5.11 Workshop in Hamburg: Krav Maga for Women

On November 30th, another workshop took place at the 5.11 Store in Hamburg. This time, in line with the 5.11 motto "Always Be Ready," the focus was on self-defense. Carsten Draheim from Kravolution was the trainer. Carsten is the founder of the Kravolution association, owner of the Krav Maga Institute in Cologne, and author of books on self-defense. He regularly trains military and police personnel both domestically and internationally, but also teaches civilians.

In this case, the participants were limited to women. As always, prior registration at the store (in person or by phone) was mandatory, and it quickly filled up, with some participants even being signed up by their husbands/friends without really knowing what it was all about.

The official part started with a welcome from Torben, an employee of the 5.11 Store, who later also served as a "dummy." Carsten introduced himself briefly, and then the warm-up phase began. Already here, aspects related to self-defense were included, such as each participant continuously being aware of their surroundings and memorizing directions or objects.

The explanations about the origins of conflicts then led to prevention. Each participant was able to gain experience here and think about escape routes, timelines, etc., which would be important later in the training. There was also a discussion about when a threat or attack is actually present and how one is allowed to respond.

The following partner exercises included both physical and verbal reactions to specific approaches/attacks, and some participants had to really come out of their shell. The individual techniques were then also practiced in isolation on the punching pad.

To finish, the participants had to defend themselves against a physical attack and then make their way through a narrow alley where they were hemmed in and pushed back by the other participants with punching pads. After that, they had to hit a punching pad for what felt like an eternity and then run away.

The ladies unanimously agreed at the end that the final exercise was both physically and mentally exhausting. Some of them had to muster the courage to not only shout at an attacker but also physically impact them. Here, experiences were gained and practical scenarios were presented.

To set up the "trial course," it should be noted that Carsten structured the training superbly from start to finish and utilized all details of methodology and didactics. In such a short time, all participants learned a tremendous amount and were able to get a nearly complete picture of a realistic self-defense system. No time was wasted; even during warm-ups, "situational awareness" and similar concepts were promoted.

According to 5.11, more workshops with Carsten Draheim on the topic of Krav Maga/Self-Defense are being planned. Until then, on December 15th, there will be Jerry Mayer from SAM Medical/Tactical Responder with "Stop the Bleed – Part 1 (Extremity Tourniquet)."

5.11-Store in Hamburg. Location: Brandshofer Deich 68, 20539 Hamburg.

5.11 TACTICAL on the Internet: www.511tactical.com