Phil Rizzuto Krav Maga
BY MOSHE KATZ 
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL

January 2, 2026, Israel

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Phil Rizzuto, in his later years, a legend, baseball player, broadcaster, a man of words.

Krav Maga lessons can come from anywhere. Today they will come from the late great baseball player/broadcaster, Phil, 'The Scooter' Rizzuto.

His name is a household name for all American baseball fans; his voice is unmistakable. He was a great ballplayer, shortstop, for the New York Yankees. Once his playing days were over, he became a broadcaster for the same team. His voice, his expressions, his commentary on the game were legendary. His simple wisdom still resonates today. 

Phil Rizzuto was born on September 25, 1917, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of a streetcar motorman and his wife, both of whom were originally from Calabria, Italy. Brooklyn has a strong Italian-American community. Rizzuto was a star baseball player for the New York Yankees, playing on 10 championship teams, 7 times winning the World Series, and participating in five All-Star Games. At the end of his career, his number, 10, was retired, perhaps the greatest honor in sports. 

Like many players of the era, he found his career interrupted by a stint in the military, serving in the United States Navy during World War II. From 1943 through 1945, he played on a Navy baseball team alongside Dodgers shortstop Reese; the team was managed by Yankees catcher Bill Dickey.

After his playing career, Rizzuto had a 40-year career as a radio and television sports announcer for the Yankees. He was known for his idiosyncratic, conversational broadcast style, and for his trademark expression "holy cow!"

Recently I happened to come across one of his broadcasts, memories from my childhood in New York. Yankee catcher Thurman Munson, threw out a runner trying to steal second base, but he was off-balance, the throw was awkward, but, he got the man out. And that is the main thing. The technique worked, even though Munson did not look so good doing it. Rizzuto commented, "they don't pay you for looking good".

There is true wisdom here. 

Everyone is trying to make an impression, as my dad would say, if you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit. and indeed, many martial arts are just that, sadly. The instructors want to look good, look "the part", have "the look", they spend more time sculpturing their bodies then perfecting and improving techniques. We are not that way, and now I hear the Scooter, the voice of the Yankees, validate this thought, they don't pay you to look good, they pay you to get the job done. And that is precisely what we are doing with IKI. We may not be models, we may not be fitness experts, my beard may have turned gray, but "they don't pay you to look good". That should be our motto. Stay safe.  

Moshe2021

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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