Almost exactly a year ago I took my Level 1/ Yellow Belt test at my old Krav Maga gym. I'm sure a few of you have heard this story but I'm going to tell it again. The Level 1 test is 5 hours of some of the hardest physical activity I'd done in my life. Whenever I thought we were going to get a break, it was push-ups, burpees, or a run around the building in 90 degree weather. Less than halfway through the test something in me broke and I sat in a corner, crying. "I can't do this," I thought, "Why the hell did I think I could?" I'm not afraid to admit it because of what comes next. My wonderful training partner, who I had met that day, and the fantastic encouraging instructors gathered around, concerned, and told me that they believed in me and that I could do this. I summarize it as, "I hit a wall, hard, built a ladder, and climbed over it." I found the strength, mental and physical, to stand back up. Sure, later in the test I went outside and almost threw up, but you know what? I made it through that test, and I passed. Though I haven't been able to continue training in Krav Maga, I take that lesson with me every day and am still learning how to apply it to working out, work, and mental health. We all hit walls in all aspects of life, we all end up crying in a corner sometimes, and that is 100% fine. The important thing is learning to recognize that you've hit a wall, and building that ladder, taking that step.
So yeah. NKM taught me some fun party tricks and self-defense techniques that make me feel more self-confident. But that gym strengthened more than my muscles and that's why a year later, I still miss the hell out of it and all the amazing people I met there.
