I've been looking for a realistic martial arts class for many years, one that was actually martial, and not just an art, full of silly uniforms and colored belts.
You would think that in the aggressive society we live in today, there would be tons of classes that realistically deal with the gritty, live or die reality of self-defense on the street- but that is not often the case. Most I have dealt with require long periods of pretty useless drills, ritualistic bowing, and other superfluous busy work.
To my tremendous relief, Jeff Chung's Neo Tribe Kali is nothing like the other classes I have taken before. Starting my very first day, I was immersed in realistic training- the goal of which is made very clear from the start.
In this class, you will learn how to use a knife effectively, and, far, far more importantly, you will learn how to defend yourself against someone attacking you with a knife.
The class began with a detailed, graphic discussion of how a knife wounds the human body. While this discussion is not for the squeamish, its a profound motivator for training, because you will understand just how badly you don't want to be stabbed- and then you will train that much harder in order to avoid it.
As for the actual class, its an evolving medium that teaches something new in each class. This is really cool, because you can start at any time, and no matter what your skill level, or if you missed a few classes, you won't be lost, and you will never be bored. And, if you really enjoy it, you can take several classes a week, each one of which lasts several hours.
Jeff is one of the friendliest "deadly mofo's" you are likely to meet. Despite over 30 years of rigorous self defense training, he's a very jolly, exceedingly kind instructor. I'm the kind of guy who asks lots of questions, and Jeff is always very patient when it comes to answering them. There is absolutely no ego or instructor worship in the class. You call him Jeff, and he teaches you how to fight, and fight well.
Class size is very small (2-8 people) so the instruction is very personal and hands on. Combined with Jeff's legendary credentials in the field of knife defense and approachable personality, there is no better value in the tactical knife community than Jeff Chung's Neo Tribe Kali.
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