Gun by Your Side
By Moshe Katz
CEO
Israeli Krav International

June 17, 2017, Israel

You have a loaded gun in your holster and you feel like Clint Eastwood in an old Western. You are as confident as a teenager with a fully charged cell phone. You are the man! 

But there are some issues that need to be addressed here.

The first point is that of course a gun is only useful in some very specific situations. It is quite rare that a person has been able to use a gun when attacked. While a gun may be quite useful when you hear an intruder entering your home it is rarely useful if you are personally attacked. The odds of pulling out that gun before being stabbed or punched are very slim.

I want to address a different issue here; the gun limits your mobility. Anyone who has carried any serious sized handgun knows that it hinders your moments and creates an imbalance. There is always that extra kilo or more on one side tugging away at you. Honestly, it is an inconvenience.

Now imagine being attacked while wearing a handgun. How does this make a difference?

Everything you wear makes a difference. That is why boxers wear only boxing shorts. Judo men chose Judo gi's, Karate men are very particular about what type of material to choose for their gis. Clothing matters, it can hinder and limit us, or make the fighting more comfortable. Having a gun on your belt very much limits your movements.

Another point: You are, or must always be, aware of your weapon. You cannot be rolling around on the ground looking for a join lock and ignoring your weapon. While you are searching for that figure four lock your opponent is removing your handgun and preparing to shoot you. Life is not an MMA or BJJ championship.

And yet I see police academies inviting wrestling champions to teach self-defense to their officers! They come in judo gi's and start rolling around on the ground. They won their fame in the ring, not on the street. I am amazed that police officers do not know the difference between real life and sports. They too have fallen for the martial arts hype.

When you have a handgun on your belt you cannot do complex grappling moves, you are limited and yet people continue to buy into this. When you are in full heavy gear, when you have a handgun at your side, when you are wearing combat boots you are limited. You need a very simple and direct system of self defense. You need something that will work for you rather than against you. And that is why we are all about; simple, practical, effective self defense that will work for you when you are limited or hindered by clothing, space or circumstances.

Get real and stay alive.

Comments

Agreed.  Just fyi, what I have done from beginning of IKI training is invite those who carry (esp. law enforcement, military, etc.) to wear what they normally wear (not loaded firearms, of course, but copies) so they can feel what it’s like being attacked or defending with that equipment on.  Very educational.  A lot of what you say in this blog becomes instantly obvious.

Hal Herndon, Head Instructor, Georgia Mountain Krav Maga, USA

I couldn't agree more with your blog on guns in self-Defense and you know that I am also a firearms trainer.  I have even made the point often times to folks that I work with that they're in more danger for carrying a gun than they would be without it.  That always makes the gun worshipers freak out when I tell him that.  My point is it becomes their security blanket and they quit thinking of all the other things that they should be doing before digging for their gun.  And they develop a false sense of security thinking that tool will solve many of the problems that it will truly have no effective usage.  I feel very privileged to be associated with you and very grateful for your desire to keep things based in reality.  There are a few in the defense and firearms industry that are doing this. 

Colby Taylor, Certified weapons instructor, Krav Maga black belt instructor, Michigan, USA

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