Fighting Fit: Straight Outta Jerusalem > Hit and Run Self Defense brings the pain Adam Tatelmen Arts Editor kK Maga, or “contact combat” as it’s translated from Hebrew, is a method of fighting practiced today around the world. It’s mainly used by members of the military with the goal of enhancing their unarmed close-quarter combat skills. However, there is no such thing as competitive Krav Maga. It isn’t used in mixed martial arts competitions such as the UFC, because the sole purpose of the style is to be practical and effective in life-or-death situations. Therefore, much of the fighting style involves rather “unsportsmanlike’ tactics, which when used in a situation outside of life-or-death, seem rather “dirty” or “harsh.” In the interest of teaching students to protect themselves, Hit and Run Self Defense offers training in this deadly martial art. Hit and Run’s instructors, Louisa Weizmann and John Chartier, are both multiple black belts with over two decades of experience each. They are not hobbyists, but full time teachers, both highly sought after by police and security personnel for one-on-one training in their style of Krav Maga. The Krav Maga fighting method assumes that you'll be caught off your guard or otherwise be put at a disadvantage in a close- quarters situation, like a street mugging or fight. To that end, KM employs defences from vulnerable positions, such as being strangled by a cord from behind, threatened with a knife, or having a gun shoved in your face. There are methods to survive situations like these, and they’re simpler to learn than you might think. The brilliance of the KM method is that it rejects all Remembering José Fernandez > A baseball star that twinkled out too soon Chandler Walter Assistant Editor American Major League aseball player who pitched for the Miami Marlins. Fernandez had only started his baseball career, having been drafted by the Marlins in 2011 in the first round. He went on to make his MLB debut in the 2013 season on April 7. From the start, it was obvious that the young pitcher had talent. He won the National League Rookie of the Year Award after the season’s end, and claimed the Rookie of the Month Award in both July and August of that year. By the end of his short career, Fernandez’s win-loss record was 38-17, which was one of the best among all pitchers his age. However, Fernandez’s road to the big show was not an easy one. Born in Cuba, the young man tried and failed Jin Fernandez was a Cuban to defect three times before finally succeeding on the fourth attempt at age 15. Asa result, most of his young adolescence was spent in and out of the Cuban jail. To top it all off, during his fourth attempt, his mother fell out of the boat they were leaving on, and he risked everything to jump in and save her. Eventually, he found his way to Mexico, and on April 5, 2008, he made his fateful journey to Tampa, Florida. In 2013, the Marlins arranged to have Fernandez’s fighting techniques that require fine motor skills to execute. Everything one learns in KM instead employs full-body, gross motor skill motions, which are much easier to remember, even when under extreme threat. There are no elaborate techniques in KM. Everything is fast, brutal, and to the point—so much so that an outsider might think it artless, were it not so effective. Those at risk of street attacks are unlikely to be accosted in well-lit dojos full of bystanders in the middle of the day, so KM teachers often have students practice grandmother—who was a large inspiration to his baseball career, and unfortunately stuck in Cuba, as far as he knew— come to visit him the day before he was awarded the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Olga Fernandez Romero arrived while José was speaking in an interview, and the smile that the young pitcher had on his face lit up the room. Even going under the knife could not put a damper on Fernandez, as he underwent Tommy John Surgery (ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction) in 2014, and was back to sliding his curveballs past bats and over the plate in the 2015 season, on July 2. That game he managed six strikeouts in six innings, and a homerun to boot. Fernandez told mlb.com: “I almost teared up before I threw my first pitch.” As it turned out, his mother and grandmother were there watching him play in his first game back after the surgery. Photo by Carter Brundage/The Ubyssey in darkened rooms, with loud music blaring, or even after being spun around until dizzy to simulate drunkenness. This is a step beyond what most schools prepare students for, which is often tournaments and nothing else. This is especially so when combined with KM’s situational awareness training. After all, the best fight is the one you never have to win. If you are interested in joining Hit and Run Self Defense, visit http://www. hitandrunselfdefense.com for details. Classes are held four times a week at the Hit and Run studio (2251 Number 5 Rd). “It was an experience | never had before. I’m thankful I got another chance to be on the mound.” 2016 was perhaps Fernandez’s best year. He started in a team-leading 29 games, racking up 16 wins and 8 losses. His 2.86 ERA was enough to put him in the top 10 pitchers in the league. This year, he was also one of the best strikeout pitchers in the league. He struck out a crazy 253 batters, and led the league in strikeouts per 9 innings. His effort had him in the discussion for this year’s NL Cy Young Award (awarded to the best pitcher in the MLB), and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was posthumously awarded the honour. Fernandez died late this September in a boating accident in Miami, at the age of 24. He leaves behind a girlfriend with an unborn child, a retired number 16, an eternal legacy in the city of Miami, and a smile that will not soon be forgotten.