Adult Archives - Krav Maga Illinois

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Posted on March 14, 2023 | by Krav Maga Illinois

Krav Maga is practical and simplistic self defense training. In each of our one hour classes you will learn combatives, self defense techniques, awareness, reaction and response to threats. This is a hands on class and no experience is necessary. We are all here at Krav Maga Illinois for one purpose…self empowerment and self preservation. Along with self defense training you will make new friends and connections, all with the same goal of keep yourself safe. Come out and train in a safe, comfortable environment with no intimidation factor. Make new friends while you learn how to protect yourself and your family. Violence is not going away anytime soon. Start your Krav Maga journey today. Call us for a free trial class!

Krav Maga Illinois has been selected as Best Self Defense training by Chicago Magazine.

Founded in 2009 by Sue Garstki, a lifetime martial artist with over 40 years of martial arts and teaching experience. Krav Maga Illinois has served thousands of students looking for realistic self defense and awareness training, confidence, empowerment, physical fitness, and mental toughness. Our Krav Maga Training practitioners include moms, dads, students, professionals, military personnel, law enforcement, anyone interested in protecting and improving their quality of life. Krav Maga Illinois is a proud licensee of Krav Maga Worldwide, and is on a nationwide curriculum with over 150 KMW training facilities all over the world.

Krav Maga Illinois Krav Maga Kid’s Program is for children 10 and up. This is a program that focuses on reality self defense, anti-bullying, strength and confidence building. It is a hands on program in a safe and supportive environment.

All of our instructors are officially certified through Krav Maga Worldwide and USA Boxing. They are knowledgeable and recognized in their field of expertise. What we do is self defense, and that is clear through the information and level of instruction given by our talented instructors. Instructors can answer questions you may have by calling directly at 773/775-5201. You can also visit our website at KravMagaIllinois.com

About Sue Garstki: Sue Garstki is a certified Expert Level Kravmaga Worldwide Instructor, 2nd Degree Black Belt in Okinawan Shorei Goju Karate, and official USA Boxing Coach. She has been certified in Commando Krav Maga and the Haganah/F.I.G.H.T. system. She is also a Level 4 instructor in the Raven Method Close Quarter Defensive Tactics System, having had the honor of working with the Chicago Guardian Angels. Sue was nominated Female Reality Self Defense Instructor of the Year by the Global Network of Reality Based Self Defense Systems, and Civilian Close Quarter Combat Instructor of the Year. Sue has worked with the Chicago Police Department as well as schools and other organizations spreading awareness in Self Defense, Women’s Self Defense and Domestic Violence issues. In June 2013 Sue was inducted into the U.S.A. Martial Arts Hall of Fame, and again in 2015, and 2017, where she was named Krav Maga Expert of the Year. In 2021 and 2022, she was again inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. She is a certified personal trainer under NDEITA and was one of the first instructors be be certified to teach the National Association of Professional Martial Artist’s (NAPMA) Kardio Karate program. She is the founder of the Women’s Martial Arts Alliance, member of the National Women’s Martial Arts Federation, and the American Women’s Self-Defense Association. Sue can be reached at any time for more information or to answer any questions by calling 773/775-5201.

No More Boring Workouts

Posted on January 28, 2015 | by Jason

Tom starts his journey super-motivated. He follows his new workout routine religiously. He arrives at the gym at 5pm every day. He hits the treadmill, lifts weights, uses the Nautilus equipment, then the cardio machine. He does this five days a week. And Tom hates it! He’s sore and exhausted, but not seeing much change in his body. He doesn’t feel any motivation to go to the gym. Before long, he starts looking for excuses to not be at the gym.

Sound familiar? If it’s any consolation, you’re not alone! Workouts can get monotonous and downright boring very quickly. Further, getting stuck in a rut causes your intelligent body to adapt and become accustomed to the workout, gradually burning fewer calories and building muscle less efficiently.

The result? You go through boring hours of intense exercise, which does little to no good in the end. This can throw you off-track if you’re working out with specific goals. Boring traditional exercises will help you stay healthy, provided you can persevere through the boredom. But if you’re exercising to lose some flab, baby weight, to reach your ideal body BMI score, those monotonous workouts will get you nowhere fast.

