Mind of the Attacker
BY MOSHE KATZ 
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL

September 27, 2026, Israel

I began my martial arts training with a great deal of faith; a belief that physical mastery of traditional techniques would lead to real self-defense ability. What I did not realize was that one of the key components of self-defense was completely left out; The Mind of the Attacker. Without an understanding of the person we are facing, without a clear picture of the danger in front of us, all other training is practically useless. "You know it's true, all these things come back to you." (Aerosmith)  

We become like sitting ducks, a deer in the headlight, a little kid holding his hockey stick against a gang of armed thugs. We simply do not understand what we are up against. We cannot contemplate the evil, the hatred, the brutality in the minds of others. The first step is to understand the Mind of the Attacker, be he a gang member in East LA, a cartel member in South America, or a Hamas terrorist in Israel. First step, know thine enemy. 

The great historian Professor Solomon (Shlmo Zalman) Zeitlin wrote these profound words many years ago.  

"...a history of a people cannot be written unless the author can achieve contact with the mind of the people." (The Rise and Fall of the Judaean State, Shlomo Zalman Zeitlin, Volume One, introduction, 1962)

This too is a common mistake in our own enlightenment era. People judge history and historical figures within the context of their own lives today. But with such an approach their historical review must be regarded as trash to be dumped today. To understand a people, one must make contact with the mind of this people, and that is the true challenge of real historians, to Be There. To live in that historical period and meet the minds of those who lived then. 

For us, in the context of Krav Maga, self-defense, this is equally true. A man, or a woman, walks up to us in a parking lot. We are just leaving our car to do some shopping, a sunny day, enjoying the breeze, but this person feels you wronged them, or they just want your money, or your car.

You have a black belt in Karate, or in Taekwondo. You won a trophy at some local tournament a few years ago. You feel confident in your abilities. But here there will be no warning, you will miss the starting bell, No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun. and Bam, it is all over before it began.

I am in the car in South Africa, talking to Rob about local violence. He says, your techniques are quite simple, (IKI Krav Maga), anyone can learn them, but the difficult part is to understand how violent these people are, how they can go from zero to a hundred miles an hour in a split second, how sudden and explosive violence is. 

And indeed, that is correct and true, and that is the Key element of self-defense Survival training and that is the part most ignored in all of training. Why? Because it is boring, it is "talk", it does not sell ticket, it does not get your heartrate up. It does not leave the customer with a feeling of "I had a great workout; I pushed myself to the limit, I kicked butt! My T shirt is covered with sweat!"

So define your goals, a kick-ass work out, or survival training? For survival training you will have to follow the Professor's advice, Meet the Mind of the Attacker, Make Contact with the Mind of the Assailant.  We need to understand him, not as a social worker trying to "reform" him but as a Defender needing to understand his "values", his approach to life.

Learnt this, or perish. At IKI this is part of our training. 

MosheKatz2024

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?

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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