krav maga: aggression vs. learning 
BY MOSHE KATZ
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL

October 24, 2014, Israel

Aggression is sexy, it turns people on.

There is a certain type that like to see people dressed in military fatigues or camouflage outfits. The look sells. It excites.

Years ago there was the Rock n' Roll look. They would say if you had the long hair, the cool guitar, the jeans and the right look, you were pretty much set. The actual music was less important.

But the music world has grown up.

Now we see the great guitarists of old with short hair, regular clothing, just regular people playing outstanding music. The flamboyant piano players too have toned down. Eric Clapton and Elton John are just as great without any "cool" outfits.

I hope someday the Krav Maga and the Reality self defense world grow up too and become more real. We are still a long way off.

Today we still have people in the Krav Maga world who are drawn more to the look than to the actual content. The outside matters more to them than the inside, the true content. 

Eric Clapton, the music only gets better, the outfit does not matter.

We have students come to us expecting to have boot camp type classes. To get dirty and sweaty, to break some bones.

But the truth is, the simple truth is, that that type of training is not the best way to actually learn self defense.

It has its place for some people.

Some people need it for psychological reasons. They need to overcome fear and trauma or to let out anger and aggression and if this works for them. Fine.

But not everyone needs it.

Some people need to hit a heavy bag to let off steam, others prefer to go for a run. Neither one has anything to do with learning real self-defense.

There is no evidence whatsoever that overly aggressive training helps us better prepare for real life attacks. The physical stress drills used in class do not mimic the psychological stress of real attacks. They are of a totally different nature.

What we aim to do is teach you the concepts, the techniques that are most effective.

Once we learn them we can go a little faster, face more resistance and fight a little more aggressively. As time goes on we can increase the psychological pressure to mimic reality more closely.

But there is nothing to be gained by going overly aggressive in class and actually hurting people. The added aggression adds nothing to the learning process. I have seen plenty of training injuries in my time; all of them are preventable and none serve any purpose.

If anything, Aggression training only helps to make you an arrogant bully. I have seen this happen. There is no place for ego in martial arts. There is no place for ego in this world for those who truly understand. 

I can train by putting my palm against your nose. Actually striking you full force and possibly breaking your nose does not serve any purpose, it does not better prepare me for a real attack. That extra aggression, that actual hitting, the blood coming out of your partner's nose does not make you a better practitioner. It does not add anything to your ability.

But yet it is so common in Krav Maga training that if there is a sensible teacher who wants to avoid this he or she might be seen as "too soft".

Those who train with us realize this is not the case.  We can train to be brutally effective on the street without being brutal to our training partners. Yes, this is true.

At IKI Krav Maga we believe in sensible training. Our training has proven itself all over the world.

The students that appreciate us the most are those who actually fight for a living and face real danger on a daily basis.

Among them;

Bounty Hunters
VIP Guards
Bouncers and Doormen
Police
SWAT team leaders
Special Forces
Combat soldiers
Presidential Guards
Undercover narcotics agents
School police officers
Prison guards
Airline security

and the list goes on.

We train for reality. YOU are at the center of all we do.

Moshe with the some of the body guards he trained in Ukraine.

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