Shahar (Sean) Or - IKM Combat Training Division Director

Shahar Or was born in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1980. At the age of 18 he began his military service in the Israeli Military (IDF) as a member of the “Golani” Brigade where he served in several positions, including special assistant and operation coordinator for the Golani Brigade commander, commander of the training division in one of the Golani brigade SF and operational Team Sergeant. Shahar is a graduate of SF training course and a qualified field medic, with extensive operational and combat experience.

In 2004, after 5 years of service, Shahar left the IDF and became a Maritime Security Specialist while serving as a Chief Security Officer onboard Cruise Ships around the world and later as a Chief Combat Instructor for Ship Security Officers. During those years he continued to develop his Krav Maga skills under Gabi Noah, and in 2006 he graduated from the “Krav Maga Instructors Course” at the Wingate Institute, Israel’s National Centre for Physical Education and Sport, while also receiving an international “Krav Maga Instructor” diploma from the “international Krav Maga Federation” (IKMF) and from “IKM Gabi Noah”.

Shahar holds a Krav Maga Expert level which is equivalent to Black Belt and a qualified IDF (Israel Defense Force) senior Krav Maga Instructor.

Since 2006 Shahar has become a senior Krav Maga and combat instructor with vast experience in training combat and Special Forces units in both the public and the private sectors. During the past several years Shahar trained the self defense instructors of the Italian Police Academy, The DT instructors of Westchester County Police, SWAT units and the NYPD, the Presidential Secret Service agents of Panama, and more.

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For me, it was easy to ruminate harmony and world peace for living from the safety of a Midtown high-rise, but quite another story to actually pace in peace and harmony in the Manhattan neighborhood that I had moved into a year or so back. It was one of those ‘transitional’ areas, said to be a good investment for the future. But whilst waiting for the future and all that goodness, I feared the trips to buy milk around the corner. And the trips to subway. Anxiously, I avoided the evening strolls in the Park because of the few blocks separating me from it. Whether that was for perceived or real reasons is immaterial—fear was my reality. And when an alleged nearby street incident involving rowdy youth was reported, I had had it: I found myself frantically googling everything from pepper spray to city laws about menopausal women carrying guns, to relocation services and finally to women’s self-defense. I had already tried kick-boxing, tai-chi and yoga in my past, resulting in pulled tendons down there and frequent nausea about all that omming. Breaking all my ordinary rules of engagement, I was desperate enough to contact a stranger whose name I could not pronounce, for private lessons in something that felt equally foreign on my tongue, Krav Maga.

That was four months ago.

Today, I bravely get my milk from the bodega, and heck, I take my time in the bean aisle too. I nod hello to people before they do to me, and whether they do so at all. And I do the Park again, without a Walther PPK. Skirts are back in use, although admittedly, when I really want to blend in, I still slip into black leather and chains, and sink into that Yankees cap. Nothing in the neighborhood has changed, and yet, it seems like most everything has. I certainly have—I could swear I have grown an inch or two taller, embracing the streets. For I too belong there; this is where I live, in so much more peace, thanks to what I have learned and unlearned, and still am, training with that KM fellow whose name remains a challenge.

I hate him when he cranks up the treadmill to eight, and thank him afterwards for doing just that. And do I like a thousand repeats of the same kick-and-punch combo; do I enjoy being face-slapped when I make mistakes? Hell no! But do I learn from that pain? Yes, that’s the way learning-by-hurting works, in any language. That’s the way to build muscle memory that gives me confidence to live life looking ahead rather than staring down, to buy that damn milk so fearlessly. Dairy is no longer my enemy. I am learning ways to defend, protect and control myself, and I’d rather have a few KM bruises in my limbs rather than fear tattooed in my soul. And what’s more, in the past four months of KM, I have discovered these seven special reasons for why Krav Maga really feels better than rolling that office chair on a sheet of bubble wrap:

1. Although I may have my limits, I don’t yet know what they are. This is a journey and I love to travel, even if it’s just a mind trip.
2. Muscle memories are truly beautiful, perfect even for us with budding dementia, because you don’t need to think. Can it get any better? If yes, tell me, because I cannot remember.
3. For the first time in 15 years, I am wearing jeans in single digit size, and going smaller. Yes. Really.
4. I am starting to get an idea of what it feels like to have the much buzzed-about ‘core’. And I wasn’t even trying to get one; otherwise I would have been doing some Pilates wearing pink clothing, merely perspiring and looking serene. Now I sweat and look like hell. But to have a core is like wearing a corset, just without all those strings attached. It’s your very own inner spandex, a nifty by-product of all that KM.
5. I have faith, faith in one day again owning a six-pack that does not need to be refrigerated, but which is there to be exposed to the elements, like to the sunshine, in bikini. When that happens, you are welcome to watch my, well, bikini.
6. Thinking that straight-leg push-ups are just for meaty men with a primal grunt is so yesterday. I am doing seven now, I grunt in my own special way, and am still not a man, despite all that hormone replacement therapy. Doing one push-up was on my bucket-list of things to do before I die. I believe I have learned to be careful with what I wish for.
7. Fearing less makes you a kinder person, generating less fear in others, which in turn creates a vicious circle of unbearable niceness. It makes your head spin without all those mojitos. And one can never have too much of head spinning.

