Thread: Krav Maga
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Old March 26, 2001, 12:16 PM   #24
chokeu2
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Join Date: June 9, 2000
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 53
Paladin, I hear what you are saying. And I think that we are locked into a syntactical miasma! ;-)
When I say roots, it has nothing to do with mystics of any kind. I am talking about the reason the art was developed. I am talking about how the art would fair in the world today, not how it faired in the days when cumbersome armor was worn.

The experience that myself and my partner have had, started with the link that the gentleman above listed. We started out evaluating the art via the tapes for sale. What we saw was horrible examples of self defense. We saw repackaged examples of old traditional martial arts that are not fluid enough to work on the streets nowadays. And realistically, how can you expect to go to a couple of seminars and then hope to become an expert? You can't. I place Krav Maga on the same level of SCARS. The underlying principle of using simple things that work is great. That what we all strive to do. But the idea of going to a seminar, paying several thousand dollars, and getting to the master level is deceptive at best. The people that we spoke with were concerned with our belt levels. The knife defense videos that I saw were nothing short of funny.

I am sorry to sound so jaded, but it is things like this that make the martial arts a bit of a laughing stock at times. There is no quick fix out there if you want to be a good fighter. Or if you want to be proficient at self defense, armed or unarmed.

I would also submit to you that Krav Maga is not as widely esteemed by law enforcement as you say. I know for fact that it is not. Many departments are seeing it for what it is, a marketing package. One of our main focuses is on law enforcement training. You have to take each type of training as an individual subject. You use what works for blades/batons. You use what works to get you off of the ground. You use what works with firearms. And I am here to tell you that the old traditional styles don't do it. There are those of us that train law enforcement who do not have the desire or need to use it as part of our advertisements. We do it, and keep doing it because what we, and others like us, truly have to offer. In my eye, using the fact that one may have trained law enforcement or military at some point, only cheapens the offering. I immediately place a low opinion on anyone with ads screaming with claims of being leading trainers to law enforcement. It is a ploy to pull in students.

My response is absolutely intuitive my friend. The reason that you say KM is "so effective" is that is takes principles of what works and puts them together. That is all any school needs to do. So to say that uniting bjj/thai/kali is non intuitive, I disagree soundly.

My experience with the KM organizations, like I stated before, started with kravmaga.com. And went down hill from there. So far, all we have seen is the desire to repackage. But hey, if there is a market for it, and people buy it, great. Just as long as they don't say they created the things that they are repackaging.

A good instructor, one who has a very deep knowledge is obvioulsy one of the most important factors in training to fight. Sport or non sport. And you just cannot get that from becoming an instructor after going to some expensive seminars. We have gone through and looked at credentials. That is why I do not like what I see.

I will say this, if people want KM, great. Let em have it. But it is far from being the most effective training system out there. Nothing can give you a quick fix, and make you a good fighter in a hurry. Nothing can replace good hard training, and experience.
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