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The Mona Lisa and Krav Maga
BY MOSHE KATZ
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL
September 9, 2025, Los Angeles, Ca, USA
I am in Los Angeles, an area known for its superficiality and facades. There is a great deal of good here and I mean no disrespect, I truly enjoy being here and have wonderful memories but there is a certain skin-deep artificiality. The land of moviemaking, the land of false heroes, the land of acting!
Yes, sometimes a movie, a film, a play can bring to life an important historical event, a certain philosophical moral point, and there is great value in that, but there is also a great deal of make-believe, creating an image out of nothing, fake fights, choreography, photo shop, fantasy~
When I lived here, I was drawn to the opposite, not the night life, not chasing false dreams and sparkling images, but the pursuit of truth. My nights were spent in the yeshiva, the rabbinical academies, my weekends were spent fighting for Jewish causes and training in martial arts and combat shooting. Truth was what mattered, not image.
A rabbi once spoke about the renowned painting, the Mona Lisa. I am not an art aficionado, and I cannot tell you what is so great about the Mona Lisa but it stands as one of the greatest works of art in history. The rabbi pointed out that after all these years, if a person does not appreciate the Mona Lisa, it is not the Mona Lisa that needs to prove itself, it is the viewer who lacks in art appreciation. The rabbi used the analogy in terms of the Torah/Bible and the Talmud, if you do not appreciate these scared works, it is not the Torah that needs to prove itself, it is you who are lacking in understanding.
But I will use this analogy for Krav Maga.
A beginner cannot tell good self-defense from useless or counter-productive self-defense. That is natural. However, at a certain level, that type of discernment is expected, if you cannot tell good from bad, heaven from hell...
Heaven from Hell? Blue Skies from pain?
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil? Do you think you can tell?
If you cannot tell the difference, then it is as one who cannot appreciate the Mona Lisa. If you cannot spot the styles that depend on false images, overexaggerated aggression, tough "Bad Ass" talk and verbal bullying, (foul language and abusive gestures) then, how can I put it, this indicates to me that you don't really know what you are doing, you don't really understand self-defense, you are easily fooled by theatrics and false bravado. As my father would say, if you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit. If I see a Krav Maga instructor baffled by bull and thinking he is being dazzled by brilliance, well...What impresses you lives an impression on me.
If I see a certain type of video on social media and I immediately spot the flaws, and I can break apart this technique step by step and logically and convincingly show you, or any intelligent person, what the flaws are and how and when this technique will fail, but you do a " like" and comment, "Wow, amazing!" then this is an indication to me that you don't really understand self-defense. Sorry.
I stand by what I teach, and I am willing and able to defend each and every technique. There are situations where there are no good solutions, and in such cases we aim to minimize damage, we provide the highest percentage defenses. We have a proven street track record. Our techniques stand the test of logical scrutinizing and empirical testing with full resistance as well as countless real-life cases of success stories involving every type of violence.
We stand behind what we teach. We are proud IKI - Israeli Krav International, a unique and modern form of Krav Maga.
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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