their fields.
  • Weekly virtual get together & wellness check, a social online gathering with other club members, and an opportunity to have a few laughs and training tips.
  • Access to all our online training videos, resources, and tips via our mobile phone App.
  • Coming soon, our fitter families programme incorporating children’s martial arts and family fitness sessions.

The great news is that we will be opening our online classes to new members. If you would like to attend a free online trial session, then please let us know when you would like to attend, and we will book you in. If after this session you would like to become a member, we can set up your preferred no minimum period, cancel at any time payment option.

If you have any further questions, then please do get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you to book your free trial!

This what our members think about our training.

Hey Mark,
I just wanted to say a massive thank you for your classes these past few weeks. Although sometimes my muscles disagree, I have absolutely enjoyed doing krav so many times a week and even the early morning sessions (I don’t even get up that early for work usually!!).

Its a massive help right now, not only physically but mentally too and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it and everything you’ve done to bring the gang together and ensure we can still train.
Really really big thank you!!
Ellis C

Evening Mark and Natalie,

Hope you are resting after today’s sessions.
It has been 8 weeks since the lock down started.

Will you accept my thanks for carrying on with the lessons online.
The 5 lessons a week are really helping with my fitness levels and I love them. I know my weight is still an issue but these sessions I feel are helping slowly.

The morning lessons I thought I would not be able to get out of bed but I have managed to join the morning fit in 30 clases.
I do appreciate the time and effort that you and Natalie put into the Krav sessions.

Thank you again for your time and energy.
Peter S

About The Author

Mark Edwards is a professional Krav Maga coach, Personal Trainer and passionate advocate for good Krav Maga training. Mark heads up Krav Maga Taunton & Bridgwater and regularly coaches at national Krav Maga instructor training courses. Mark can be contacted on 07986516337

Welcome

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