Our chance of success is slim -- Shai and Avni are guarding the hostages -- and getting slimmer. Just five minutes into the moonlit exercise, a leadership crisis emerges, with Daniel the dentist and Herb the Montreal magnate huffing and bickering about the best way to get off the beach. After a heated exchange among the group, we decide to put the matter to a vote.

As you might guess, our "rescue" turns out to be a mess. But even that outcome teaches us one final lesson: Democracy is no substitute for strong leadership. According to Avni, the Israelis have a saying: "Even a broom can shoot." We may not have become warriors, but we've learned how to be more decisive than a broom.

Ian Wylie (ian@wylienet.demon.co.uk) is a writer and editor based in London and Newcastle upon Tyne, England. For more information on the Dani-Hi course, contact Edenbridge adventure training by email (enquiries@philipmarks.co.uk) .

Sidebar: Rules of Combat

A voice in your earpiece tells you that someone has pulled a gun in the departure lounge, but when you get there, you see no suspicious-looking people: The scene is a blur of Louis Vuitton and Samsonite. Do you have the speed of thought to identify an attacker among a mass of travelers? Do you have the clarity of vision to distinguish a gun from a camera?

At Dani-Hi, students of Krav Maga learn how to channel a human being's natural "fight-or-flight" reactions into swift tactics, summoning instantly from within themselves a warrior spirit. Whatever the identity of your assailant -- a mugger on the street who wants your money, that guy on the second floor who wants your job -- the principles of the Israeli martial art of Krav Maga will give you the clarity of mind that you need to defend yourself.

1. To see better, move back. Minimize your vulnerability to surprise. Get a better view of your target by moving away when danger approaches.

2. Practice acting natural. Know in advance what you can and cannot do when you are placed under stress. Practice bottling up your aggression for safekeeping -- and then unleashing it in an instant.

3. Speed kills (the enemy) . Anticipate your opponent's reactions, make your decision, and then execute that decision swiftly.

4. The only rule: There are no rules. Use whatever weapons and tactics you have on hand to defend yourself.