My name is Sergey Baskin and I have been a certified Krav Magen Israeli instructor since 2006. I fell in love with martial arts as a young boy and have mastered a variety of combat methods since then.
I was born in Belarus and grew up in Israel. I was a reserved child and like many kids today, I was picked on and bullied by some of the neighborhood kids who thought I was the perfect target because I was quiet. That took a toll on my self-esteem and I found myself often having to physically defend myself against bullies.
When I was eight years old, my parents decided to enroll me in a karate class believing it would be a good extracurricular activity for me. I gravitated to martial arts naturally because I was a huge Bruce Lee fan and thoroughly enjoyed watching karate movies like “Fighter in the Wind”, “Enter the Dragon” and Van Damme’s “Kickboxer”.
Being able to learn moves and techniques I saw on TV was extremely gratifying. It was the beginning of a whole new world for me. The more I trained, the more my confidence grew. Karate turned out to be the perfect outlet for me.
When I was 13, I decided to delve deeper into the martial arts world and began training in Kung-fu. Having already developed the foundational skills of martial arts, learning a new defense style was a challenge I gladly welcomed. Not only did the intense training broaden my skills in combat and technique, the discipline and focus I gained as a result transferred to other areas of my life.
At 15, I started training in a particular Krav Maga style called K.A.M.I. Krav Maga is an Israeli fighting style that was developed for the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli security forces. This type of self-defence equips people with the necessary skills to defend themselves in real-life situations where their life is in danger.
After serving in the Combat Infantry Division of the Israeli Defense Force for three years, I moved to Canada at the age of 27 to promote the Krav Magen Association in Canada as the official representative from Israel. Since 2016, I have been teaching K.A.M.I. self defense to students of all ages across the GTA.
Over the years, I have continued to hone my craft and seek ways to build on my expertise.
Every summer, I take a trip back to Israel for an instructor’s course with my grandmaster. During my month-long stay, I train with my grandmaster and continue to sharpen my combat skills. I also lend a hand in planning the logistics for training new students who enroll in the course.
In addition to K.A.M.I., I have been practicing BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) for the past several years and have made it my mission to teach people to defend themselves and gain confidence. I know what it’s like to be young and vulnerable, and I don’t want anyone out there to be afraid to be themselves because they are worried about being bullied. It gives me a great sense of fulfillment to help people from all walks of life learn to defend themselves.
I believe confidence and self esteem play a major role in the wellbeing of an individual and I want my students to know that I am here to help them believe in their own abilities.
