Playdate: Mario Zaccagnini, Restaurateur and Krav Maga Practitioner

“Krav, it’s like my holiday, you know?” Mario Zaccagnini grins self-effacingly over a bowl of ravioli at his restaurant, Eatalia. Half an hour af ter the gruelling Krav Maga session, Mario carries a light sheen of sweat and speaks just a little bit louder than usual. “Having a restaurant is like having a kid that never grows up,” he reflects. “Always, always, first thing in the morning when I wake up, when I’m out in Sanlitun, I am thinking, ‘Is the restaurant OK?’ And when I am at Krav, I can escape.”

Given the premise of Krav Maga – a hands-on, no-frills, real-life-situation Israeli Defense Force technique designed to be mastered in around eight weeks by recruits – the con cept of escapism may sound strange. Krav Maga has a reputation no less intimidating than the IDF them selves: efficient, effective and, when necessary, take-no-prisoners. Hardly comparable to a Maldives vacation, but for Mario, it’s the only vacation his restaurant currently allows.

“So, I stumbled into Krav. I went to a new gym, and they told me a white guy was doing fighting downstairs.” This piqued his interest enough to give the class a look in, and soon he began practicing weekly. The drills are mixed up every week, and this class has a large “choking” component. Students split into groups, sliding into movement as the instructor gives the attack signal. Around the room, nine men and women lunge for each others’ necks, getting up and close with a choke. Mario simultaneously “scoops” one of his attacker’s arms away and smacks a fast hand to her thigh, forcing her to let go. He rapidly delivers two more pulled punches before dancing back. The instructor comes by, urging him to “follow through” afterwards, as to enable finishing behind or next to his attacker. Mario murmurs in assent.

“You have to have the control,” asserts Mario. “You gotta be able to get away or to keep fighting.” The idea of “finishing” the fight is emphasized here; there are absolutely no illusions that these skills are meant to be practiced only in the gym. Students use these skills in day-to day life, and Mario relates a time where he broke up a fight outside his restaurant. “I just tapped the guy once” – gesticulating somewhere around his thoracic region – “and he knew I wasn’t just playing around.”

For a full schedule of classes, see www.kravmagabeijing.com.

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Photos: Susan Sheng