Krav Maga…Sweeping the World…Should It!?!
Self-Defense . Training notesKrav Maga (krahv ma-GAH) is gaining popularity daily but what is so special about Krav Maga compared to other self-defense training? Krav Maga can boast credits from Jennifer Lopez’s movie Enough and has many training centers around the globe. But does this really make Krav Maga the best Self-Defense training system available? Or, is Krav Maga just an incredible marketing device to get people to take self-defense classes? Well that is what we need to explore. As a proponent of self-defense I feel it is important that EVERYONE should take self-defense classes. That statement is made because this is an examination of Krav Maga training and not the fact that Krav Maga promotes taking self-defense, in that we agree.
Reading about Krav Maga leaves one with visions of training and then joining a Mercenary force to go and combat the evils of the world! Their descriptions are truly empowering. Interestingly, like Martial Arts training Krav Maga divides their training into levels of advancement. Each level focuses on increasingly difficult self-defense scenarios. The premise here is that only Krav Maga teaches the student to use their natural reactions to thwart an attacker. So is there really that much of a difference from other self-defense classes? The answer is NO. I can see no difference between Krav Maga and the self-defense classes I have taught for over 15 years. Krav Maga seems much more interested in the experience of learning Krav Maga. Does this mean students do not get quality instruction? No, I am sure many instructors are excellent and as I said some form of self-defense exposure is better then none. So my opinion is that Krav Maga is no better or worse then any other self-defense program however it by far utilizes a superior marketing program then any other self-defense program available. The problem with this marketing approach is it tends to devalue other self-defense training in the eyes of the consumer, unfortunate if they decide not to take a class because it isn’t the popular Krav Maga!
So how good is it really? The Official Krav Maga web site hosts a few videos showing how their training would handle different given situations. Take a moment and look at this video clip demonstrating how to defend against a Gun to the side of head. At first glance this appears to be a good escape from the situation. In my assessment that is False. Why? In the video the woman takes to long to move the gun away from her head, she also blocks the gun in the wrong direction. Her block also moves the gun down and across her body. The block forms a large circular motion which wastes precious time. If the woman blocks the gun the way she did and we assume the person pulls the trigger then the gun would go off in front of her face. The result of that would most likely be temporary blindness from the muzzle flash. Also once the gun is blocked it is point down however it is between her and the attacker, if the gun is raised slightly in the altercation she will be shot in the leg or body. To think that the attacker will not pull the trigger is naive. In a real event this woman would have been relying more on luck than skill. The proper sequence would have blocked the gun out and away while moving her body (and head) in the opposite direction and in towards the attacker while executing the counter attacks as demonstrated.
So is Krav Maga the ultimate self-defense? Not as demonstrated on their own web site but it is one great marketing campaign!
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