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Is Krav Maga A Martial Art?
Krav Maga translated literally from Hebrew means contact combat.
It is the street and battlefield tested Israeli system of self defense and battle field fighting.
What I have realized in my research into this form combative is that the martial arts purists constantly bicker and criticize this style of self defense. They condemn it by saying that it is just dirty fighting”and nothing more than eye gouging and crotch shots.
They also constantly point out that there is nothing fancy and that the self defense moves are basic or simple.
Well my opinion is that the martial arts purists are partially right in their criticism!
They fail to explain why their criticism is actually a positive.
Comparing Krav to a traditional martial art is akin to comparing apples to oranges …… no scratch that it, it is like comparing apples to a steak dinner!
They are both food but that’s about as far as the similarities go!
The critiques about Krav using simple self defense moves and incorporating so called “dirty fighting” techniques are the exact same reasons why you should consider training it for self defense.
I have never seen Krav Maga put itself out there and claim that it is a pure martial art.
Lets get straight to the point, just like Krav Maga does, and attack the criticism about it just being a system of “cheap shots” or so called “dirty fighting”.
On the street there are no rules and in a life or death situation with a human predator there are no rules or tactics that are off limits!
If someone has you pinned to the ground and trapped in an isolated area and they are looking to choke the life out of you, chop you up and stuff you into a suitcase.
I think it is warranted in this situation to sink your thumb into their eye socket to dislodge their eyeball, follow it up with a kick to the groin area so hard that it ruptures a testicle and then drop your elbow with all your body weight behind it onto the back of their neck to severe their vertebrate.
If you are looking at this system of hand to hand combat to fulfill a spiritual or cultural curiosity look somewhere else because you will be greatly disappointed.
But if you are looking to build awareness, aggressiveness, determination, tenacity and confidence then this absolutely the system is for you!
Two guiding principles of this Israeli hand to hand combat system are:
1- On the street there are no rules
2- Do not injure your training partner and treat them with respect
The criticism of Krav techniques being simplistic and only containing basic moves is actually the exact reason as to why it is so effective.
With adrenaline coursing through your veins your heart rate goes through the roof and complicated or fancy moves are next to impossible to perform. Yes maybe the seasoned pro who spent ten years training to get a black belt might be able to pull it off, but is that really going to be you?
The longer you train in Krav Maga the larger your tool belt of techniques is. But of course a level one practitioner’s techniques will be much more basic than a black belt Karate student.
However when it comes to self defense on the street I would put my money on a level one practitioner of Kravist over a Karate yellow belt. As a third party looking in one could also argue that a yellow belts Karate techniques are simplistic also.
I am not here to belittle any martial art or start a fight because I have the deepest respect for all martial arts. I just want to put into perspective some of the criticisms that is dished out to this self defense system.
The real purpose of Krav Maga training was to have student battle ready in a short period of time.
I could go on and on about the history of Krav or the varying bodies that instruct it but doing so would only be duplicating what is already available from hundreds of different sources on the internet.
I personally think Krav is an outstanding form of self defense.
My self defense journey is about not about being pigeon holed into learning or favoring any one style.
Any student of self defense would be wise to learn multiple styles and this is what I am doing.
I also feel that Krav represents what is effective and what works from multiple styles.
Combine Krav Maga with some Gracie Jiu Jitsu and some Target Focus Training and you are getting a really, really well rounded self defense education.
Krav teaches you how to aggressively defend yourself, utilizes reality based self defense training, teaches you how to deal with threats from weapons and is steeped in a culture that has tested it’s techniques with the blood of it’s front line practitioners.
Where else can you learn a self defense move for attacking a suicide bomber?
Krav Maga is not a martial art, instead it is a combative.
In real life altercations outside of the ring, dojo or octagon Krav Maga will get the job done.
The qualities of awareness, aggression, determination, tenacity and confidence combined with targeting and destroying weak points on the human body by using the most direct and effective technique available is what Krav Maga is all about.
I have reviewed a couple of options for learning Krav Maga if you have no qualified instructrs in your area. The first is a
Krav Maga DVD
and the second is through
online video.
Go From Krav Maga Back To The Home Page
Check Out Our Review Of The Krav Maga Training That Is Available Online
Go To Our Review Of The IKMF Krav Maga DVD
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