Time to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone! Krav vs Wild
After 3 years of training with Ash it was time for the ultimate challenge. A weekend of Bear Grylls style survival combined with fighting and multiple attacker drills. I don’t think most of us knew exactly what we signed up for….
When we arrived at Mount Cotton (admittedly I was running fashionably late), we were instructed to watch a video with instructions to follow. No time to sit back and relax, no time to get to know your team mates. What followed was a night full of getting chased with nerf guns by people wearing full camouflage gear, running through the bush without a torch or a phone to light the way, a Friday drink or a sense of direction. It was obvious that this was going to be a weekend like no other. Ash, Anna and the rest of the Krav instructors had put in many many hours to organise such a smooth running event.
Before we could finally go to our tents (yes they were already setup for our first night..) to get in as much sleep as possible before an early wake up call the next day, we were put through a first aid course specifically aimed at dealing with possible injuries or other issues related to survival. Pretty handy to have a paramedic and a first aid trainer amongst the kravists.
We were also given our staples for the next two days… Pretty disappointed with the amount and the selection of ingredients (just enough to make your group a sweet potato broth). Throughout the weekend there were challenges to be won with your group. This would give you additional ingredients. No wonder the competition turned out to be fierce.
The next day we started with a rude awakening. Early morning aerobics and water procurement. Time for the really Bear Grylls skills and attitude to come out. After setting up our water trap in a spot where we expected to procure the most water, we did some navigation exercises and gun defences on uneven ground. All these skills would come in handy on the last day.
That night we were taught how to start a fire with the limited tools we had or items we cold find in the forest. Turns out Bear Grylls makes lighting a fire with a flint look much easier than it actually is. Some groups took a long time to get theirs stared whilst others got theirs going within no time.
Next we had to built a shelter to sleep in for the night. It was awesome to see the different approaches the groups took to built a solid structure. I’d say ours turned out pretty good, good enough to spent the night under the stars, in the open amongst the critters and the restless wallabies of the forest. What was that..? Not the best night sleep as I was one of the few staying out for the night, but another experience to tick of the survival list.
In a very well choreographed exercise on Sunday, we were forced to put all the newly acquired skills to the test. Easier said than done when you’re tired and hungry but the reward at the end was a great BBQ to finish off an amazing weekend of survival, camaraderie, krav drills, challenges and sleep deprivation. To me this was the best day and I was sad to see this weekend come to an end and go back to normality.
Fortunately rain only set in on our way back to the Gold Coast.
Krijn van Gils
