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Can't Buy Me Experience
By Moshe Katz
CEO
Israeli Krav International
August 24, 2015
Growing up as a fan of the greatest band in history, the Beatles, "Can't Buy Me Love" was regular airplay. You hear that often enough and the message sinks in. "Can't buy me love, everybody tells me so".
Love is not about material benefits, marriage is not only a contract, an exchange of goods and services, at least not in our day and age. We believe that love should be something special, something that grows and develops over time. Professional skills should be viewed the same way.
In the old days you began as an apprentice. You did not just take a course and start to work. You carried the tools of the master craftsman, you watched him, you did as he said and you learned a trade. You could not just buy a diploma on line. Can't buy me love, can't buy me experience, can't buy me skills.
Experience and skill can only be gained by ....experience. Should be obvious. You work hard and you gain experience.
The same is true of any wisdom. The Talmud teachers that just as the disciple must study the texts he must also "hang out" with his teachers, to pick up their "causal talk" for even in their causal talk there is great wisdom.
Remember one of the early scenes in the film "Karate Kid" when Mr. Miyagi sees Daniel learning karate from a book....he makes a face and a comment with a clear message, you cannot learn martial arts from a book, you must have a live teacher. You must have a relationship with your teacher.
And there is no substitute for experience. And yet...many many "masters" turn to us at IKI and want to have their previous ranks somehow magically transformed into equal ranks in our system. Offers of business and money come along with this. Sadly nearly all Krav Maga systems today will gladly accept such people, and the business that they bring. I have seen this happen again and again, I turn someone down, he joins another association and the very next day the new member is already listed on the company site as an Instructor. I call it the "company site" because I see these more as a business than an actual center of learning.
"Tell me that you want the kind of thing that money just can't buy"
Like the Beatles we seek the real thing. You cannot buy your IKI rank, no, no, no... No!
Tony Preston, one of our valued IKI Krav Maga instructors. By day is an expert in his field; heating, air conditioning, chimney services. He earned this experience by years of hard work. Experience takes time and effort.
The International Scene: Seminars, On line Training, DVDs
The world has gone international. In the past if you wanted to train in a martial art not practiced in your country you had to travel to another land and spend many years there. Today we have greater technology which allows provides us with greater opportunities. And yet we must use them cautiously.
At IKI we do provide Krav Maga instructional DVDs and our famous On Line program. But is that enough?
That depends on the person. Everyone learns differently. We do not view these "distance" programs as our entire training program. We encourage our students to come train with us here in Israel and we provide an affordable way to do this.
I personally travel all over the world and offer seminars wherever I am welcomed. It is the job of the student, beginner or instructor, to make every effort to attend those seminars. Take off time from work, do what you must but be there!!
The video clips are great but there is nothing compared to in person experience. So we strongly encourage you to join us for Tour and Train in Israel, we strongly advise you to attend every seminar you can that is offered by your teacher when he comes to your country or to a nearby country. This is your chance to ask direct questions, this is a chance for your teacher to observe you in person. This is a chance for you to gain that experience that you so desperately need.
I have yet to find a situation where I showed up and observed one of our instructors and said...This was a wasted trip, the guy knows it all, I have nothing to teach him. That has never happened and I imagine it never will. Learning never ends.
Experience, you can't buy it and yet you truly need it. If you wish to become a master in your field it will take blood, sweat and tears, i.e. experience.
Tour and Train
The Krav Maga Israel Experience
Tour and Train June 2015...the Israel experience you need.
Immerse yourself in two weeks of Krav Maga training. Tour Israel and learn its culture and history.
Understand the culture that created Krav Maga.
Sessions in November and June.
For more information.
IKI Krav Maga Tour and Train Israel Experience.