Krav Maga Solutions

Complex World Simple Solutions
By Moshe Katz, Israeli Krav International


Flight from Atlanta to Grand Rapids, Delta Airlines,

Coffe is served,

Sitting on the plane (or actually in the plane), on my long delayed Delta flight from ATL- GRR, I glance, out of sheer boredom, at the Sky magazine and glimpse the word "Complex" on some advertisement.

While sipping my tasteless cofee I begin to think of our complex world and how most martial arts are simply not keeping up as self defense solution providers.  (To use the modern vernacular)

While teaching people with a great deal of experience I feel that sometimes they revert to more complex moves, but beginners…sometimes they just intuitively get it.

Sole and Sofi, reality training, Arizona, 2012

The world sometimes seems to be getting incredibly complex, smart phones that are smarter than people, computers that are difficult to navigate, legal subtleties that are difficult to follow.

And then sometimes a beginner comes along who simply gets it.

At a seminar in Jerusalem last month I demonstrated gun disarms. The disarms covered a variety of situations from different angles and positions.  Suddenly a first time participant, out of nowhere, like the boy who says the king has no clothes, says, "Hey! basically you are teaching a few simple concepts and principles that can be adapted and applied to many situations.  As there area an infinite number of possible threats it would be impossible to have specific techniques to address all these possible threats."

Wow, Satori!! Brilliant, when I had all but given up hope on college students, a throwback to Emerson and Thoreau.

For decades we have been fed a martial arts philosophy , a curriculum with a defined list of techniques to be employed against certain specific attacks. For situation number 118 there is defensive move number 118 and so forth.

Katas', prearranged forms, angles of attack, fancy terms to memorize and an endless list of techniques; nearly impossible to remember and close to impossible to apply, other than on YouTube or in the movies.

Our approach, the IKI Krav Maga way, recognizes our limitations of time, (less time to devote to training due to the demands of modern life), limitation of ability to apply complex moves in real life situations (fear, loss of fine motor skills), and the increasing complexities of our world.

In our modern world we must deal with an infinite number of possible attacks and situations (to quote our young college man): cars, bars, trains, planes and automobiles. Stairs, fairs, and whatever else you can think of.

We walk these streets…and we don't know whom we shall meet or what we shall encounter. But we must be prepared…

What we aim to give you are the tools, both mental and physical, to cope with life. 

Tools, on their own, are useless. Many men buy power tools that serve them no purpose other than collecting dust in the garage. But they like the idea of owning Power Tools and they like talking about it with their friends.

Many martial artists have many tools; techniques, kata's drills, but are incapable of employing them during a real life situation. Their training lacks the mind/body/reality/ connection.

Their tools are for the dojo only. Just today, in Florida, on the way to the airport, my friend John Liptak (IKI Instructor in Florida) pointed a (rubber) gun at me in the car, and said "training never stops".

He is correct.

A car/vehicle/truck is a perfect example of the need to use concepts rather than techniques. Gary (IKI Instructor in Florida) has a big American vehicle which is very different from the cars I train with in Israel. The size difference does matter and changes how I use the techniques but the concepts remain the same. With these concepts I am able to adapt and apply the techniques to any vehicle.

For more about developing this reality based mindset please see my blog Messing with you Mind.

The tool is only as valuable as the one wielding it.


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Israel, A Nation of Warriors

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What weapons did the ancient Hebrews use?
How did they fight?

and how does it relate to us today?

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(cover by Arie Katz)

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Krav Maga Tour and Train in Israel

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Open to beginners and advanced instructors. We have trained people with no previous experience and those who have fought in the best units in the world, and every level in between. This is suitable for anyone in good health with an open mind and a strong desire to learn.


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June 2012, IKI Tour and Train with Frank Dux in Jerusalem.

Group was from Iceland, South Africa, USA, Croatia, United Kingdom, Israel, Germany and Switzerland,