Krav Maga

Kicking and punching are great for boosting one's heart rate and toning muscles. But add some self-defense and street-fighting techniques and the adrenaline really starts to flow. Krav Maga is the Israel Defense Forces' hand-to-hand fighting and self-defense system, taught to ordinary Joes and Janes who want to be able to handle themselves if attacked. This challenging, full-body workout will also get anyone in shape. "With Krav Maga your focus is on defending yourself, so you're working out without realizing you're working out," says Marcus Kowal, general manager and instructor at Krav Maga Worldwide Training Center in West L.A., which has franchises across the country.

Patrick Muldoon had his brains sucked out by a bug-eyed alien in "Starship Troopers," and perhaps more appealing he's been both a kindly heartthrob, Austin Reed on "Days of Our Lives," and an evil heartthrob, Richard Hart on "Melrose Place. " Shirtless scenes on soap operas require attention, but Muldoon sees more than body sculpting in his fitness routines. We all know the chiseled physique from daytime TV, but when did this all start? Were you active as a child? I grew up in a family of lifeguards.

Krav Maga. If you're an L.A. hard body, you know it as one of L.A.'s most killer workouts. Offered at West L.A.'s Krav Maga Center, the only facility in the U.S. that teaches this self-defense system, it is now available on home video. Krav Maga (pronounced krahv muhgah) means "contact combat." It is the official self-defense and fighting style of the Israeli Defense Forces and is used by U.S. law enforcement, including the Beverly Hills, Burbank and Santa Monica police departments.

Still haven't figured out how to get in shape for 2011? It's not too late. Experts around the country are here to help. A live Web chat Wednesday (noon EST, 11 a.m. CST and 9 a.m. PST) will feature these panelists: Dr. Danine Fruge of the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa; Dr. Susan Mitchell, a nutrition expert and dietitian; and Pete McCall, an exercise physiologist from the American Council on Exercise. Each will field questions about weight loss, lifestyle changes and general fitness.

The first hint I got of what was in store came when the instructor told us to touch the toes of one leg while sitting with the other leg stretched out behind. "Ouuuuccchhhhh!" I groaned, my thighs aching even though my fingers had stopped several feet short of their goal. I hate physical exercise of any kind. Always have. If it involves sweat and muscular strain, I'm definitely not your man. My idea of a good time is an evening spent watching the fish in my aquarium grow.

The knife-wielding man lunged at his opponent. One hard upward jab and the weapon's blade would slice into the soft flesh under the man's chin. But the would-be victim was having none of it. Using forearms and hands, he neatly deflected the attacker's lunge, punched him hard in the chest and then quickly delivered a stinging kick to the groin that was felt empathetically around the room. "I'm striking more than once," the man calmly explained, "because that's the way it is in the streets.

Chatting with Deputy Dist. Atty. Darren Levine in the hallways of the criminal courts building in downtown Los Angeles, it's hard to imagine that the disarmingly friendly prosecutor could be a show-no-quarter expert in the rough-and-tumble world of street fighting. But when you catch Levine at his Krav Maga self-defense training center, the husky Mr.

Twice a week at the University of Judaism in Bel-Air, about 30 people--Jew and gentile, black and white, male and female--meet to . . . beat each other up. Fortunately, they are all well-upholstered: This is a class in krav maga , the official self-defense technique of the Israeli Defense Forces. The students aren't here to learn any flashy moves ( krav maga is anything but stylish) or to practice for a contest (it has no competitions).

Though exercise is in and of itself a good thing, some people prefer folding it into another pursuit such as dance, rock climbing or in-line skating. In "Krav Maga: An Essential Guide to the Renowned Method -- for Fitness and Self-Defense," learning self-defense moves can also serve as a vigorous upper and lower body workout.

The new year is the perfect time to get out of your fitness rut -- especially if resolutions are on the line. These two workouts couldn't be more different: self-defense technique Krav Maga and ballroom dancing. Yet each offers a way to shape up and build skills. Here are two experts who can get you started. Los Angeles Times staff writer Jeannine Stein will host a live Web chat Monday at 11 a.m. PST (1 p.m. CST, 2 p.m. EST) first with Darren Levine , a master of the Israeli combat technique Krav Maga, and then with ballroom dance instructor Peri Rogovin of 3rd Street Dance in L.A. Each will answer questions and give advice on their specialties.

