LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Kentucky man hopes to empower men and women to learn how to defend themselves in case they find themselves in a dire situation.

Jeff Klusmeier is a certified Krav Maga instructor. He thinks people should consider taking a self-defense course.

“With a lot of anti-Semite attacks in New York and Pittsburgh, we thought it would be a good idea to empower the community,” said Klusmeier.

The students were put in training drills to prepare them for real situations in case they were attacked by someone wielding a gun, knife, or bat.

“Krav Maga was actually created to fight anti-Semitism in the 30s and then it became the combat system of the Israeli National Defense Forces,” he said.

Klusmeier said the Israeli martial art is meant to be simple and can be used in a variety of situations. He also said no prior training is necessary and encourages people to give it a try.

“It is a mindset. It is a situational awareness and thinking about where you are at, where you are going, who you are with to make sure you and your family are protected,” said Klusmeier. “It’s a sense of empowerment.”

Classes are offered at the Jewish Community of Louisville Tuesdays and Thursdays.LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Kentucky man hopes to empower men and women to learn how to defend themselves in case they find themselves in a dire situation.

Jeff Klusmeier is a certified Krav Maga instructor. He thinks people should consider taking a self-defense course.

“With a lot of anti-Semite attacks in New York and Pittsburgh, we thought it would be a good idea to empower the community,” said Klusmeier.

The students were put in training drills to prepare them for real situations in case they were attacked by someone wielding a gun, knife, or bat.

“Krav Maga was actually created to fight anti-Semitism in the 30s and then it became the combat system of the Israeli National Defense Forces,” he said.

Klusmeier said the Israeli martial art is meant to be simple and can be used in a variety of situations. He also said no prior training is necessary and encourages people to give it a try.

“It is a mindset. It is a situational awareness and thinking about where you are at, where you are going, who you are with to make sure you and your family are protected,” said Klusmeier. “It’s a sense of empowerment.”

Classes are offered at the Jewish Community of Louisville Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Instructors also teach the importance of running away if confronted with a traumatic situation.

“It is flight, fight or freeze. We teach people to run. It is the number one rule in Krav Maga,” said Klusmeier. “It is not to be a tough guy; it is to go home safe.”

He hopes his students are never in a life-threatening situation, but thinks the important thing is at least they have the self-defense training to fall back on.

“We can disagree on a lot of things like politics and sports. But, I think we can all agree on that there is no place for violence or hate in our community.”Instructors also teach the importance of running away if confronted with a traumatic situation.

“It is flight, fight or freeze. We teach people to run. It is the number one rule in Krav Maga,” said Klusmeier. “It is not to be a tough guy; it is to go home safe.”

He hopes his students are never in a life-threatening situation, but thinks the important thing is at least they have the self-defense training to fall back on.

“We can disagree on a lot of things like politics and sports. But, I think we can all agree on that there is no place for violence or hate in our community.”