Congratulations New Level 4 Students!

[caption id="attachment_1959" align="alignnone" width="300"] This picture is composed of 50% Matt by quantity, 68% by volume.[/caption] We had a terrific level 3 test today at Krav Maga Raleigh, and congratulations to Matt, Matt, Mike, and some guy whose name doesn't start with an 'M' (Walt) for their gutsy performance. They had thai pads, self-defense, groundwork, sparring, and more drills than you could possibly hope for. [caption id="attachment_1960" align="alignnone" width="300"] Walt really wants this ball because it matches his shirt[/caption] One of the drills they had to do was defending all attacks while holding their "baby," a 10lb medicine ball. It is always important to specify that the baby cannot be used as a weapon. [caption id="attachment_1965" align="alignnone" width="200"] Matt on Matt violence is always such a shame.[/caption] Some of the classic drills made a reappearance, like this favorite from the level 1 test, where you have to defend from a chair. Of course on the level 3 test the list of attacks to defend is quite long. [caption id="attachment_1966" align="alignnone" width="300"] This blanket carries the power of every previous test, in the sense that it probably hasn't been washed.[/caption] This drill is the crown jewel of the level 3 test. One at a time you have the blanket placed over your head, then the rest of the group - plus a few extra volunteers - pushes you around the mat, yelling, screaming, and slapping you, until they yank the blanket away and come after you with non-stop attacks until time is called. It's incredibly grueling, but the physical difficulty pales next to the mental and emotional effort of staying focused with all of that stress, especially after the hours of testing that have preceded it. Congratulations to all the testers again for their hard work and excellent performances, thank you to everyone who came to show support, and we will see these guys in level 4!