I pitched the idea at dinner. My dad loved it. “You’ll be like Lara Croft,” he said. We signed up together for beginner lessons on a Tuesday and our instructor met us at the door. He was over 60 and, while stocky, seemed frail.

Krav will teach you many things. The first lesson, reflected upon as my instructor sent my burly dad flying in a floor-sweep, was never to judge based on appearances. The second lesson was to run, talk yourself out of danger, or hand over your valuables. “Cars and wallets are replaceable; your life is not,” my instructor said. I deflated – keen to get cracking with learning the key, most debilitating moves.

We attended Tuesday lessons religiously and, eventually, we joined the Thursday classes for intermediate students, increasing our training to four hours each week. Our instructor would begin our sessions with 100 squats, 100 push-ups, 10 minutes of planking and whatever else he saw fit to include before we started fighting. I was winded, sore, and stronger than I had ever been.

Self-defence skills: “I learned krav maga after surviving an armed robbery. Here’s how it helped me to live fear-free”