Xiaohongshu
Second-year Creative Arts and Humanities student Vish tries Krav Maga for the first time
Since coming to UCL, I've generally got involved in hobbies that are already familiar to me. I play a lot of table tennis and tennis, as I’ve always been a fan of racquet sports, and I’ve also recently got into climbing with some of my friends. Alongside this, I’ve been an active member of the UCL Film & TV Society since I joined, and I’m now part of the committee.
At the start of term two, though, I wanted to push myself to try something a bit different, even if it meant stepping slightly outside my comfort zone. With this in mind, I decided to attend the Pure Krav Maga taster session. I’ll admit I did feel a little nervous beforehand, especially as I had no prior experience with martial arts — but that was exactly why I decided to give a taster session a go.
I’ll admit I did feel a little nervous beforehand, especially as I had no prior experience with martial arts... but that was exactly why I decided to give a taster session a go
Throwing myself in
The session was led by Senior Instructor Mohammed. After some mingling at the start and getting to know new members, we moved into a warm-up section involving a mixture of running on the spot, star jumps, side-to-side movement and dynamic stretches. It was a great way to get energised and raise our heart rates before getting into the more practical exercises.
After the warm-up, Mohamed explained a bit more about what Krav Maga actually is. He described it as a form of practical self-defence, particularly useful for people who don’t necessarily have the time to master a traditional martial art. He also touched on the importance of efficiency: the techniques are designed to help you protect yourself as quickly and effectively as possible.
Learning the craft
We were then split into partners, and luckily I ended up with Vikram, the society’s previous president, who was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. As someone who has never trained in martial arts before, I was surprised by how easy the instructions were to follow. We started with some basic punching drills, paired with the vocal exclamation of “BACK OFF” — something that felt slightly awkward at first, but actually helped me feel more confident and assertive when defending myself.
Mohammed then demonstrated a few techniques with students, before we practised defending against objects such as knives and blunt items. Everything was broken down step by step and shown very slowly, which made it feel much less intimidating. One technique I particularly enjoyed learning involved sidestepping into your partner and blocking with your forearm. I was genuinely surprised by how effective it felt. That said, it’s worth noting that trying out combat-related sports does come with a bit of mild discomfort. After repeating the exercises, my right arm was definitely feeling sore!
The atmosphere was super relaxed, and I felt comfortable asking questions throughout. The more experienced members were also around to help, which made the whole session feel very supportive rather than overwhelming. I especially want to shout out the society’s current president, Emily Baker, who helped make the session feel so welcoming. She took the time to explain the different ways to get involved, including the variety of classes the society runs, which was really helpful as a newcomer.
The atmosphere was super relaxed, and I felt comfortable asking questions throughout
Try something new
By the end of the session, I was pretty exhausted, as we had covered a lot in a short amount of time. Still, it was a really fun and memorable way to meet new people, even if it did involve rehearsing how to defend yourself in some quite intense scenarios. One thing I really appreciated was the emphasis on safety. Although the techniques are useful, it was made clear that they should always be a last resort. If you’re ever in danger, the smartest option is to escape and call for help whenever possible.
Overall, going to this taster session made me realise how easy it can be to try something completely new at UCL. If you’re unsure about joining a society, I’d definitely recommend giving a taster session a go — they’re low-pressure, welcoming, and you really have nothing to lose!