Comments on: This is Krav Maga, Not Self-Defense

By: kmm

kmm — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 07:53:28 +0000

Krav Maga is a Self-Defense Art, NOT a Martial Art.
So you can’t just say “KM vs. SD”, because one is included in the other. You must specify the SD Style you are “criticizing”.

Truth be told, the “be always alert, always expect danger, always pay atention to the environment, situation and others behaviors” is part of the KM mindset. I don’t know about others SD styles.

By: Mohammad Khan

Mohammad Khan — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 21:53:41 +0000

This video was clearly showing fighting techniques in a real life situation, not SELF-DEFENSE techniques in a real life situation. It has really nothing to do with krav maga except that KM was the training she had used. I don’t understand why people are nitpicking. You (Chris) are not trying to talk about the style or different things she could have done, but about how she failed to have a self-defense mindset.

Urgh, not to be rude, but i feel as if i’m trying to defend your post and explain it to kids much younger than me.

By: Mohammad Khan

Mohammad Khan — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 21:47:11 +0000

Chris, I haven’t read all of the posts for this thread, but I agree completely with the point you make at the top. Anyone trained in self-defense tries to always be on guard, especially when alone. I understood everything you were trying to say.

Good post!

By: shinobi-ninja

shinobi-ninja — Thu, 20 May 2010 15:54:09 +0000

This was a demo of a simulated attack. I thought she did the basics well. The first goal is not to be where trouble is. The next level is to avoid the confrontation if you end up where trouble is. The next level is to defend with as little effort and damage as possible. The last level is damaging the attacker so they cannot continue the attack. As I said, I think she did the basics well.

By: james

james — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:27:48 +0000

Krav-maga is about self-defense, not fighting. Krav Maga is not considered as a competitive sport, and instead focuses on real life methods of self-defense and training in hand-to-hand combat situations.

By: Colin Wee

Colin Wee — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:28:39 +0000

Again, the video is scripted, but I don’t see much situational awareness. The defender should seem to be a little more aware of the two gents as she passed… and should sense the person as he closes the distance. She shouldn’t have taken down the first attacker with her back to the second. After downing the first attacker, the walking away should have been a little more tactical … defensive position surveying the landscape. Getting ‘caught’ unawares the second time seems a bit of a shame. Colin

By: Self Defense Knives

Self Defense Knives — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:43:23 +0000

Krav Maga Provide a great fighting mentality. Simplistic Weapons vs Fragile Targets is always a good idea.

By: Zara

Zara — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 15:02:09 +0000

It’s not always possible to run away immidiately, plus if he’s faster than you he could catch you with your back turned. It all depends on the circumstances, in my view it’s difficult to devise a set of rules that would apply to all or even the majority of situations. It’s only a video showing some skills, I’m pretty sure in training they’ll teach the finer points of self-defense and avoidance. I find it amusing when people think they know what a style or system is about by googling a few video’s and pointing out supposed flaws. Then you have those people who are clairvoyants or so experienced they just ‘know’ how typical streetfights ensue (if indeed there is such a thing) or how attackers will behave: “In reality both men would have rushed her at once and she would have been more or less powerless to defend herself.”

If that is your starting point learning martial arts for the purpose of self-defense is perfectly useless since attackers will always counter whatever you do, they’ll know everything about you, your abilities and fighting in general (if you do this, he’ll do that…) and in any case they’ll always be better than you. Why not just stand there and take a beating? Nothing you’ll ever learn is absolutely foolproof: you could be a black belt in seven systems but if he pulls a gun and points it at you outside your defensive range you’re dead, if someone’s hiding behind the door and hits you over the head with a hammer you’ll have no defense for that… Most attackers are not supermen, highly trained fighters or stone cold assassins: with the proper training and quick reflexes you actually stand a good chance of surviving a streetfight, even against armed adversaries or multiple opponents.

To the guy recommending she’d take a few grappling-classes: you cannot be serious. While they aren’t any hard and fast rules in this type of situations and any combat skill is valuable I don’t think it’s a good idea to get entangled with a guy (let alone ending up on the ground which is a common occurence in the clinch), giving the others clean shots at your unprotected vitals. Grappling will only give the smaller individual the advantage if they’re highly trained and technically superior to the opponent: smaller individuals are generally more agile and mobile and against a bigger guy it’s in their best interest to keep moving, avoid his attacks and counter. If he can grab you or you grab him he can use his superior strength and size against you, if you’re not there it doesn’t matter how hard he can hit or kick. Against multiple opponents your best asset is mobility and longe range attacks: evade, damage and run. I seriously wouldn’t try to grapple with anybody in that situation, not if I can help it.

To Xenophon: how can you possibly determine her skill-level or the quality of her instruction from this one video?

By: Jesse Crouch

Jesse Crouch — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 23:16:37 +0000

I know it’s scripted, but she should’ve ran after she was done with the first guy.

By: Zara

Zara — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:29:19 +0000

Krav-maga is about self-defense, not fighting. The aim of the system is, in the founder’s own words, to empower people so that they may walk in peace. The main difference between KM and other styles or systems is that KM assumes that no quarter will be given, hence the very violent nature of the techniques. This is not suprising given the origin of the system and the inherently lethal nature of the Isreali-Palestine conflict. This video is clearly a demonstration of basic defensive techniques, only to be used when you cannot avoid trouble. Your assumption KM-practioners will always go looking for trouble is faulty, your point that there is a difference between fighting (atangonising people into attacking you or willfully seek out fights) and self-defense (keeping yourself safe, preferably without any violence) is a valid one but do not portray KM in a negative way based on hearsay or one demonstration-video. KM has saved many lives and it’s certainly innovative in its approach to street violence. IMO it’s better suited to self-defense than most traditional styles based on learning-curves or the time it takes to develop skills that will at least give you a good chance to fend off untrained or semi-trained attackers, especially when weapons are involved. This is not meant to knock traditional MA, they have many things to offer KM simply does not adress (tradition, history, spirituality) but it’s only natural it’ll take longer to get good at self-defense when your training is geared towards others goals than basic SD. Any martial artist can fall prey to ego but this goes for any art or system that teaches combative techniques, for whatever purpose or goal. No-one in his right mind would want to face two attackers at once but sometimes you don’t have a choice and your goal should be to deal with the situation as efficiently as you can and make a run for it, basically what the girl in the video did (albeit in a rather acted way). Self-defense should consist of both awareness-training and training in physical combatives, as long as you got out of trouble relatively unscathed you did good and you’re certainly not a failure for getting into a fight you didn’t pick. Especially in heavily populated area’s contact with strangers is inevitable and it’s equally inevitable some of the individuals you pass on the street will have bad intentions and unless you’re a mindreader or have a cloack of invisibility there’s always a chance you’ll have to defend yourself physically. How many of us can say they never fought at least once (for real) in their lives? Awareness is not a magic bullet and although I agree it’s better to be safe than sorry when violence is inevitable you’d better be prepared for it. If awareness alone were enough there simply wouldn’t be a need for physical training, surely you’ll agree this is absurd.