Apart from defending myself against a backwards rolling bicycle that appeared out of nowhere to my path, I have luckily had no need to try out my KM abilities in the streets—although I am proud to say that this renegade bike was no match for me, thanks to all those muscle memories: my coiled arms reacted as I had been taught, although the threat was just a bunch of metal and rubber. That moment, I felt like a queen dick; actually, it made my day for many days. I may not be a ninja heroine, Wonder Woman or Black Belt, but if I keep investing in more sweat and genuine joy of learning to push my boundaries, the way things seem to be going, there is really no way to know how mind-blowingly the story ends. So yes, I do feel very bullish about this KM stuff.

And boy am I glad I didn’t just order that pepper spray.

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Unfortunately, violent and sexual crimes in urban areas are on the rise again in the United States. One of the most startling statistics involves the increase in attacks on women. Here are a few chilling statistics and facts to help put things into perspective:

• Fact #1: 17.6 % of women in the United States have survived a completed or attempted rape.

• Fact #2: An estimated 683,000 adult American women are forcibly raped each year.

• Fact #3: 5% of adult rape victims are male.

• Fact #4: Men perpetrate the majority of violent acts against women.

• Fact #5: Sexual violence is associated with a host of short- and long-term problems, including physical injury and illness, psychological symptoms, economic costs, and death.

• Fact #6: A study reported in the New York Times suggests that one in five adolescent girls become the victims of physical or sexual violence, or both, in a dating relationship.

We all need to know how to defend ourselves.

6 Tips for Self Defense

There is no such thing as a type of person that is most likely to be a victim of violence. Women and men of all ages, religions, class, cultures, beliefs or geographic locations can become a victim to violence.

The broad nature of the problem has drawn attention to the methods used to counter domestic and street violence on a national and regional level. No single policing method or social policy or other strategy can single handedly manage the problem – it is also up to the individuals concerned to learn how to keep themselves safe.

There has been a dearth of rational dialogue and solutions put forward by politicians and policy makers based on notions of self-defense and individual responsibility. It would be politically risky to publicly suggest that citizens look after themselves and learn Krav Maga or another form of self defense but the fact is there is always going to be a risk to your personal safety no matter how efficient policing methods are or how much crime rates fall.

Self defense classes could be the easiest way to mitigate risks to your personal safety and one of the most responsible things one can do to help thwart the rise in attacks in urban areas such as New York.

There are in fact a number of things we can all do as individuals to help prevent attacks and feel safer. The following tips and advice are geared towards men and women of all ages and are learned in our regular Krav Maga classes.

1. Stay in control.

A study of sexual assaults among college students found that 73% of the assailants and 55% of the victims had used drugs, alcohol, or both immediately before the assault.  Don’t drink yourself stupid.

2. Make sure you know your surroundings.

Only 22% of female victims were assaulted by someone they had never seen before or did not know well.  Don’t rely on the fact you are with familiar faces and lull yourself into a false sense of security based on superficial acquaintances. Be friendly and don’t be paranoid but always be aware which means saying no to that extra drink or drugs.

3. Harm Reduction. The following steps will help reduce the risk of being assaulted:

- Be confident.  Attending only a few Krav Maga classes a month give you a huge confidence boost.  Your manner and self confidence is the easiest way to put off an attacker.
- Learn to identify threatening and dangerous behavior.  Learning how to identify aggressive behavior and a few simple techniques can give you a huge advantage if you are ever in a vulnerable position.
- Be assertive and speak confidently and directly when being approached or if put in a vulnerable position.
- Set the boundaries. Clearly communicate your limits to others and don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself. For instance, if someone is making you feel uncomfortable, say so immediately and clearly.
- If you sense danger, the easiest thing to do is walk away.

4. Assertiveness is empowerment.

Communicate clearly and firmly because if you establish boundaries early on and someone crosses the line, you can act quickly and do what you need to in order to remove yourself from a difficult situation.

5. Keeping yourself safe while traveling alone.

- Avoid walking at night wearing headphones or using a cell phone. Loud music and talking on the phone hampers your ability to hear what is happening around you and tends to attract unwanted attention.
- Don’t just rely on using things like pepper spray to defend yourself. Learn some form of practical self-defense like Krav Maga (classes are available from trusted trained professionals in locations in New York City including Tribeca, Wall Street (in and around the the financial district) and the Upper West Side), it will give you confidence and potential attackers sense that confidence.
Make sure you learn a practical form of self-defense because if you don’t practice your physical responses under realistic circumstances (i.e. mental and physical stress) and situations, you are more likely to encounter feelings of shock, numbness, loss of control, disorientation, and fear when it happens in real life. Non-practical martial art forms like Karate and Taekwondo are beautiful and elegant but they won’t help you when you’re in danger.

6. Keeping yourself safe at a party, club or bar.
- Be careful about walking away with strangers or when you are interacting with new people. Get to know them and decide whether or not you can trust them.

- Try to avoid being alone with someone who has been drinking or taking drugs. Someone that you know well could act very differently under the influence, and be a threat to you.

- Consider limiting your intake of alcohol or drugs. Taking drugs or drinking alcohol may make you more vulnerable. Your ability to keep yourself safe might be impaired. Know that even if you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol and you experience sexual assault, it is not your fault.

- Consider telling your parents and friends where you are going. They may need to contact you or, more importantly, you may need to contact them if you find yourself in an uncomfortable or dangerous situation.

- Trust your instincts. If you feel uncomfortable or afraid, it is ok to leave a situation. Do not worry about being polite or hurting someone’s feelings. And if you have a cell phone, use it.

To find out more about Krav Maga in New York City please contact us.

- We will be closed on July 3rd due to the holiday