- Home
- Krav Maga Blog
- Krav Instructors
- Train in Israel
- Tour Train Israel
- Krav Shop
- DVD
- Kickboxing
- IKI Near Me
- Seminars
- IKI Membership
- On-Line Training
- Krav Maga Training
- Testimonials
- History Krav Maga
- Instructors Page
- Past Blogs
- Spanish
- Italian
- Certification
- Contact
- Holland Seminar
- Vienna Seminar
- Poland Seminar
- Italy Seminar
- Belt Requirements
Technique or Power
BY MOSHE KATZ
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL
June 6, 2025, Israel
It was New York City, China Town, I found a flyer for Wing Chun Kung Fu, I was interested, I visited the location and signed up right away. There were rules, you had to own two school T shirts, buy the videos and the poster. I think that is fair. If you are serious about training, buy the training materials. I was impressed by my new teacher, Sifu Chun Kwok Chow, originally from Hong Kong, in the lineage of Yip Man. Sifu Chow trained under Ng Wah Sum, and Leung Sheung, as well as the sons of Yip Man. He was the real deal.
I was already an experienced martial artist; in fact, I was a second dan black belt in Krav Maga and kickboxing. I had just completed a round of full-contact fighting at my karate school, the famed Oyama dojo on 4th Street. My first day at the Chinese Kung Fu school I thought I would warm up a little, and perhaps impress my new teacher, so I started doing sets of pushups, on the hardwood floor, on my knuckles. He was not impressed and taught me a valuable lesson.
He told me not to do fitness here, do that at home, if you want. You do not need strength to do Wing Chun properly. Wing Chun was developed by a woman and so it is based on intelligence and understanding of the body, not brute strength, that sort of training was not welcomed here. I understand. You have all the power you need, right now.
That is a lesson I never forgot, and I incorporated that in IKI Krav Maga over the years.
If your technique depends upon muscle, strength, power, it is a weak technique and one that will not serve the majority of people.
In 1974 there was what was meant to be an exchange of techniques between my teacher and friend the legendary martial artist Joe Hess. It was during the era of the "Battle of the Sexes" and a female martial arts champion wanted to show what she could do. She attacked the much larger and more powerful Joe Hess, the fight lasted a few seconds. One kick and the poor girl was flat on her back; she literally had to be dragged by her feet off the mat.
My point here is that a petite female, despite her great and admirable skills in karate, or Kickboxing, did not stand a chance against the taller and more powerful male. She will not be able to fight him. Fighting, is not self-defense. We must understand that.
We do not teach sparring, or fighting, as a self-defense method. We teach self-defense. Just as Sifu Chow said, I don't want to see your display of power over here, as that has nothing to do with Wing Chun, or self-defense, we say the same. They are two different things, let us not teach fighting and market it as a self-defense system, it is NOT.
A champion female black belt did not last more than a few seconds against a man in the ring, but that does not mean that she is incapable of defending herself against that same man on the street, in a self-defense situation. We have been teaching women, men, and children, elderly and handicap, to defend themselves for many years, and we have proven successful in countless real-life altercations. We teach effective self-defense methods and strategy; these include but are not limited to the physical. Properly "reading" people and the street, Correct applied Situational Awareness, and simple, instinctive, Gross Motor Total Body Movements are effective in getting ordinary people out of life-threatening situations. This is what we are all about.
Sport Kickboxing is great, Karate is great, Aerobic Kickboxing is great, but please do not sell them or market them as self-defense, for they are NOT.
IKI is about real-life survival, that is all, that is it. Thank you.
Joe Hess teaching at Karate College, Virginia, USA
Training with legends. Front row right, Joe Hess
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.
Start Your REAL Training TODAY
Or is someone coming to save you?
IKI Krav Maga online distance training - Leading to ranks and certification.
Tour and Train Israel Experience
Personal Training - If you are interested in personal Krav Maga training please contact us on the form below.
