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Your Story Matters
BY MOSHE KATZ
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL
August 5, 2026, South Africa
One of our classes in South Africa, August 2026, some members cannot be photographed.
I am currently in South Africa, I am to here teach, but also always to learn; to listen, and to learn.
Like Israel, South Africa is a country plagued with violence, although of a very different kind, and therefore I am anxious to hear as many stories as possible. I will not reveal personal names.
When a person tells their story, the violence they experienced, it takes on a certain tone, a certain color. This is not a police report, this is an individual who wants to be heard, who needs to be heard. Each story is unique though there may be a pattern and similarities, but each traume is unique, each person is unique, and needs to be heard in their own voice, in their own way.
Each story is a learning experience for the Krav Maga Researcher: When did you first sense the danger? When did you notice something that alarmed you? What did you feel? How did your mind react? How did your body react? What went right, what went wrong? What can we learn from this, to do and not to do?
Mug and Bean, a cup of coffee, we look around, we see people, we talk to people, we observe and try to understand. On the surface it is all well, peaceful and happy, to a first-time visitor there is no sense of danger, but those who know, know what to look out for. It can happen in an instant; in a split second your life can change forever. Good fortune favors those who are prepared. Luck favors those who are alert.
There is no measure to the number of stories, and while we listen, we hear the pain, feel the trauma that is there. A smile hides more than an outfit, a bruise can be covered up, an emotional scar lingers.
And we listen, we internalize and try to understand the best way to prepare to respond to violence, sudden and explosive violence. We need to put ourselves in another man's shoes (or woman, but not literally of course!) we need to "experience" the trauma because only then can we learn to respond.
The physical techniques are never enough. Fitness and strength are never enough. A bullet from behind does not measure your biceps and you cannot outrun it. Self-defense, self-protection involves so much more. But it begins with understanding; it begins with listening to your story, and your story matters.
Thank you to all those who share your stories, of pain, of trauma, of Triumph!
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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