I Am Out of Shape. Is Krav Maga For Me?

At Valley Self-Defense, we often get emails and phone calls from people who are interested in starting Krav Maga, but one of the first things they’ll tell us is:

I am out of shape. Is that okay?

And really, it’s never just someone mentioning this. More often than not, it’s an apology - they’re apologizing to us for who they are.

I understand this deeply. I was the kid who was often picked near the end. I was called a “fat whale” by an ex-boyfriend in front of his entire baseball team. I wore oversized t-shirts and hoodies that were far too big for my frame. I’ve been the last person completing an exercise and there’s nothing worse than being the only person still moving and having all those eyes on you.

No one wants to feel like they’re the slowest. No one wants to be the last. It’s easy to apologize for the space you take up when it’s never been okay for you to take up space.

But here is the thing that I will say to any person who apologizes for their size at our gym:

You. Deserve. To. Feel. Safe. In. Your. Body. As. It. Is.

AS IT IS NOW. End of sentence.

There is no magical size that signals you deserve to feel safe. 

You do not have to lose weight to learn to defend yourself. You do not need to change your gender identity to learn to defend yourself. You do not need to be anything other than you to defend yourself. 

The adaptability of Krav Maga makes it easy for anyone to learn, no matter their age, size, or flexibility. Krav Maga focuses on helping every person understand their own capabilities and surroundings. Krav Maga is full of techniques and moves but the adaptability of the techniques is what makes Krav Maga useful to the individual and, hopefully, makes each student feel confident and capable.

But more than anything, my favorite thing about Krav Maga is that everything boils down to resiliency. We aren’t looking for you to become the next Jason Bourne, Jason Stathem, or any of the other Jason action heroes - we want you to feel confident enough as you are and that if you ever have to defend yourself you won’t give up.

Resiliency has nothing to do with weight, but everything to do with heart. And that’s something we can’t teach, but if you need it, we can help you find yours.

So if you’re looking to start Krav Maga, know that when you walk in our door, the only thing that will matter is the size of your heart.

‍

Krav Maga near me? There is! If you're looking for a Krav Maga class near you, Valley Self-Defense is a proud member of the International Krav Maga Federation with schools located across the United States. To find a school near you, visit the IKMF USA website.

One of the questions we get the most often is: Is Krav Maga for me? If you've ever asked that question, this post is for you.