Step one: Hold yourself in pushup position by your elbows. Step two: Brace yourself as you are kicked repeatedly in the stomach. Step three: Collapse? No, keep going. It's all part of Krav Maga-not an Indian food dish, but rather, a method of self-defense that can turn petite ballerinas into lean, mean, fighting machines. Krav Maga is the official self-defense and fighting system of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). Though only recently becoming a popular workout and self-defense method worldwide, the technique has been taught in the United States since 1964, according to the official Krav Maga Web site. Brandeis students can now learn these skills to defend themselves against potential assailants; Krav Maga classes are offered in the multi-purpose room in Gosman on Thursdays at 3 p.m. and Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

Current students are training for the Level 2 test, so it would be easier for any potential Krav Maga student to wait until next semester to try it out. The class is $85 a month, but with this fee, students can take as many classes a week as they want at any Krav Maga studio in America.

The average class begins with simple jogging in place, but quickly turns into a hardcore workout. After the jogging, students sprint across the room, then do all sorts of push-ups, including one where one student places his or her feet on another's shoulders. Students perform a series of punches and kicks, which grow progressively more intricate, beginning with punching alone and leading to punching and kicking with alternating feet.

Then. the real fun begins. The students do sparring drills, which consist of throwing punches and roundhouse kicks at each other.

"Sometimes, just to stress us out, they'll turn off all the lights and basically the whole class gets in a circle and gets our legs into one big knot and the instructor yells, 'Go!' and we just have to react as fast as we can," according to Marisa Young '06, who brought Krav Maga to Brandeis.

Krav Maga experts Shawn Burgo and Dennis Amato teach the Brandeis class. Amato trained with Krav Maga by Krav Maga International, the technique's official training federation. To become certified, he trained in 10-day blocks, for 10 hours a day, all the while enduring tests in general physical ability and specific skills.

Young became interested in Krav Maga because she used to do kickboxing, but wanted to find a workout where her short height would not be an obstacle.

With most self-defense techniques, "If you are small and fighting against a big guy, you're kind of screwed," she said. Krav Maga is different, she said, and teaches fighting in its rawest, most realistic form. Those trained in the technique can inflict some serious pain, no matter what their height or build.

Another motivation for Young, who is also a ballet dancer, was that Krav Maga was "contradictory to what everyone thought I could do." Before college, Young took a Krav Maga class in her hometown of Westport, Conn. and was "hooked instantly," she said. Her instructor in Westport recommended Burgo and Amato as potential teachers for a Brandeis class.

Krav Maga tries to echo real life as much as possible, which makes it a practical skill, according to Young. "It's incredibly important for people our age to learn these techniques because this is the time when we're going to start confronting some potentially dangerous situations,." In addition to managing hand-to-hand combat, students also learn to defend themselves against gun and knife attacks.

This highly pragmatic core-Krav Maga moves are meant to mimic reality as closely as possible-distinguishes the Israeli technique from other self-defense methods.

Class sessions capture this concept, Young explained. The first half of each class is spent warming up and doing exercises that tire the student out in order to "simulate a real fight," Young said. The workout is so intense that the instructors start most classes with a disclaimer-students can leave without asking permission, "if they need to puke or faint."

Krav Maga does not require superhuman strength, but "it's better to be in shape," Young said. "[The instructors] don't go easy on you."

Another major part of Krav Maga is the mental aspect-a Krav Maga student should be mentally prepared to take on an opponent. However, those aiming to get in shape won't be disappointed either. Amato calls Krav Maga a "total body workout. It does it all."

Beyond the IDF, the FBI, the Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol and Firearms, the Los Angeles Police Department and many other state and city police departments train officers in Krav Maga. Other fans include Kristanna Loken, star of Terminator 3, and Lucy Liu. Krav Maga's simple style, stressing strength over flashy movements, distinguishes it from other self-defense systems, according to the Krav Maga Web site. There are no rules in Krav Maga, like there are in karate; it is meant for real-life situations, where no rules apply. In fact, in order to stay true to its practical purposes, there are no competitions.

Credit for the technique's creation goes to Imi Lichtenfeld, the chief instructor for the military school for Physical Training and Krav Maga in the IDF. He honed his fighting skills growing up in the ghetto of Bratislava, Slovakia, and was able to adapt those methods to the IDF.

Krav Maga focuses on fighting back in alarming situations, such as muggings or sexual assaults. Students learning Krav Maga train in real time, and from a "point of disadvantage," according to the Web site.

As students progress in the Krav Maga technique, they learn hand-to-hand combat. Not only do they learn to physically subdue their opponents, they also develop a mental discipline that enables them to stay calm in high-stress situations.

These classes are not for the faint of heart (or lung capacity). The warm-up is enough to make a decently fit person struggle to catch his or her breath, but the pay-off is rewarding and worth it. Not only do Krav Maga students get a first-rate workout, but they also learn to defend themselves.

"If a 6 foot, 250 pound guy was to attack me, I could hold my own," Young said.