The Advantage of injuries
BY MOSHE KATZ 
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL

September 18, 2025, Dan Lounge, Lod Airport, Israel

MosheOyama1987

There are some differences between this photo and the one at the bottom of the page, hopefully some wisdom was attained during those periods of time. (About 38 years worth of continues training...)

The years pass, one grows up, one grows older, and hopefully one grows in experience. In today's shallow social media driven society the goal is to be young and beautiful, to cater to immediate desires and to stop the natural process of aging. Things were not always this way, when you study the Talmud or the ancient Greek philosophers you see a different story. The terms Elder, Rabbi, gray haired one, are revered. The word in Hebrew for Elder is the same root as beard, the word for gray hair is the root of grandfather, these are terms or respect and endearment. Hopefully we grow wise, not only old and gray.

Years ago a friend of my mother, may she rest in peace, was looking at her husband explaining all the new cool gadgets in his car. She laughed and said, some men grow up, others just grow tall. 

I thought about that, I was only a teenager at the time, but that statement, half in jest perhaps, impacted me. There is nothing wrong with being excited about the new developments in technology, but what I got out of that was, I want to grow wise, not just tall, not just old and gray. My goal in life is to attain wisdom and help others. As the years go on, I try to learn from every experience, to grow from the good and the bad, to learn lessons from the pain.

When I was younger, I trained very hard and often got hurt. I took that as a badge of honor. My hospital visits grew in number; the scars and injuries were a source of pride. I have seen the inside of many emergency rooms. Today I pay the price for this, an elbow that flares up so bad I can hardly write at times, neck pains, back pains, broken fingers that are difficult to use in cold climates and so on and forth. But I have learned from this, as the Chinese say one illness, long life, no illness short life. 

I have learned to be careful. I teach in such a way that the students feel just enough pain to know that the technique works, but not so much as to cause harm or injury, or to cause them to quit their training. But I have learnt something else as well, the value of injuries in developing proper techniques. W

When you have no injuries you can resist for a while, like a professional athlete in the ring you can take the pain, for a while. But that is not the case in reality, for ordinary people. Ordinary people don't get hit repeatedly in the head and then come back fighting with a back spinning kick, they just go down. Due to my injuries, I have learned how to prevent the lock or the blow. My heightened sensitivity prompts me to find ways to get out more quickly, before the pain becomes unbearable, before damage occurs. I do not have time, I cannot wait for step 17B to get the release, I have to adapt, I have to improve.

The injuries have caused me to reevaluate how I train, teach, and develop techniques. Getting hit in the head is not an option, risking further damage to my knee or elbow, out of the question, so we must improve, we must use these injuries to develop better techniques.

I remember my dear father's words, each Rosh Hodesh, the Jewish new month, he would say...May each month bring us closer to some worthy goal. And so I have lived my life. 

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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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