Krav Maga Nigeria boosts self-defence training in Lagos

Krav Maga Nigeria is making self-defence training better with its first seminar on Lagos Island. This event brought together martial artists and fitness lovers for a hands-on session at Pinefield Schools, Lekki, on Saturday.

Krav Maga is an Israeli self-defence system created by Imi Lichtenfeld. It focuses on real-life techniques to deal with threats.

Krav Maga Nigeria started in 2018. It is part of the International Krav Maga Federation, with Adebola Otubushin as director and IKMF Director for Africa since 2020.

The seminar, called ‘From Threat to Attack,’ was led by Otubushin. It aimed to help participants spot danger, make good decisions, protect themselves, and get away safely.

The drills included protective stance, movement and voice, defence-to-counterattack, grab and choke release basics, as well as handling knife threats and attacks.

Otubushin was happy with the turnout. He said participants were excited to keep training, even though many were new to the system.

“The turnout was fantastic, considering the fact that it’s the first time and people are always sceptical about things they are seeing for the first time. They must have seen it on YouTube, but it’s impressive to see that people didn’t want to stop; they wanted to keep training.

“Self-defence is important, and we all need to think in that direction right now. Krav Maga is the solution to our self-defence questions.”

Before the seminar on Lagos Island, three international seminars with foreign instructors had taken place in Lagos. There were also other national seminars in different areas of the state.

Talking about Krav Maga's growth in Nigeria, Otubushin said the federation is taking a careful approach to expand across the country.

“When it comes to online presence, once a month we have a Zoom seminar where we have people all over the country participating, but for now we are more in Lagos than in any other place.

“There are people in Abuja who want us to come, and we will expand from there as soon as they are ready. Nigeria is a very big country, and your growth has to be strategic. If not, you go to so many states, and you say you have Krav Maga, but eventually nothing is working.”

Maje Ayida, a professional fitness coach, joined the seminar and praised it for focusing on both physical and mental growth.

“Apart from the cardio engagement and everything, I think it is great for your mindset, great for your physicality and movement. It’s good for mental health because you’re learning something, and it’s always good to learn to defend yourself.”

Taekwondo athlete Sherifah Hassan also mentioned that the techniques could add to her sports skills while giving her practical self-defence knowledge.

“It’s easy to incorporate, but you still need to learn Krav Maga on its own. Personally, I don’t do taekwondo for self-defence; I do it as a professional sport, but it is good to know what to do when you come under attack.”

Otubushin noted that Nigeria now has nine certified Krav Maga instructors. They are continuously improving their skills with regular training and academic exercises.

He said that the monthly online sessions are still open to participants. There are also clear paths for those interested in becoming certified instructors.