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Knowledge or Wisdom
BY MOSHE KATZ
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL
September 2, 2025, Los Angeles, USA
Abundance of knowledge does not teach men to be wise. (Heraclitus
On the in-flight film, one of the characters quoted Heraclitus, which always adds a nice intellectual touch to a film. Knowledge and wisdom, often unrelated, sometimes the opposite of each other. Perhaps the field of martial arts, self-defense, is a glaring example of this. I have seen great skill, great knowledge of techniques, great knowledge of a "system" or style, or ryu, but yet almost no wisdom in applying this to real life violent confrontations.
The guy on the street, left to fend for himself, often understands more, has more wisdom, than the knowledgeable grand master. Little street tricks, tactics, often mean more than the knowledge of kata or techniques. One who has "Street Smarts" understands the nature and psychology of crime and violence better than the dojo master.
Often we are impressed by skill, my knowledge, but we have to ask, what relevance does that have to real life? Yes, the high kick is impressive, the back spinning kick will look great on film or at a tournament, but on the bad streets, on the "streets that have no names", in the Badlands, what will all that knowledge and skill count for?
In is these elements that we must include in our training. It is for this reason that I am constantly studying real life crime, it is for this reason that at my seminars I will present real life cases of extreme violence, we will analyze these tragic events and learn from them. We will see what went right and what went horribly wrong. We are in a constant process of learning.
Wisdom is knowing how little we know, Knowledge is something stored away, and if we are wise we can use our knowledge to attain wisdom, but that is a process. That is a never-ending process.
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
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?
What are the Biblical origins of Krav Maga and who was the first Krav Maga instructor?
What weapons and military strategies did our Biblical ancestors use?
How has Krav Maga developed in Israel and what are its goals?
All that and more in this unique book.
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