Boxing as Self Defense
By Moshe Katz
CEO
Israeli Krav International

September 3, 2024, Los Angeles, California, USA

Boxing is a sport, with spectators, rules, rings and judges. It has little in common with Krav Maga.

I turn on the computer and see an advertisement - Krav Maga Coaches Camp, the only problem is that there is a girl wearing boxing gloves hitting a bag. and it makes me wonder, it truly does. So I click on the advertisement, and it brings me to a video of a group of students training, in...not sure what. I see girls, of very medium abilities hitting a punching shield three, four times, then pushing the guy away (the guy holding the punching shield) and then continuing to punch while the coach shouts encouragement. 

Lord have Mercy! because our attackers will not!

This is crazy. Imagine this, a big strong man comes to attack a woman, or a smaller person, and the victim is always smaller, perhaps he has a knife or some other weapon, and she, the twice a week "Krav Maga" student will hit him in the chest with her tiny little fists of fury, really! Is anyone buying this? I am certainly not.

Boxing for sport, sure. Boxing for fitness and weight loss, absolutely. Boxing as a means of self defense? Only if you are perhaps Rocky Marciano. 

There are boxers who can knock out a man with one punch, you are not one of them. I am not one of them. The meek girls in that video are never going to reach that level. And even a Rocky type boxer, the real or the fictional one, will not fare well if a blade or sharp object is involved. We must be honest; we must be realistic. 

What these American schools are selling is Empowerment and they are hoping that no one ever has to actually use these "skills" in real life self-defense. In Israel we know this will never work, boxing is not self-defense, it is a sport. Yes, there are cases where an outstanding boxer can knock out or badly hurt a street fighter, but they are few and far between, they happen when an assailant makes an incorrect assessment of a potential victim, which is rare. When I say what is taught at these "Krav Maga Coaches Camp" will never work, I am speaking of these drills as a method of self-protection, but in a real life encounter you might throw a brick at someone and knock them out. If you are a professional level heavyweight boxing champion, under the perfect circumstances you might knock someone out, but this is not a method of self-defense. This is not reliable. 

I wish there were some international objective board to validate Krav Maga instructors. But no such organization exists. What we do have are money oriented, and power-oriented associations who claim to be "unifying" bodies, but they are not. They are privately owned businesses.  

All I can say is Buyer Beware! A fool and his money are quickly separated. This advertisement is a poor assault on our common senses, it has nothing of value to offer. Pounding helpless punching shields lying on the floor, or heavy bags hanging from a wall, is not self-defense. Teaching women to try and kick a guy in the groin, a standard Krav Maga technique, is practically useless and leads to a false sense of confidence. That is one of the most difficult targets to hit when a man is moving and naturally protecting that area. I have not seen one effective or semi-effective technique being taught, only fluff and empowerment slogans. Often they use the Israeli military as an endorsement of their systems, when A. The Israeli military does not endorse any schools outside of Israel, and B. I have taught at many bases in Israel and have yet to encounter anyone who has a chance of surviving a brutal knife attack. This truth is attested to by countless videos I have seen of actual cases. 

Sadly, again, Buyer Beware. Try to use your common sense, don't believe the marketing gimmicks.

Come to use and feel free at ask questions. We - have - answers. and you will be the judge. 

Comments

100% agreed Moshe. I was an amateur boxer for many many years and you hit the nail on the head (yes, I meant it that way)
It's a finesse and fine motor skills sport and strategy sport.

Our Krav Maga is for gross motor skills to allow the student to not worry about these fine motor skills when the heart rate is increased from the adrenaline dump.
Great blog.
I hope no one blends these with IKI. If you want to box, go to a boxing gym.

Thanks, with respect to all

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