Krav Maga BlogBoth in Israel and abroad we live with great challenges; in our personal lives, in our national existence, and in our view of history and international relations. I see krav maga, and martial arts in general, as part of how we view the world and our lives, and how we cope. My Krav Maga Blog is a mini journal of my thoughts on how krav maga action and philosophy relate to our daily lives. Jul 3, 2009, Krav Maga FreedomKrav Maga Freedom Permalink -- click for full blog post Jul 3, 2009, Mark Hatmaker ArticlesMark Hatmaker Articles Permalink -- click for full blog post Jun 29, 2009, Lets Get Comfy - Or Not!Last night I was at Itay's in Jerusalem. About 20 + guys were training with Sharir in MMA, some guys were hitting the heavy bag and I was doing a bit of everything; weights, the bag, dips, and grappling. It was hot and humid. Anyone who knows Itay's place knows that "comfort" is not on the bottom of the list, it is not on the list at all! Never was. I was talking with a new student. For me it was more than obvious that training under harsh conditions, heat and humidity, was all part of the package, but to a visiting American perhaps it was not. So I pointed out to him that if you train in an air conditioned studio, in a nice comfortable environment, you might find reality a bit more difficult to deal with. We have always trained with dirty sweaty guys in very unpleasant conditions, the street would probably be seen as a step up in comfort level. Again, we do not advertise, "Fun for the whole family", or "Get in shape, look great", and all that sort of stuff. All we say is this is reality, this is Israel, this is krav maga, and this is real. If you want the real deal - come here. If not, get your fancy outfit and keep looking. Jun 28, 2009, Respect the KnifeRespect the Knife Permalink -- click for full blog post Jun 26, 2009, krav maga go to techniquekrav maga go to technique Permalink -- click for full blog post Jun 26, 2009, Evolution Krav Maga TechniquesEvolution of Krav Maga Techniques Permalink -- click for full blog post Jun 24, 2009, Krav Maga Reality TrainingKrav Maga Reality Training Permalink -- click for full blog post Jun 24, 2009, Krav Maga Be PreparedKrav Maga Be Prepared Permalink -- click for full blog post Jun 22, 2009, Krav Maga Car Self Defensekrav maga car self defense Permalink -- click for full blog post Jun 22, 2009, The Seat Belt - Guest Blog by Craig Gray, IKI Instructor, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USACivilian, Law Enforcement Officer, Soldier, Bouncer, Security Guard... It doesn't matter who: If you knew that you were going to be attacked by an angry, aggressive assailant tomorrow and you knew how he was going to attack you, how would you train that defense in class tonight? Would you work that technique until you could do it from any position without hesitation. Would you train it so you could concentrate on surviving the assault rather than looking pretty? Would you work it until you understood its principles intimately and responded reflexively to the threat? Would you want to know that your training was increasing your odds of surviving the attack, rather than just some motions you were going through as you got your cardio workout?
Well, I'll let you in on a secret: The defense you are working on tonight may be the one that saves your life tomorrow.
It's a lot like wearing your seat belt:
1) Just because you wear your seat belt doesn't guarantee that you are not going to get in an accident.
2) It doesn't guarantee your survival IF you get into an accident.
3) It simply betters your odds of survival when you get into an accident... and it's too late if you never put it on in the first place. JUST LIKE TRAINING!
Here's a deeper question for you:
If you knew that someone would attempt to kill your child or loved one and you knew how they would be attacked, how would you train to defend them?
