Avoid Takedowns Krav Maga
BY MOSHE KATZ 
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL

May 4, 2025, Israel

I began my martial arts career with traditional karate, from there I moved to Ninjitsu and over the years...jujitsu, Kenpo jitsu, Brazilian Jujitsu, Judo, kickboxing, Thai boxing, kung fu etc. Our Krav Maga, IKI Krav Maga is a result of the ongoing learning process from all these systems and more. And, from life, from real violence.

I felt my training was incomplete and so I sought answers in a variety of system, what I listed above is just a small general sample. I wanted answers, techniques that worked, but the more I trained the more I realized that such answers were very elusive. So much that I believe in, turned out to be false, it failed the reality test.

I believe in techniques that reasonable people can learn in a reasonable amount of time and use under the most unreasonable of circumstances. and most martial arts fail that test miserably.

I consider myself a reasonable person, I do not have superpowers, I am not a gifted athlete, and I need things that work for people like me. I consider this a blessing for if I were a super talented natural athlete, I would not be able to develop a system that is useful for average people, such as myself. 

I was not satisfied with the boxing skills I was taught at our Jerusalem gym; I was not happy with the ability I developed or the defense vs a good boxer. So I went searching.  You see I am not lazy, so in addition to having a full-time job in the financial field, and training 3 times per week, 9 hours in total at our Jerusalem gym, I also took up boxing. I went to the top, to train with the best in Israel, the famed Luxemburg Brothers from Russia. I also traveled to the USA and trained in various places along with Sensei Benny the Jet Urquidez. My point, if something does not work for me, I seek solutions, I don't just accept the situation. 

And so it was with grappling, wrestling, BJJ whatever you want to call it. My issue was - Defense against the Takedown, and that is the topic of this blog.

Defending against a takedown from a well-trained wrestler is very difficult. Some of the most basic takedowns are quite simple, you don't need to be a collegiate wrestler to do them, you can charge in, grab your opponent by his torso, and just drive forward, he will fall flat on his back, most likely bang his head against the floor or pavement, and most likely be seriously hurt or killed. The attack is simple, one need only watch some TV at the bar to learn this, in fact most brawls among children will involve such a takedown, I know that I experienced this many times in 4th -5th grade. The attack is simple; the defense is another matter. 

I was taught certain defenses against takedowns. I studied Judo, Jujitsu, and even several forms of wrestling. Most were sport oriented, two well-trained athletes facing off against each other, in the correct positions etc. But reality is different. 

I worked on the sprawl defense, and I taught this as well. I trained and I taught, but I was not confident that this would work for the average person, or even for a trained person who is caught by surprise at a bar or in the parking lot. No, I was not satisfied. 

Yes, it will work in a sporting competition and there are counter moves and follow ups. I learned these. but Krav Maga is not a competitive sport, and I am not a football coach. I want to save lives, and reality training means I must accept the reality that most people, even those few that do come to train, will never reach the level of a collegiate wrestler, they will never reach the level to be able to use the Sprawl when surprised on the street. Stop confusing Krav Maga with sport! Stop treating it as martial "art". Our culture is about survival, not about fancy uniforms, trophies and whatnot. 

So I have heard people say, one must train in wrestling in order to defend against such attacks. Hogwash! I say. Fiddlesticks. Sorry but they will not. You will not get people to not only devote two nights a week (in a good case) to Krav Maga but also take up fitness, weightlifting and wrestling classes, not to mention boxing and kickboxing. That - Is - Not - Reality. Period.

I believe that even a well-trained collegiate wrestling guy will not do well in a real-life violent situation. He would need many more skills. In fact, his training makes him more vulnerable to knife attacks and gun threats because he will resort to college sports methods, this is counterproductive.

For years I taught a variety of martial arts, including Kung Fu, and various methods of wrestling. but I had to adapt myself to reality, only a handful of people were able to train with me in all these different styles. It just does not work unless you are a full-time sponsored athlete whose entire life is devoted to training. I recall a book I bought, on sale, something like weightlifting guide for busy people, only minutes per day. I bought the book, but minutes? Yes, hundreds of minutes per day. The routines being shown involved about 2 hours per day of training. What a farce. This is not realistic for most people.

If you want to teach self-defense you must find shorter methods, quicker ways to learn, that do not include learning to be a wrestler, sorry. That is simply not the truth. We cannot expect our students to also train in wrestling, judo, jujitsu etc. 

But not only that, those defenses are not really good, they are not effective for the street. And I say that with 40 years of experience, training and teaching all over the world. They are not effective defenses for surprise street attacks.  

So what can we do? We need to change. We cannot expect our students to change, we cannot expect them to change their lifestyles, or to become young and athletic, or to give up their jobs and take up boxing, wrestling, strength training. No, that is a fantasy, that is not reality. So we, the instructors, must change and adapt to them.

And that is what we do everyday at IKI. What are our defenses? You will not find them in a blog, or on social media, no sorry, never. You must come to train and then, when you make the first step, we can help you. 

When I teach around the world I love to hear the comments from newcomers, particularly those who trained in other styles. Wow, this is so simple, or, this is stupid simple. or, it is just a few simple concepts applied to an infinite number of violent situations. 

We adapt to you, that is why I decided to call the site your Krav Maga, it is all about you. You are at the Center of all We Do.

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Moshe Katz, 7th dan Black Belt, Israeli Krav Maga. Certified by Wingate Institute. Member Black Belt hall of fame, USA and Europe.

Understand the Israeli Fighting Mentality - Israel a Nation of Warriors by Moshe Katz

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What is the cultural background of Krav Maga?  What makes it unique? What makes the Israeli military so effective? Why are Israeli security systems used all over the world?

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