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Tribe or Truth
BY MOSHE KATZ
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL
June 26, 2025, Israel
I recently caught a video by a Chinese woman called Shan Shan, she has lived outside of China for many years and has gripes, issues, that she wishes to air. She makes many valid points, and I respect her blog. But even if you are not Chinese or are not in direct contact with Chinese people, there is a lot one can glean and gain from her video blogs. She discusses the idea of Tribe vs Truth and the utter futility of arguing with people who possess a tribal attitude.
As she points out the idea of arguing with such is a person is a total waste of time because they are not interested in the facts, they are interested in the tribe. So, if she is trying to point out certain faults in her community she is criticized for not siding with her "tribe". i.e. Belonging to the Tribe should take precedence over whether something is true or not, correct or not. This is a great formula for never changing and never progressing.
If she were to say, shouting in public is rude, the answer would not be on the pros or cons of public shouting or whether or not it is socially appropriate, but rather on the group that is accused of shouting. Thus, you stand with your group and defend a position without ever analyzing the actual facts, my group is correct, and I will stand with them, otherwise, as she points out, you are a trader to your tribe! and shame on you for that!
I see the Krav Maga self-defense connection right here, and agree with her wholeheartedly. Years ago I went against the "tribe" of Israeli Krav Maga and pointed out that,
1. The history being pushed via website "Cut and Paste" is false.
2. No one man should be worshiped as founder.
3. Having served in the Israel Defense Force (IDF) does not make you a Krav Maga instructor, just as being from Thailand does not make you a Muay Thai expert.
4. Krav Maga is a highly unregulated field in Israel with a lot of room for ...forging false claims.
5. The IDF Krav Maga course is a coarse, very brief, course and does not an expert make.
6. The prowess attributed to the IDF Krav Maga is falsely based on the very true accomplishments of the Israeli military forces where Krav Maga plays a tiny role. To date Krav Maga has not been a factor in any war.
So I was the whistle blower, and as this woman points out I chose Truth over the Tribe.
However, there is another point I wish to make; martial artists are notorious for this tribal attitude - If it is an idea or technique from another system, it has to be worthless, a joke. There is no chance I can learn something from another style.
Often Krav Maga students from other styles or associations come to train with us during our Tour and Train Israel Experience program. They are exposed to a different way, a more evolutionary and revolutionary form of Krav Maga. Some at first resist, argue, but they eventually see the effectiveness of our system, but then there is a problem.
Soon they will return home, to their dojo, their association, their "tribe", and they will have changed, they will be different and like the painted bird in Jerzy Kosiński's (Józef Lewinkopf) classic book, they will be shot down, pecked to death. (hopefully not literally), rejected. They will risk losing their place in their "tribe". This creates an unfortunate conflict. They face the choice of swallowing the truth, that they have better techniques for self defense, or risked being rejected by their tribe.
Shan Shan chose to speak out on this topic, even though it clearly offends her Chinese community and her own mother and mother-in-law. But change only happens when people are brave enough to speak the truth.
Every class we analyze our techniques, we take questions from all over the world, every technique is challenged again and again. Some of our concepts are derived from Chinese martial arts, some from Israeli war experiences, some from American concepts, some from Brazilian Capoeira, and some have roots in Jujitsu, and of course from Japanese Karate and Muay Thai. I have trained in all these styles.
No technique is sacred; our lives are sacred! Truth comes before Tribe. And thank you Shan Shan for your brutal honesty.
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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