Keep going,
~Craig Jun 19, 2009, How Long is Your TechniqueHow Long is Your Technique Permalink -- click for full blog post Jun 19, 2009, Krav Maga Instructors EuropeKrav Maga Instructors Europe Permalink -- click for full blog post Jun 18, 2009, Training in the Shadow of the Old CityLast night Fred Heins and myself were teaching a small group of students, just outside the Old City of Jerusalem. The students were all members of one family, a father and his three sons. To me this small group embodied what krav maga is all about. These were not professional guards or law enforcement personal. They were not interested in belts, ranks or trophies, they were not professional athletes. So who were they? They were Jews who left their homes in the lands of comfort and came to live in the shadow of the remains of the Temple. They are family men, working hard to support their families. They have only one hour free in the day and this hour is devoted to krav maga. They spend their time in and around the Old City of Jerusalem. Sadly this holy place has also had its share of violence. This family is learning to protect itself. This is what krav maga is about; simple, practical techniques for good people who want to defend themselves. They have jobs and families and many responsibilities, they are not UFC fighters or full time athletes. Their spirit, their motivation, their dedication is what makes krav maga so special. This is the "Neshama", the soul of krav maga. Jun 15, 2009, Israeli TrainingI just came back from Itay Gil a few hours ago and I am still excited about our training. Never resting on past accomplishments it is truly a great feeling being with the one of the world's greatest krav maga teachers (if not the greatest) and analyzing every move based on the reality of a situation. There are so many people out there teaching krav maga but how many really analyze the techniques on an ongoing basis, tearing them apart and looking for the best approach. These past two weeks, Fred, our instructor from Tilburg, Holland, has been with me training in Jerusalem style krav maga. It is truly gratifying to see him learn the new techniques after having been previoulsy certified by two other krav organizations. There is nothing like being at the source of it. I am excited about my next North American tour (October - November) and the opportunity to share this training with serious American and Canadian practioners and law enforcement personal. For more details see our seminar page. Jun 7, 2009, Smash the Cell PhoneSmash the Cell Phone Permalink -- click for full blog post Jun 5, 2009, The Things We Want To DoEver meet someone who tells you all the things he wants to do? Visit Hawai, learn a new language, start a new business? Most often he will also have many 'reasons' why he could never do any of the above. Of course it is not his fault, he says, it was simply impossible. In my martial arts career I have met so many people who have made the impossible possible, the first step is you have to believe you can do it. and then you must take action. I know people who live around the corner from me but simply cannot make the time to learn krav maga, although they really want to. I know people half way across the world who signed up for my on-line krav maga training program and now are doing krav maga like they live right here in Israel. It is all a matter of just doing it. Make a decision, plunge in, and do it, if you really want that is. Check out our on-line training and our affialte programs. Jun 2, 2009, krav maga merchandisekrav-maga-merchandise Permalink -- click for full blog post Jun 1, 2009, Technique vs ConceptSome styles say they are not based upon techniques. So "Unlike traditional martial arts you will not spend years memorizing techniques.", Well, clearly this is a sales technique. There is no such thing as a martial art without technique. What we have in krav maga is techniques based on concepts. Once you learn a few techniques well, really well, you will understand the concepts and the underlying priniciples. Once you have done this - then you will no longer have to memorize techniques. You will be able to recreate them on your own from your understanding of the concepts. You will apply the concept to the situation and the technique will emerge. Get it? May 27, 2009, Krav Maga Instructors New ZealandKrav Maga Instructors New Zealand Permalink -- click for full blog post May 27, 2009, "Please Don't Kill Me"The Israeli police finally arrested the killer of Dana Bennet, a teenage girl murdered 6 years ago. Her body was only recently discovered. For six years she was officially missing and her poor parents held out hope that she was still alive. And what were her last words, the police asked the killer, her last words, he said, were, "Please don't kill me!" My God. Is this an effective method of self defense??! Begging your killer not to kill you! If anything it will only excite him. Do you have a daughter? a