How Concealed is your Weapon
BY MOSHE KATZ 
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL

November 15, 2024, Israel

I have trained in martial arts for a very long time. However, I have not limited myself to martial arts. I have trained in Counter- Terrorism, weapons, firearms and security. I have worked in the security field. I have worked with police and military. From all these sources I have gained knowledge, from all over the world. 

I have also been recognized internationally for my efforts, with awards from police, military and prisons around the world. Now all this might sound like bragging, showing off my accomplishments, perhaps a bit arrogant. Just the opposite.

I would be far more comfortable not to mention any of this, to anyone but my dear mother, may she rest in peace. But I must, for your sake. 

Many years ago there were three comments that changed my perspective on this matter. Until then, I had followed the dictates of what I had learned in rabbinical academies; be humble, be modest, don't talk of your accomplishments. This is a part of me and always will be, but I discovered that if you are too modest, and never speak of your accomplishments, you will not only die in poverty, but you will be unable to help others, you will not have the opportunity to share your skills with those who may need them.

Imagine a job interview, for a position that you are in fact qualified for, a position where you can contribute a great deal. Your resume, fairly blank, after all you don't want to brag. When the interviewer asks you questions about your skills, you respond with, "I have no particular skills, I am merely average, really I am nothing special."

Well, you are highly unlikely to get a job. I know from experience. 

During my first Krav Maga tour, I was in a hotel in Denver, Colorado, USA. I was jet lagged and could not sleep. Lying in my lovely hotel room, I turned on the TV. There was a Dolly Parton movie on. I had never seen her before. In one scene she says, "Sometimes you have to honk your own horn so people know you're a comin".

I thought about that. It is true. 

I see Dolly Parton as a kind, humble and generous woman. A true role model. There is wisdom in those words. If no one knows of your skills, and no one else is promoting you, you must promote yourself. There is no need to be arrogant, no need to exaggerate, certainly no need to make up stories about being a war hero or world champion (very common in the Krav Maga world to hear such claims, be careful what you believe), but one should let others know of their skills. Otherwise, no one knows you're a comin. And they should know. 

The next pointer was my dear cousin Steven Katz, a Doctor of Psychology with a successful practice in New York City. (now retired). In those days I wrote blogs but never attached my name to it. I followed the example of the humle rabbis of Europe who wrote great books of Talmudic wisdom but never included their names. My cousin Steven protested,"Why should I read an article if I don't know who wrote it and what his credentials are? Why should I waste my time reading an article when I don't know who wrote it or what qualifies him to express an opinion on this matter?"

I realized he was right, he was correct, and I changed my approach. Since then, my blogs always include my name, and if you click on my name, you will see some of my accomplishments, and why you should pay attention to what I write. It is not a waste of time. Cousin Steven was correct. 

The third pointer of wisdom was the late Prof. Arthur Cohen, of blessed memory. He joined me at a seminar in Long Island, and he took notes the entire time. After the seminar he offered some pointers, one of them was as follows. You did not introduce yourself, you did not even tell people your name. You did not tell them why you are qualified to teach them.

I responded with, We have limited time to train, I did not want to waste five minutes talking about myself when that time could be better used to teach another technique.

Arthur continued. I always start with an introduction; it is serious but funny and entertaining. I show a picture of Mr. Clean (who looks like Prof. Cohen), and I ask, who is Mr. Cohen, is this him? no. Then there is Arthur Cohen the playwright etc. (there are several famous people with this name. And finally, I say, no, I am not a playwright, I am not the cleaning guy, I am a self defense expert...etc.

Again, I saw the wisdom in this. 

Therefore, I begin with my qualifications. 

Your Weapon is your skills. 

I want to talk about concealed weapons, from a defensive and offensive perspective. But first I want to say that, as mentioned above, you should not conceal your weapons, as in your skills. Don't be too humble. There is a place to be modest, and there is a place to let people know that you have skills. At a social event there is no need to announce, Hey everybody, I have a black belt. No, that is idiotic. But on the other hand, if you keep your skills a well-kept secret, you will never work (if that is your intention). We need wisdom to know when to be silent and when to speak. 

How Concealed?

An expert, whether a terrorist or law enforcement, is trained to look for concealed weapons on a person. We learned this in Counter-Terror school. There are things to look for, in the way a person walks, talks, looks around. When the security asks you "silly" questions, it is not the answers they are looking for, it is your body language that you cannot control, it is your eyes, your hands. An expert looks at you carefully. Therefore, whether you are police or terrorist or criminal you must ask, how truly concealed is my weapon? This is a factor you must take into account.

One of my nephews, while serving in the IDF, spotted a young Arab man pacing back and forth and constantly checking his right pocket. This signified a weapon. The soldiers jumped him and pinned him down and found a knife in his pocket. He was planning to stab Israeli soldiers with his concealed weapon. 

Likewise, I have many stories of terrorists who were looking to attack an Israeli and take his handgun. There is a certain profile of a typical looking "Settler" as they call us. The outfit, the lose fitting shirt which "conceals" a handgun, a certain attitude, they are looking for this. They are trained. 

A nephew of mine was stabbed by a terrorist while on military duty. The terrorist, a young man of 19, had been waiting three days, hanging out in the same area checking out potential victims. They are looking for weapons. 

