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Stop the Lies
BY MOSHE KATZ
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL
June 27, 2025, Israel
I heard that the task of the investigative journalist is to search for the Facts and Truth. That is the definition of true Journalism. Sadly, most begin with a political or social agenda and the truth is illusive. In most argument, facts play a very minor role.
I believe the job of a self-defense instructor, Krav Maga instructor, is the same. We must seek the Truth, the Facts, and be totally objective. We must not allow our tribal mentality to overcome the objective truth. Therefore, we must always seek to improve our techniques and be open to criticism. It does not mean we should jump from style to style, or train in five styles at the same time, no, I am totally opposed to that, that is proven to be counter-productive to learning and growth, but what I mean is that in our own style we must constantly be seeking the truth and open to outside influences.
Recently there has been a great deal of controversy about men, in the guise of women, participating in female sports. Women have suffered greatly because of this, losing tournaments that they should have won, being denied the ability to compete on fair footing, and even being physically hurt. One female boxer suffered a major concussion while being hit by a biological male. And then just a few days ago, another major event happened, but first I will digress...back to self-defense. I will focus on Krav Maga, as that is my field. But first a word about MMA, BJJ etc., Mixed Martial Arts and similar arts/sports.
I have great respect for these arts and have trained in them myself for many years. However, I do not see them as a solution for female self-defense, or for that matter for anyone. On occasion we hear a case in the news where a female used these arts to defend herself against a home intruder. Thus, these arts are validated as great for self-defense. That is great for business. If only it were true! The truth is that of course there are a few females, at the high end of the spectrum, who can defeat the men at the low end of the spectrum. I.e. I would surely lose a tennis match to the top ranked female at her peak. (I once held a tennis racket, but just making a point). But what we see in these famous cases gone viral is a female who is at her peak, a Brazilian Jujitsu black belt, a champion, a cross-fit and aerobics instructor. Some poor skinny teenage sap happened to choose the wrong house to rob, woke her up when he smashed the window, and she beat the crap out of him. Good for her! but this is not a validation of these arts as a tool of practical self-defense for the average female.
Now we turn to Krav Maga with the same critical eye.
There are different styles of Krav Maga, a common name does not mean common quality. Krav Maga is touted as a great self-defense tool for women. However, when we see it advertised, or portrayed on YouTube, TV and Movies, what do we see? We see very fit, young, athletic, women at the peak of their game. And it is all choreographed. Usually, the Bad Guy is played by her male counterpart, muscular, good looking, etc. NOT REAL.
TV shows like Fight Quest, and movies like Enough starring Jennifer Lopez, show tough, butch, females, hardened by training. And now the question comes up, can we test these claims? The honest answer is we cannot.
What I see in most styles of Krav Maga is an Attitude and a certain degree of Arrogance. That tough look, that Bad Ass image, camouflage bikini, portrays a feeling of - we are tough, we are hard, we can beat the crap out of you. That was not how Krav Maga was originally taught, that is not how Imi Lichtenfeld taught it. And I truly believe that that form of Krav Maga will not work in real life violent encounters. These styles rely upon SKILL, they rely upon what we call the Three Amigos, the three unreliable friends: Strength, Speed, Precision. These are qualities that will fail you in a real-life encounter. (Read the blog for a more in-depth analysis.
I believe we need a different approach, and that is what IKI Krav Maga is all about. It is about understanding that for many of us, female and male, it will be David Vs. Goliath. We train for the Weakest Link, because if it works for the smallest and weakest among us, it will certainly work for the rest of us. And we have results to prove it. Over the years our students have faced guns, knives, machete, even rifles, attempted rape, chokes, punches to the face and body plus more, and thank God all have survived. I have countless verified testimonies, just ask out members. We have security guards and police officers who use our technique on a regular basis. We have police units that have adopted our techniques. We have been tested, and we have passed the test.
Our idea is not to expect a woman, or a smaller person, to match a big strong guy punch for punch, that is not realistic. Rather, we seek strategies, as in the Book of Five Rings, to bring a large part of our force against a small vulnerable part of the attacker's body. Hit, Win, Run. We have no illusions.
Now recently another case came up that validates this idea, I return to where I left off earlier, the idea that fake toughness is no substitute for being physically weaker. There was a friendly match, as it was described, between Switzerland's national women's team and a local boys high school team. The team had the designation of Luzern U15, which means "Under 15 years of age". I have no idea why such a match was suggested. The high school boys defeated the national champs soundly, 7 to 1. It was ordered to be kept under wraps, not to be made public under any conditions. but one boy posted it on social media, and it went viral. It is all over the place now. This naturally led to many comments.
The 23rd in the world ranked women’s team Switzerland, lost 7-1 in a friendly match against Swiss team Luzern’s U15 boys team…
In response to Switzerland's defeat, TV host and Arsenal fan Piers Morgan wrote on social media: "This is why we separate the sexes in sport…"
Another publication, 20 Minuten, added: "Scientifically proven, women have a very difficult time against men in football."
What I see here, and the point of this blog is, that we must always seek the truth, the facts. If these champion women cannot match up against a group of high school boys, ages 13-14, what chance do they have defending themselvs against a violent attack by a bigger, larger, stronger man, potentially on drugs, perhaps with a knife?
This is not about "The Battle of the Sexes" or anything along those lines. It is about selling lies to students. Stop the Lies!, that is what I say. Stop selling illusions to innocent gullible people who need real self-defense. Stop selling them movie crap, Jennifer Lopez or Angelina Jolie.
If we truly care about women, girls, anyone, we must seek the truth, wherever it comes from, and in whatever form it comes. We must analyze our martial arts and see if it is based on physical logic or just on "Bad Ass Wanna be" like in the TV and movies. We must be like investigative journalists, seek the truth at all costs. That is what we are doing at IKI. We care about people. Stop the Lies!
Reality can hard, losing a match to a high school team is a blow to the ego, but being beaten, robbed, stabbed, raped, on the street is an entirely more serious matter. We must take this seriously. SEEK the Truth, wherever it can be found.
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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