Kicking and punching are great for boosting one's heart rate and toning muscles. But add some self-defense and street-fighting techniques and the adrenaline really starts to flow. Krav Maga is the Israel Defense Forces' hand-to-hand fighting and self-defense system, taught to ordinary Joes and Janes who want to be able to handle themselves if attacked. This challenging, full-body workout will also get anyone in shape. "With Krav Maga your focus is on defending yourself, so you're working out without realizing you're working out," says Marcus Kowal, general manager and instructor at Krav Maga Worldwide Training Center in West L.A., which has franchises across the country.

Put away the eggnog and break out the tennis shoes ? it's New Year's resolution time, and no doubt millions have made the pledge to get fit. Many of them will join a gym only to find they're bored with the monotony of cardio equipment and weight training routines. But exercise shouldn't be drudgery. Plenty of pleasurable activities deliver a legitimate workout without the hamster-on-a-wheel feeling. Surfing, kayaking, ballroom dancing, trail running and self-defense classes are just a few ways to avoid a fitness rut or supplement a regular gym workout.

The new year is the perfect time to get out of your fitness rut -- especially if resolutions are on the line. These two workouts couldn't be more different: self-defense technique Krav Maga and ballroom dancing. Yet each offers a way to shape up and build skills. Here are two experts who can get you started. Los Angeles Times staff writer Jeannine Stein will host a live Web chat Monday at 11 a.m. PST (1 p.m. CST, 2 p.m. EST) first with Darren Levine , a master of the Israeli combat technique Krav Maga, and then with ballroom dance instructor Peri Rogovin of 3rd Street Dance in L.A. Each will answer questions and give advice on their specialties.

With New Year's resolutions in the planning stages, we're sure that many of you are contemplating getting in shape. Again. What's the strategy--joining a gym? Buying a treadmill for the house? Why not do something fun that's also a workout? The Aqualillies , a Los Angeles-based synchronized swimming and dance troupe, is starting up six-week sessions of classes from Jan. 8 to Feb. 12 at the Annenberg Community Beach House at Santa Monica State Beach. A prerequisite for the classes is having good swimming skills and being able to do the the crawl, backstroke, sidestroke and breaststroke.

When Christy Adair decided to take a self-defense class, she figured it would come in handy when she was traveling solo in foreign countries for work. What the production auditor didn't count on was how it would help her handle volatile producers, negotiate for better jobs, drop annoying friends and give the boot to her boyfriend. Going through the program, she says, "was almost like a rebirth. I became the person I always needed to be."

Though exercise is in and of itself a good thing, some people prefer folding it into another pursuit such as dance, rock climbing or in-line skating. In "Krav Maga: An Essential Guide to the Renowned Method -- for Fitness and Self-Defense," learning self-defense moves can also serve as a vigorous upper and lower body workout.

Patrick Muldoon had his brains sucked out by a bug-eyed alien in "Starship Troopers," and perhaps more appealing he's been both a kindly heartthrob, Austin Reed on "Days of Our Lives," and an evil heartthrob, Richard Hart on "Melrose Place. " Shirtless scenes on soap operas require attention, but Muldoon sees more than body sculpting in his fitness routines. We all know the chiseled physique from daytime TV, but when did this all start? Were you active as a child? I grew up in a family of lifeguards.

With New Year's resolutions in the planning stages, we're sure that many of you are contemplating getting in shape. Again. What's the strategy--joining a gym? Buying a treadmill for the house? Why not do something fun that's also a workout? The Aqualillies , a Los Angeles-based synchronized swimming and dance troupe, is starting up six-week sessions of classes from Jan. 8 to Feb. 12 at the Annenberg Community Beach House at Santa Monica State Beach. A prerequisite for the classes is having good swimming skills and being able to do the the crawl, backstroke, sidestroke and breaststroke.

Chatting with Deputy Dist. Atty. Darren Levine in the hallways of the criminal courts building in downtown Los Angeles, it's hard to imagine that the disarmingly friendly prosecutor could be a show-no-quarter expert in the rough-and-tumble world of street fighting. But when you catch Levine at his Krav Maga self-defense training center, the husky Mr.

In the war on terrorism, most of us are noncombatants and, hopefully, always will be. But perhaps nothing has done more than Sept. 11 to bring home the realization that if, one day, we had to fight off a terrorist on an airplane--or any assailant anywhere--few of us would have a hope in the world of doing so. The result is that self-defense courses are seeing a surge in applicants.