Being a dad with 2 daughters, sometimes I will wonder are my girls able to protect themselves against bullies or bad guys on the streets. I was indeed tempted to send them to learn some martial arts or classes like Taekwondo, Karate, Kendo, etc.
Thank God for listening to my prayers, one day I was introduced to KAPAP which is the acronym for Krav Panim el Panim, translating as face-to-face combat. Now the girls have a chance to understand more about self-defense.
Cadre Academy is KAPAP’s home for Asia Pacific.
The main difference between KAPAP and the other martial art lessons is that KAPAP focuses on principles and concepts, rather than techniques. This is a program adopted by many Special Forces around the world, like the famous elite Israeli Special Forces.
It doesn’t just teaches you the moves or actions, it is more like a concept-based lesson which makes it easier for learners to remember, retain and apply in real-life situations.
Cadre Academy is the only authorized center in Singapore to teach KAPAP. Master Leon Koh who is the Principal Coach is the lead representative that is trained and appointed by the Grandmaster Avi Nardia to represent KAPAP with the permission to use the name, trademarks and logos in the Asia Pacific region. Master Leon Koh was also the National Taekwondo Coach that brought us the recent 28th SEA Games Taekwondo Gold Medalists.
We were invited for a combined introductory session for both adults and family. By the way, KAPAP is suitable for kids as young as 5 years old. Kids can build a strong foundation in their cardiovascular endurance, balance, strength, flexibility and mental alertness which are all vital to self-defense knowledge.
Master Leon brought us through a series of warm ups, tips on stretching, and even fun games to help us understand the difference in performance martial arts and street self-defense moves.
We played a game of kicking the ball to hit the opponent team, catch is … we are not allowed to stand up and only to move on all fours.
A great game of learning and bonding with the kids!
End up I had some abrasions on both my knees as we played the game, because I was dragging my legs instead of moving with my legs up. Lesson learnt – in real “street fights” the ground would not be cushioned like we had at the studio, it would be worst than just abrasions. Hence, learning the correct concept of body movements like this would already be very useful. All through just the opening game. Nice!
Next we were taught how to fall and rise up in the correct posture. This simple move really tested our abs and Joey was pretty good as you can see in her excellent pose.
How to apply this move in the streets? When we are down and the attacker is coming towards us, we can be in this position and get ready to defend and break the attacker’s move. Easier said than done, but the repetition lessons are designed for students to remember the steps and the body will follow in times of emergency.
As Master Leon demonstrated, in this position even as so many of us are piling on top of him, he is still able to talk normal and not crushed under our combined weight. Quite amazing I must say.
When you face an imminent danger, will your fist be clenched or opened?
Most of us would likely be clenching our fists and getting ready to throw a punch or block the attack. But do you know that in KAPAP, you will be taught to always keep your fists open? Because this is pose of lesser threat to the person standing opposite you as compared to a clenched fist ready to fight. More than just a pose of lesser threat, an opened fist presents greater strength of resistance to a clenched fist. Don’t just take my word for it, try it like the pose below.
When your fist is clenched, it is easier for the other person to pull down the out-stretched arm. When the fist is opened, the resistance level is much higher, even when it is Jayne doing in on Kless. Important tips for ladies.
It was a great time of fun and different learning for me and the girls.
KAPAP Family forges a spirit of bonding not in the usual comfortable moments, but also in the tough real life situations. It’s a great way for kids to learn hand-to-hand battle skills, to stay strong and fit in a fun setting, and learn to stay calm and confident in the face of dangers.
GIVEAWAY!
All thanks to Cadre Academy, I’ll be giving away 2 sessions of Family KAPAP to 2 winners!
Which means you and your family (2 Adults + 2 or 3 Kids) can enjoy 2 free sessions together.
Follow the instructions below and stand a chance to win.
The giveaway will run from today till 28 Feb 2018, 10pm. All the best!
