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Ringo and Krav Maga
BY MOSHE KATZ
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL
August 19, 2026, King David Business Lounge, Lod Airport, Israel
The Beatles were/are one of the most influential, trendsetting, innovative bands in modern history. I have been a fan since the mid 1960's and still remember the excitement that accompanied the release of each new album.
The Beatles emerged from Liverpool, from working-class backgrounds. I toured Liverpool, Did the Beatles Tour and visited the homes where they grew up. This shaped their approach to life and music. None were formally trained musicians or could read music, at least at the time. Since then there are constant debates, how good a guitar player was John Lennon? How good a drummer is Ringo Star?
In addition, there are many iconic Ringo drum drills such as that which begins "Come Together" which are considered classic and innovative and difficult to duplicate, but there is something most fans, critics, miss: First was that Ringo was self-trained, and secondly, he was a left-handed drummer playing a right -handed drum kit. This made all the difference.
When Ringo was praised for this innovative drum role at the start of Come Together, he humbly dismissed the praise, and said this innovation was the result of the fact that it was his handicap, so to speak, having the wrong kit, that produced this great sound. Ringo, the ever-humble Beatle. Given his limitations this was the only way he could play it, so he says.
Ringo is a perfect example of what I always preach/teach in Krav Maga; work within your means, within your own natural limitations, and you will achieve brilliance. Be the best you can be withing your own reality. This Ringo achieved. He is left-handed, he did not try and become right-handed. As a young man he could not afford a custom set of drums, he made do with what he had and achieved international fame and fortune, and a happy life.
Ringo never boasts, modestly suits him well, he overcame much in his life; poverty, childhood illnesses, being the least focused on member of the Beatles. He does not seek glory. In a recent interview he discussed some of his "limitations". One of the things I admire most about Ringo is unlike MMA champions who bounce up and down on the ropes like a Chimpanzee shouting "I am the best", he does none of that. He does not have to. Instead, he takes a humble approach.
He commented on his "lack of perfection" in his drumming ability.
He was asked about the Click Machine, or a metronome, "A metronome is a device that produces a steady, regular beat to help musicians maintain consistent timing and tempo."
Ringo says he does not use one, and it does not help him when practicing. "My heart plays the time, my soul is playing the time, not some robot click track".
I personally am not that good at playing that perfect. There is a click track, absolutely perfect, you are so busy trying to play to that that you lose the soul of the thing"
These are truly words of wisdom. I too am a musician. And I understand the soul of a musician. I always compare the two.
At the early stages of learning an instrument, or learning a martial art, it is all very technical. You need to do it "perfectly", you practice again and again, without feeling, without soul, just body movements, body mechanics. You cannot relax, there is no room for individuality, your teacher has a manuel which you must follow, you must "get it right". Only later, at a higher level, when you have mastered the basics, can you relax and become free, let go of the rules, let go of what someone else might be thinking.
"Freedom discovers the man the moment he is no longer concerned over what impression he is making, or about to make."(Bruce Lee) or as Ringo says when you are so busy trying to be perfect like the mechanical click machine/metronome, you lose the soul, you lose the real music, and our guess you lose the real true self-defense.
With Krav Maga, and with music, at a certain point you let go of the rules. As Bruce Lee wrote, learn the rules, master the rules, overcome the rules. That is the reality of life.
We do not forget our techniques, but we make them come alive, as we are (and hope to remain) alive, we apply techniques the way a drummer will apply a drumbeat. The drums are always the same, there are no musical notes. It is all a matter of how you apply the same basic beat to different songs. That is Krav Maga. The same thing, yet different.
We must apply our Krav Maga in this "ever changing world in which we live in." (Paul McCartney), we must flow with it, we must make it our own.
Moshe Katz, 8th 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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