Variety really is the spice of life, more so when you exercise

Working out with a friend or a new group of workout buddies alleviates boredom and motivates you to push yourself harder. However, a routine sport or activity will affect your body with fewer positive effects as the same muscle groups are required every time. It’s a good idea to introduce variety in your workout routine.

Add outdoor activities with friends, family members or pets, such as jogging, hiking, trekking, or bicycling, which gives your works different muscle groups, entertains the senses differently, and carries other benefits like fellowship with others. If you’re running already, change your route, or choose a more steep slope for the workout. Similarly, switch schedules, routines, intensity, and length of workout and “cheat” days intermittently to have your body un-learn the stimulus. Aim for a switch every six weeks at least.

Martial arts is the end of painfully boring workouts for adults

To bring the fun back to your fitness routine, introduce martial arts into your weekly workout routine. Martial arts training is the fun way to give your whole body, including muscles that typically don’t get exercised on the treadmill, a thorough workout. You’ll lose body fat while increasing the health of your heart, lungs, blood vessels, and body tissue. An average person expends 600 calories in one hour of martial arts!

But this is not all. Martial arts training also helps learn valuable life and survival skills. You learn
how to respect and tolerate others, how to keep your cool but command respect, and how to fight for your life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness when needed. You learn patience and perseverance while building discipline, integrity, knowledge, and honor. So say goodbye to boring, ineffective workouts by replacing them with exciting, fun-filled, stupendously beneficious martial arts training.

Improve Your Goal-Setting Skills by Training in Martial Arts

Posted on January 28, 2015 | by Jason

Martial arts have been practiced and passed down generation after another for centuries now, though the true origins of certain disciplines remain shrouded in the mists of antiquity. Fighting styles have evolved and given birth to new ones over vast periods of time. Today we have various types of martial arts such as Karate, Kung fu, Jujitsu, Aikido, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and Tae Kwon Do, which focus on different aspects or styles of fighting, with both shared and unique traditions and philosophical elements.

Initially developed for prowess in personal combat and self-defense, these martial arts have now been found to improve the character, behavior, and mental conditions of students of all ages and backgrounds. Apart from physical movements, most of these martial arts also espouse intellectual concepts such as balance, meditation, proper breathing, and combat ethics. In this piece, however, you will see how it helps in improving your goal-setting skills in life.

Improving goal-setting skills

The abilities to set “smart” goals and then work and persevere to earn them on time are important for anyone in his or her everyday life. And to achieve them, you need to have a set of skills that may be developed from practicing martial arts. Focus and concentration on the job or goal at hand is important to achieve it. Martial arts develop concentration, listening skills, and reaction time, significantly helping students focus and remain loyal to their goals.

Physical fitness is an incremental process achieved by training over time, but it’s a vital pursuit for those aiming to achieve certain health goals, like significant weight loss or beating a disease. Most martial arts schools stress the importance of diet along with much repetition of the rigorous techniques of the discipline. A fit body and clear mind give you the self-confidence to go the extra mile. The belt system in martial arts keeps you engaged with one goal after the other. This in turn reflects in your goal setting skills in your professional and personal lives. Now let us see how to set goals in your life with the help of martial arts.

How to set goals

List the goals that want to achieve. Make sure these goals are not far-fetched and assign a time period for each goal. For example, you want to reduce 30 lbs by the end of the year. Measure your progress throughout the process of reaching your goal. If you manage to complete it in the specific time period, reward yourself with a something new, and if not, punish yourself with some extra practicing time per day. Keep the goal visible: look at it every day.

Picture finally reaching the stage of success to motivate yourself to reach it. For example, if your goal is to earn your 1st Degree Black Belt, picture yourself wearing it in class, and no bigger motivation may be required. Martial arts demand your pain and sweat if you want to pass each level through successive ranks and belts – and acquire the powerful abilities that come with them. This level of long-term or intermediate goal motivates you to keep trying as challenges and rewards continue occurring in your training and fitness.
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People have a misconception that martial arts training is merely for children. Adults experience many more complex challenges, responsibilities, and stressors in both personal and professional lives. Hence, by improving self-confidence and self-control, rehearsing martial arts techniques is especially helpful to adults. It helps us become more efficient, and also more likely to “keep our cool” during difficult situations. Bypass the misconceptions and start learning martial arts today if you want to start converting personal dreams into life-changing realities!