Since 2001, POW! GYM Chicago has been offering self defense and combat training classes. As a woman-owned business, Owner-operator Katalin Rodriguez Ogren has always been able to make woman and men feel comfortable learning how to fight back. "When you are attacked, you are in a real fight," says Rodriguez Ogren. POW! GYM was the first to bring Krav Maga to the city of Chicago when she first opened. Krav Maga is a reality based self defense. It focuses on applying combatives, like elbows, knees, kicks, strikes to application based self defense.
Today, there are several places throughout Chicago-land that teach krav maga, but Rodriguez Ogren warns new students, " make sure the place you train focuses on safety in training as much as it teaches fighting tactics." POW! GYM has a very simple approach to teaching reality based self defense. According to Lizzie Denvir, POW!'s Director of Membership, "I fell in love with Katalin's training style because she made me love punching and kicking which makes me feel more confident and believe in myself to use it on the street." POW! GYM is a full service combat sports and sports performance facility. They offer classes in combat sports like boxing and muay thai along with krav maga classes and a full strength and fitness program.
Reality self defense uses the fundamentals of muay thai like elbows and knees, along with the strikes of boxing to fight back against an attacker. The Krav Maga classes provide the situational application where these combat moves are used. Classes also teach many strategies common in attacks :
- getting off the ground when getting knocked down
- fighting from your back
- trapped up against a wall
- body locks like a bear hug
- deescalation and recognizing violent behavior
- surveying the environment while being approached by aggressive behavior
- choke defenses
- improving your position