wife? a child? Do they know how to defend themselvs? Do they have a fighting chance? and if not, what kind of a person are you? Do you think of yourself as a responsible person? Is this responsible behavior. I hear it time and time again, parents at the graves of their children, "I am sorry, forgive me that I did not protect you." Don't be sorry, be ready. There is NO excuse. Is self defense, krav maga, not fun? Is it fun going to the dentist or to school? Do you care? As Itay Gil says, nothing in life is 100%. But, we must try, for God's sake, for the sake of Dana Bennet and all the other kids, teach your children well. May 26, 2009, How To Eat an ElephantThere is an old expression, 'how do you eat an elephant? one bite at a time.' What does this mean? It means when you find yourself facing a situation that seems overwhelming, something too big for you to handle, don't panic, don't think 'how can I eat an entire elephant? it is huge! Instead, start with one small bite. That you can handle, right? So take one bite, than another. Before you know it you have made a great deal of progress. Now the problem does not seem so huge and overwhelming. Self defense is a scary business. How can I defend myself against so many dangers. I have heard from many people that Krav Maga is simply a waste of time. People have said to me, "C'mon, admit it, if someone really wants to hurt you there is nothing you can do." Well, no. I disgree. There is a great deal you can do, but you must approach it one step at a time. How can you learn to speak a foreign language? can you possibly learn thousands of words? in each tense, past, present future? Well, not all at once. But can you learn to say one word, (Lets start with Shalom = peace, hello, goodbye). OK, now you know one word and you are ready to learn another. Eat the elephant one bite at a time. Note: 1. I believe elephants are not kosher so don't take this as personal advice. 2. I believe all animals have the right to live. Do not kill the elephants. May 25, 2009, Krav Dojo NewsKrav Dojo News Permalink -- click for full blog post May 25, 2009, Krav Maga SimpleKrav Maga made Simple Permalink -- click for full blog post May 24, 2009, Krav Maga On-Line TrainingKrav Maga On-Line Training Permalink -- click for full blog post May 24, 2009, Krav Maga UkraineKrav Maga Ukraine, visit to the Ukraine Permalink -- click for full blog post May 23, 2009, Right for IKIRight for IKI Permalink -- click for full blog post May 20, 2009, Reality CheckThe first time is always a humbling experience. The look on their faces; sad but predictable, just like the two American guests on the Human Weapon show. They show up having had years of martial arts training, they know plenty of knife defenses, they have been tested and passed, they have earned ranks. Then we put on the full body IDF protection gear, we take a knife and just go all out stabbing. These are random crazy stabbings, not 'correct' stabbings. The attack is relentless, just like a real attack on the streets of Jerusalem. The defender cries out, "You are attacking the wrong way!" Bottom line; you have just been stabbed to death. The defender sits on the side, out of breath, feeling like a worthless nothing. All those years of training did not prepare him for this attack. Our defenses are easy, simple. You may look at them one time and say, "So that's what Krav Maga is all about! What's the big deal!" and then you are attacked. Soon you become very humble and politely sign up for krav maga lessons. Suddenly the simpletons running the course look like super heros'. "How do they do it?" you ask. and yet, it looks so simple. My how reality makes us all so humble. But better to find out now than on the street. May 20, 2009, The BeginingSelf Defense begins with a decision. Actually it begins with Awareness; you become aware that danger lurks in many places and that you are not immune. That is the first step. The next step is deciding to look into practical self defense. If you are reading this it means you have already made some progress. Now, lets get to some training. May 17, 2009, Faith in TechniqueFaith in Technique Permalink -- click for full blog post May 15, 2009, Krav Maga DVDKrav Maga DVD Permalink -- click for full blog post May 15, 2009, Bruce Lee and Krav MagaNo, Bruce Lee was not Jewish, although some of his best friends were! Seriously, in Krav Maga we employ a lot of what Lee stood for. He used to say "It is not about daily addition, it is about daily removal". i.e. Our training must not be about adding more and more techniques but about chiseling away and reducing until we have only those techniques that work for us. That is what we do in Krav Maga. I have lots of belts and ranks in many systems, not important, what is important is that we distill all this information so that you the practitioner will save time and only learn that which is most effective. You don't need five black belts to be able to defend yourself, five