As self-defense instructors we teach that if you get involved in a fight, if you are "mugged" on the street, always assume there is a concealed weapon, or more than one. That is why grappling on the ground is dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. 

Today there are newer ways to conceal a weapon, new ways to carry a gun. But there are also advantages and disadvantages. An open carry is easier to get to quickly, but it is more exposed. A weapon hidden under a shirt, or a coat, is safer but perhaps more difficult to reach quickly. There is a lot to consider. 

I want to make a point; the fact that your weapon is concealed should never be seen as guarantee that it is truly concealed. It would be a mistake to think that. It is a game of cat and mouse, homeowner and home robber. You are thinking ahead but so is he. The terrorist or criminal is aware of the fact that people carry concealed weapons, and he is looking for clues, for certain types. I will give an example.

Many years ago, my mother, may she rest in peace, was invited to a teachers' year end celebration. As my father had already passed, she asked me to join her. There was an act, a psychic. And he took people from the audience and performed his tricks on us. He was totally amazing. He had us all fooled.

In what scenario, he took a certain man from the audience, and "psychically" described his home. He was spot on. Now the entire crowd consisted of religious Jews from the Jerusalem area. The so-called Psychic put a few factors together, such as teachers are not high earners, they live in certain kinds of neighborhoods, certain kinds of homes, as religious jews they will have certain things in their home. The decor in our area does not have that much variety. and then as he begins saying certain things, he looks the eyes of the volunteer, and knows if he is correct or not.  

How do I know this? I know this because the man himself, the performer, is also a religious Jew and honest. At the end of the performance, he explained to us how he did all this. He outlined the process and it all made sense. Such as, as a religious Jew your home will probably have a drawing of Jerusalem, or of flowers, etc., there will be no Renaissance nudes, no portrait of Fredrick the Great. He then went on to warn us not to believe any such psychics, ie. they are all fake, anyone who really has such abilities is not doing shows. 

My point in all this, a professional knows how to look for cues and clues. Just as this performer was able to guess and describe our homes, so to can a terrorist spot a person who is likely carrying a weapon. Your concealed weapon may not be as concealed as you think, and therefore you should stay alert. Never be content, never be complacent. 

and that is my two cents for today on this topic.

Become the Concealed Weapon

There is another form of concealed weapon, and this is ourselves, our skills, our ability to handle a difficult violent situation. When I enter our mall in Maaleh Adumim we are always asked, any weapons? Sometimes I will say, just me, but I don't need a license for that. You are the best concealed weapon.

We can become the best possible concealed weapon, but even this should be concealed. Itay Gil used to us that if one has the "look" of a fighter, one should try his best to conceal this. As I mentioned earlier, the bad guys are also watching us. They are looking for "troublemakers", i.e. people who might foil their plans. In many cases the first one's to be taken out are those who look like warriors. So if you have big biceps, cover up! You may know nothing about fighting but you look like someone who might resist, as such you will be taken care of first. 

Even back in the Holocaust, often, tough looking guys would not be led to the gas chambers, anyone who looked like they might cause trouble were quietly taken behind the trains and shot dead. The Nazis did not want a riot on their hands. When the Nazi collaborators in Poland were pushing Jews into barns in July 1941 and setting them on fire, such as in Jedwabne, the tough looking young Jews were not included, they were taken aside and killed first. 

Lesson: If you look like you can put up resistance, or if you look like you have leadership ability, you could very well be the first target. Cover up! Be a concealed weapon, not an open carry.

For this reason, we were also advised, do not wear a "Krav Maga Instructor" T shirt in an area where this might cause trouble. On one hand in your local mall this could be a good way to strike up business, or to meet like-minded individuals, but in an international airport, this might be a problem. Again, you are making yourself a target. Be the weapon, be the Concealed weapon. 

We were advised, if you are well-built muscular looking guy, don't wear an undershirt in public (bad taste in any event), put on a button downed shirt and put a calculator and a couple of pens in your shirt pocket, (back in the day of pocket calculators, this was a long time ago).

Be the concealed weapon, and know how to spot others.

MosheKatz2024

Moshe Katz, 7th dan Black Belt, Israeli Krav Maga. Certified by Wingate Institute. Member Black Belt hall of fame, USA and Europe.

Understand the Israeli Fighting Mentality - Israel a Nation of Warriors by Moshe Katz

CoverNationWarriorsNew

What is the cultural background of Krav Maga?  What makes it unique? What makes the Israeli military so effective? Why are Israeli security systems used all over the world?

What are the Biblical origins of Krav Maga and who was the first Krav Maga instructor?

What weapons and military strategies did our Biblical ancestors use?

How has Krav Maga developed in Israel and what are its goals?

All that and more in this unique book.

Books by Moshe Katz

Start Your REAL Training TODAY

Or is someone coming to save you?

IKI Krav Maga online distance training - Leading to ranks and certification.

DVDs from Israel

Tour and Train Israel Experience

IKI Membership Options.

Krav Maga Certification

Krav Maga Instructors

Krav Maga Seminars

Personal Training - If you are interested in personal Krav Maga training please contact us on the form below. 

IKIFlag

Please note that all fields followed by an asterisk must be filled in.
Google