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Upgrade your Krav Maga
BY MOSHE KATZ
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL
May 7, 2025, Israel
Training in Wing Chun Gung Fu
Training with Carl in Costa Rica
Natalie picked me up at the airport. She was the coordinator for my seminar at some university in Connecticut. The seminar was to take place on a Tuesday night at 7:30. As I put my luggage in the back seat I noticed some flyer on the floor. It looked interesting, I picked it up. I still recall what it said, more or less; Direct from Israel, Krav Maga master, Israeli Special Forces, Get out of all sorts of impossible situations, defend yourself against Knife attacks, Gun threats, attacks on the ground...Get the latest techniques from Israel, etc.
The flyer really caught my attention. This guy must be amazing; he seemed to be a true master who could get out of any tricky violent situation. I was determined to make it to his seminar. I said to Natalie, Now this is what I have been looking for, someone to take me to the next level in my Krav Maga training, someone to break the barrier and reach new heights. This is the guy!
But I was to be disappointed. I looked at the date, would you believe it! Tuesday, 7:30 pm. Darn it Natalie, why did you schedule my seminar at the same time as this great Krav Maga master?! I must attend his seminar!
Natalie looked at me, with a motherly look, and said, "Silly Moshe, that is your seminar!"
Oh, what a letdown, I thought I had found the perfect teacher. Now I must say she was good at advertising, and in fact we had more than 70 participants. But I did feel that she exaggerated quite a bit. But it worked, it got my attention. Sadly, my new guru did not exist, it was me.
My point in this story, and the point of the blog, is that I was already a certified instructor, I was owner and head instructor of my own club, I was already traveling the world and conducting seminars, to law enforcement, to military, to Special Forces, and yet when I saw an opportunity to train with someone else and upgrade my skills, I was ready to pounce on it. I desperately wanted to attend that seminar.
Even after becoming an instructor, I continued my training. For a sample, please see my page Martial Arts Leaders.
And yet when I encounter other instructors, from outside our organization, and I ask if they are interested in seeing something new, a different perspective, with very few exceptions the answer is the same, and predictable, and this is what instigated this blog, a conversation with a certain instructor. What do I hear, "I am a master! I am certified, I have a X level black belt, I know what works and what doesn't etc."
Well enough, and then I check them out, watch some videos. What do I see? The same old stuff that I rejected more than 30 years ago, I see movements that depend on Speed, Precision and Accuracy, Strength. I see perfect timing necessary to make a technique work. I see videos where everyone knows their part and of course the "Defenders" are totally anticipating the fake attack. There is no spontaneity, there is no element of fear, there is no reality!
There is over-confidence.
I watch the videos, and I see the old song come to life,
Everybody was Kung Fu fighting
Those cats were fast as lightning
In fact, it was a little bit frightening
But they fought with expert timing
Yes, expert timing that is totally incompatible with reality. I see grabbing of wrists while a knife attack is in progress! In motion! and I see little women twisting those wrists and guys being filliped over, and then those women, in a very macho way, are "able" to throw those men over their backs. (Yes, it is all possible, with an athletic and willing partner, I too did those things back in the day, it was called putting on a show.)
everybody knew their part, From a feint into a slip and a kicking from the hip.
I watch this and wonder, how can anyone actually believe that this is going to work? How can anyone in their right moral mind contact a "Womans' self-defense Seminar" and actually tell women that these theatrics will work for them against a violent predator? How!
That is a question I cannot answer. For me it was a long journey, over many years and many martial arts, when the myth finally was exposed, when I realized that nearly everything I had learned would not work. I had bought into the myth, if one spoke English with an Oriental accent, that is it, he was a "master", if something sounded cool, "Secret Military System" (available only for a short while to the first 100 callers) I thought it must be great. and then I remember the day when my own instructor said, "95% of all martial art techniques will fail in a real life violent encounter", then why was he teaching this stuff?!
I had to rethink everything, start practically from scratch. I travelled looking for the best instructors, I bought every video on the market that looked like it had something to offer, I trained with everyone, everywhere, I trained in poorly lit downtown dojos in the worst parts of New York City, in Los Angeles with former gang members, with military and world champions, and I paid attention.
and, I am still learning.
If you already know it all, keep moving, but if you are still hoping to grow, to learn, you might want to meet with us.
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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