Wednesday, February 19, 2014
 
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Pictured left to right: Angela Daniels, Pastor Jon Daniels and Amy Giles

A new style of martial arts comes to Lincoln

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[February 19, 2014]  On Thursday, Amy Giles will introduce to the Logan County community a new style of martial arts known as Krav Maga. Giles will host a no-admission, no-membership-required opening class at Little Lambs Day Care in Lincoln.

The public is invited to come out and watch or take part in the class, and decide if this is something they would like to enroll in, before actually making a commitment. Regular classes for enrolled students will then begin on the following Thursday.

The classes are being promoted by the iWorship Center in Lincoln, which in turn is partnering with Little Lambs to provide the classroom space.

Krav Maga is a little-known form of the martial arts in central Illinois, though Giles does own and operate a successful program in Springfield.

The art of Krav Maga is based on Israeli combat training, and in Hebrew the two words mean contact and combat. Giles said the lesson of the Krav Maga is one of self-defense. The classes involve learning when and how to defend oneself against aggressors or attackers. The classes also involve physical combat and learning how to disarm an assailant.

Krav Maga is different from traditional karate in several ways. First of all, Giles said, there are no levels. Each class is a combined class with all the students participating at once. There are also no belts to earn and no special clothing that is required.

The Krav Maga also doesn't practice ancient forms, or poses and positions.

Giles said the program is designed so that people work together as a group but also at their own pace. She noted there is a workout period before the lessons. In that workout, she said, students do what they are able, and when they are not able, they stop. She said, though, what inevitably happens is, as they work in Krav Maga, those abilities change, and they find themselves able to do more physical activity.

Krav Maga is not an ancient art form. Giles said the Israeli military is one of the best trained in combat in all the world. They are the best because they are constantly changing and improving what they do. Krav Maga takes the same practice to heart, continually adding new material and new learning techniques to the lessons.

The art is the same as traditional karate in that it does not teach aggression. The lessons are for self-defense and to be used only when completely called for. Giles said students learn to respect other people, to exercise restraint, but to know how to take care of themselves in a bad situation.

She said the classes are for age 13 through adults. One of the reasons for this, she said, is that she wants her students to have the right maturity level to understand the lessons and learn the practices of restraint and respect.

In the classes, students will be given the opportunity to learn how to disarm someone who's holding a gun or a knife. Giles said the class involves using fake weapons and actually putting to use the movements they have learned.

Pastor Jon Daniels of iWorship acknowledged that helping to promote a martial arts class is a little unusual for a church. That in itself is part of the reason for getting involved with it, he and his wife explained.

Daniels said that part of the message he wants to get out into the community is that being a Christian doesn't have to be boring. It is OK to have fun and do exciting things. His wife, Angela, added to that, saying: "We want to be outside the box. We want to be different and show that we (Christians) can learn, have fun and do things together."

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Daniels has been the pastor at iWorship for four months. In that time he said he has worked to be out in the community and to interact with people. It is one of his goals for the church to have more and more community involvement.

Offering the Krav Maga is part of that goal.

He said this is only a part of what is planned for the future. One event in particular he is looking forward to: another partnership with Little Lambs where they will have a community campout on the back lawn of the day care. He noted plans are to have bonfires, camping and activities such as remote-control airplanes and bounce games for the kids.

"We want people to realize you don't have to be in a church setting. The church is just a building. The church setting is about what is inside you," Daniels said

Another thing he wants people to understand is that Christians can be happy, have fun and feel good about themselves as people and Christians. He and Giles said this is where the church and Krav Maga do come together quite easily.

Giles said the classes improve self-confidence, put people in better physical shape, make them feel better about themselves and empower them to do other things.

Daniels said these are important things for Christians as well. He wants to see the growth in self-confidence spread to their growth as a Christian, making them an even better example of Christian living.

As a new pastor at the church, Daniels is excited to be a part of the Lincoln community and a part of this special new project. He noted that one message he would like to send to the community is that iWorship is a different church from what it might have been in the past and that it is a place where everyone can come and be comfortable as they worship God.

Giles ended the interview by saying she hopes people will come out on the 27th and not be afraid to get involved. "Krav Maga is a lot of fun, and our students quickly become a family," she said. She also drew attention to her motto she was wearing on her T-shirt: "If it doesn't challenge you, it won't change you."

Daniels concluded: "Those who think inside the box about church, I want them to think outside the box. Why put Jesus in a box when he is so much bigger."

[By NILA SMITH]

Related link:
http://www.kenpotime.com/default.asp

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