good techniques will go a lot further. That is what Krav is about. May 13, 2009, Can women do krav magaCan Women really do Krav Maga Effectively Permalink -- click for full blog post May 11, 2009, krav-maga mental switchkrav-maga-mental-switch Permalink -- click for full blog post May 5, 2009, Krav Maga Blind TrainingKrav Maga Blind Training – Not Just for the Sight Challenged Permalink -- click for full blog post May 5, 2009, Krav Maga Gun DefenseI like to considered myself a fair and openminded person. Some members of my family may think otherwise. When it comes to Krav Maga training, our lives and the lives of many others, are on the line. There is no room for ego. I have just been watching a gun disarm tape from another, American, Krav Maga organization, (no names, I do not wish to bad mouth anyone), and I am really dissapointed. The tape assumes and counts on the idea, that during the struggle the gun will accidentally discharge and will also jam. Now, this might happen, but can we count on it?? Will you gamgle your life on it? Do you really want to cause a bullet to go off? Granted a bullent to the ground will not kill anyone, but do you really want to build your defense on the idea of a bullet going off! This might cause panic. Something might go wrong. Too many people have been killed as a result of a gun fight they were not a party to. I can not endorse such a technique and find it difficult to understand the thought process behind this. As Arthur Cohen says, "Stay Safe", Moshee May 4, 2009, Krav Maga and FreedomWhen you approach Krav Maga training it is important to remember that, at the core, Krav Maga is about freedom. It is freedom from fear, freedom from humiliation, freedom to live your life the way you want to. I live my life a certain way but I do not coerce others to live my way. This is not the case everywhere in the world. When the Taliban ruled Afganistan all men had to grow beards. I have a beard and have had one since I am 17 but I respect everyone's right to make that decision for themselves. In the Middle East there are many people that live in oppressive societies. We still have 'honor killings' of females who 'shame' their families by 'inappropriate' behavior. We still have millions of people who are not free to express their opinions and who are still afraid to stand up to tyranny. Krav Maga is freedom on the personal level just as a democratic government and an army provide freedom on the national level. No one has the right to instill fear in you, no one has to right to rob you or shame you. At the core, this is what Krav Maga is about; freedom and human dignity. May 3, 2009, Getting CutIn Hock Hochheims' book on knife defense he outlines the steps in knife defense. The final step is "Seek medical attention". I was impressed. This man clearly understands that life is not a Steven Seagal movie. In the real world getting cut is a real possibility. Knives are dangerous. We do our best to devise the best possible techniques to defend ourselvs. Our hope is you will get home alive. Will get home without a scratch? I don't know. I know I rarely finish a work out without a scratch. But that does not really matter. Lets not freak out over a cut, even a cut that may require stiches, I've had plenty of those in training as well. Lets remember that real life attacks are not pretty and if you get home alive, considers yourself fortunate. A responsible instructor will never promise that you will come home 'unscratched.' Remember, we train for the real world. USA-Canada tour: October-December 2009 May 2, 2009, Krav Maga PainKrav Maga pain tolerance Permalink -- click for full blog post May 2, 2009, Pain is temporaryPain is Temporary Permalink -- click for full blog post May 1, 2009, QuestionsIn the classis film, "The Karate Kid", the wise Mr. Miyagi tells Daniel San, "I teach, you learn, no questions". At a certain stage of training this makes perfect sense. One cannot teach if a beginner, with no knowledge, keeps asking questions. But later on, this Oriental idea of not questioning anything, well, it just does not make sense. It is our questions that help us progress. In the another one of my favorite films, "Yental", the new student is asking the rabbi many questions, and then feels embarrassed and says, "I am sorry, my father always said I ask too many questions." The wise rabbi says, "In this yeshiva (academy) we judge our students by their questions, not by their answers." In martial arts, we must not avoid difficult questions, better to ask them now then deal with them on the street. In my recent training in Ukraine I was asked a lot of questions and I tried my best to answer them. Whatever I am not sure of I will speak to Itay about, and I will work on it. Elena, like Yental in the movie, said, "Sorry for asking so many questions", but it is OK Elena, each question was very wise and showed an understanding of the situation. Intelligent questions must be answered, not