In our Krav Maga level one class tonight we did a drill that was new to some of the less experienced students. The drill was one partner had focus mitts, while the other partner was in a fighting stance. The focus mitt partner was to unleash a flurry of strikes to the head or ribs. The strikes were supposed to be too big and exaggerated like a haymaker in a street fight. The other partner was to block said strikes with subtle elbow and body movements. The drill is to represent absorbing a flurry of attacks and then fighting back. What I saw in the drill was people being way too polite to each other. They were afraid to batter their partners, and said partners were not coming out of the gates trying to knock the stuffing out of the mitts. This drill requires aggression from both parties. It requires you to lose your normal everyday manners. What I saw was partners being way too polite to each other. Afraid to hurt each other. This robs the drill of its true intentions. Krav Maga is an art that is built on aggression. It requires aggression in training from both the fighter and the pad holder. Tonight’s class was way too polite. People were afraid to hit the pads hard because they didn’t want to hurt or bother their partner. This is Krav Maga and politeness should be checked at the door. In Krav Maga we assume that someday you will be attacked in a violent fashion, and to say your own life you must at the very least be able to get aggressive like a wild animal trying to save itself in the wild. In self defense manners and being polite have no place. Granted in class we strive to train with safety, but we also should take our jobs as pad holders and as partners extremely seriously. It is up to the pad holder to hold strong for the partner. It is up to the pad holder to keep the partner in check if they are going about things half way. Pad holders should motivate their partners to not give up and to give one hundred percent every moment of a drill. Tonight’s class was far too polite, and we will fix this on Wednesday. Krav Maga is aggression. Krav Maga is learning how to effectively destroy one who threatens your life.
tai chi
This program, albeit well intentioned will not work. In the above video the victim steps towards the ‘bully’s free hand’ which leaves victim open to a punch from bully’s free hand. Never fun, especially when the bully is bigger and meaner than the victim. Off of the top of my head I’d say in this situation the victim should immediately stomp on the bully’s foot and go from there with aggressive combat strikes. If a victim does break a hold from a known bully said victim needs to finish the fight. The school will not stop the bully. Parents will not stop the bully. Breaking a hold and smashing the bully will stop the bully. This bully stuff is not innocent child’s play. Nothing angers me more than kids picking on alleged weaker kids. I have this bully conversation at least ten times a year with various parents and students. Based on ten years of experience the bullying will not end until they are punched or kicked and taken down for the count. Sure the previous sentence sounds violent. But, it’s less violent and hurtful than years of a bully terrorizing the innocent kids who just want to get good grades. We live in a society that is so hell bent on being politically correct and nice that we have become somewhat wussified, which is why parents, teachers, and school officials refuse to stop bullying with a hard line no tolerance policy. They act like it’s no big deal. So, if they won’t help the victim, then the victim must help himself, or the psychological terror from the bully will continue.
From my own childhood, I picked on one particular kid for two years. In seventh grade he decided he’d had enough. He lit me up with two well placed punches to the face. I never said another ill word to that kid, and we went on to be friends for a few years. So, when I speak of this topic, I speak from the experiences of being a bully as a child, being bullied, and now being seven years into running and operating a martial arts program. It’s a lose lose situation.
First question is where is the intensity. A demo of a defense should look dynamic and real.
This defense will not work. It would never work. No child on the planet could make this work. Never stops amazing me how some of these various defenses make into systems as suitable solutions to a tough situation. Tomorrow I’ll post the Krav Maga Rear Naked Choke Defense. Part of the reason some of the ineffective defenses make it into the system is due to the Sensei (usually a high rank) says to a less experienced and smaller student put me in a rear naked choke and let me figure out how to get out of it. The student is usually smaller, less experienced, and will not put a proper choke on his Sensei due to the respect factor- thus the Sensei designs choked with those parameters in place. With the Krav Maga think tank- the formula is switched. If a woman can make it work against a man, then it will work for everyone. If the weaker can make it work against the strong then a defense works for everyone.
Great video! I would love to add this drill to the Goju-ryu and krav maga program. But, we have to get better at our roundhouse kicks.
These are two top level goju-ryu black belts in Okinawa. The kicker should rotate is plant/base foot more. Other than that- impressive.
Watch the video and we will talk afterwards.
Do you think your thumbs could join together in this eagle block and stop the downward thrust of a 250 pound man? If you crisscross two toothpicks would you be able to stop the downward swing of a baseball bat? No. So, the very first thing in the defense, which is the block to save your life would fail. If you get stabbed once chances are you will be stabbed time and time again. Where is the combative to take the attackers balance or focus away? I could go on and on. This is not an attack on this martial arts man in the video. This is simply an example of why I believe Krav Maga offers an effective and practical self defense system.
Please do not think I am criticizing styles or systems. I am Goju-ryu through and through. I love traditional martial arts. This is not a criticism of entire styles or systems. My critiques remain finite. We are simply taking a look at the way most traditional programs teach specific threats such as weapons or chokes or grabs. In these specific scenarios the leaner a defense is the better. The more quickly a combative is delivered the better. The defense should be instinctive and gross motor skill based. If a woman could really make it work against a larger male, then it certainly is a good defense.
cheers,
Jett
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Probably need to copy and paste this link. So, I find the video and report very compelling. Martial arts is a three prong deal. We seek to improve ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually. Nutrition and longevity go hand in hand. Certainly luck and genetics play a factor as well. As stated in the report almost every single major defect or disease can be attributed to a high free radical count in the human body. Apparently this product is a straight up ninja of containing and defeating the naturally occurring free radicals in our bodies. The fact that this product and the video are part of a non-bias ABC News Report, is quite fascinating, and lends the product instant credibility. I will purchase a bottle and try it out. Remember nutrition is a huge part of what we do as martial artists.
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