Spend an hour in the Spartan Krav Maga studio in Lansing and you’ll walk out with techniques and maneuvers that may save your life one day. That’s why Justin Moore, owner of the studio, is so passionate about teaching this self-defense system to anyone who walks through his doors.
“It’s great to be able to see and empower people to take some of those skillsets away with them that they can utilize out there in the real world,” Moore said.
Krav Maga, meaning “contact combat” in Hebrew, is a tactical system by the Israeli Defense Force to teach soldiers how to protect themselves from an unexpected attack. First used in Israel in the 1940s, it came to the United States in the late 1980s and was used to train law enforcement and military personnel. Recently, it has become a popular fitness and self-defense practice for civilians. Designed to get trainees up and running as soon as possible, Krav Maga is perfect for people who are looking for practical, realistic self-defense techniques that can be applied right away.
“By nature, it has to work for everyone on the spectrum,” Moore said. Regardless of age, fitness level, ability, or prior fighting experience, everyone can glean something helpful out of Krav Maga.
Moore serves full time as a lieutenant and instructor in a Michigan police department and was looking for a more realistic fighting and self-defense technique to teach the other officers. He found Krav Maga and was instantly hooked by its realistic and practical applications.
“As I was training, I thought ‘This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done,’” he said. “I had this crazy idea one day, maybe I should start a business and offer it to the general public outside of law enforcement and the military realm. We did, and it really took off.”
Today, the Delhi Township location is just one of seven Spartan Krav Maga studios in Mid-Michigan. When the team was first looking to expand into the Lansing market in 2011, the Jolly/Dunckel region caught Moore’s eye.
“It’s got some really great thoroughfare and it’s really close to a lot of other markets,” Moore said. “To us, it was centrally located to a lot of diversity and community.”
Though Moore still works full time as a lieutenant, he and his team offer a regular schedule of classes alongside corporate seminars, law enforcement and military courses, and violent patient management courses for healthcare workers. As participants advance in their training, there are even opportunities to learn how to protect crowds of people in active shooter scenarios or other violent attacks.
“It’s very fast paced,” Moore said. “You’re going to walk out of there day one with something of value. And there’s always more to learn and apply in different scenarios and environments to improve your skill set.”
Think you might want to give it a try? Spartan Krav Maga offers a free trial class.
Spartan Krav Maga is at 3480 Dunckel Road in Lansing, 517.325.3138, www.spartankravmaga.com.