avoided. Keep asking, keep training, keep learning. Apr 29, 2009, Will Power, Just Do ItI am still on a high from my trip to Ukraine, perhaps I learned as much as I taught. This is a country where people do not have the resources that Americans or Israelis have, and yet, the seminar was a huge success. People wanted to train, they did not ask for discounts, they did not negogiate, they traveled two hours, five hours, overnight train from Moscow, 500 kilometers and even 800 kilometers! and they had to find a place to stay overnight. So lets stop whining and complaining about how hard things are and how difficult it is to make things happen. If you want it - make it happen! Stop complaining and just do it! We now have brances in Kiev, Zhytomyr and Moscow. Soon we will have certified instructors in Holland and Germany. Keep training, and make things happen!! Apr 28, 2009, Training in UkraineAnton Farb, Krav Maga instructor, is an example of the 'can do' attitude. Many people have excuses why things can not be done. Anton makes things happen. Being far away from any krav maga center, Anton decided to start his own. Adding krav maga to his already impressive skills, he rented space and started a program. Inviting me for a seminar took work and planning but he did it in the most successful way. In the US I have at times showed up and found only a handful of people for the seminar. Yet in the Ukraine, where people do not have much money, we had nearly 30 people for a two day seminar. Many traveled from as far as 300, 500 and even 800 kilometers and stayed in Kiev overnight. Yet, they came. Anton did not just put up flyers or make a note on FaceBook. He called martial arts clubs, security groups and anyone else who might be interested. and he succeeded. If you want a seminar in your town - you can make it happen, you just have to think creatively and put in some time and effort. Anton teaches Krav groups in Zhytomer and Kiev. He is now a certified IKI instructor. Apr 27, 2009, IKI UkraineI have just returned from an amazing 3 day trip to Ukraine. Our representative, Anton Farb, put together a great seminar. The participants were simply the best of the best, professional guards with many years training and experience, as well as IKI Krav Maga regulars. It was an honor to teach them. Some came from as far as 800 kilometers to train with us. Their dedication is highly impressive. They all worked hard, putting in 17 hours over two days without a word of complaint. It was wonderful meeting so many new friends, most of them named Sergei. (Hello there Sergei and Elena!) We now have IKI Krav branches in Kiev, Zhytomyr and Moscow. Anton is doing a great job and I hope to return soon to help him again. Until the, Dasvidanya. Apr 23, 2009, IKI Kiev, UkraineTonight I am flying to Kiev, Ukraine for the first time to meet our rep there, Anton Farb, and start our IKI Krav Maga program there. Within the next year I plan to visit Germany, and hopefully Italy and France, maybe even New Zealand. If you will it - it will happen. Apr 22, 2009, Krav Maga Street CredsKrav Maga Street Credibility Permalink -- click for full blog post Apr 22, 2009, On Line Krav Maga TrainingI just reviewed a DVD from one of our on-line students in Australia, and I am so pleased with the success of the program. Imagine my happiness, watching a DVD by a guy I only know on line, and he is doing the techniques as if I had been training him in person. Of course I would love to train in person but I must say I am amazed at how well he learned the techniques from our clips and DVD's. The on-line training is proving its worth. Apr 21, 2009, Krav Maga Training in IsraelKrav Maga Training in Israel Permalink -- click for full blog post Apr 21, 2009, krav-maga-visitorsKrav Maga Visitors Permalink -- click for full blog post Apr 21, 2009, gunman cryDoes a Gunman Cry? Permalink -- click for full blog post Apr 20, 2009, Holocaust and Martyrs DayHolocaust and Martyrs Day has just begun here in Israel. It is a very special day for us as we become one with the memory of a time when being Jewish was a crime punishable by death, when one of every three Jews on the planet was murdered. When the world stood by as we were shot, gassed, and burnt. During my travels around America I have seen a different world, I have seen devout Christians, good people, who stand with Israel and pray for us. I have seen the good in people and I have new hope. Make no mistake about it, being Anti Israel is just another form of the Holocaust. Not allowing us to defend ourselves is just another attempt at a Holocaust. To this we say Never, Never Again. I call out to you, our good friends around the world; never be silent in the face of evil. Our enemies have never survived in the long run. Stand with us, "for I shall bless those that bless you and curse those who curse you." Stand with Israel, and remember that freedom is never free.
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