Hypothetical Victories
By Moshe Katz
CEO
Israeli Krav International

July 9, 2019, Hong Kong

I am in Hong Kong, capital of the Kung Fu film industry. These films have become synonyms with clever choreography, fast paced action and fantastic acrobatic martial arts.  I am coming from Israel where the films, and the action, are much less dramatic, but much more real. 

Perhaps we Israelis shun the fantasy life, reality is too powerful to just escape to Hollywood.

American classic films always seem to end with a dramatic victory; the Bad News Bears win the baseball championship. Rocky wins the world boxing championship. The prince marries the princess. All live happily ever after. 

In Israel the film often ends as it begins, with confusion, doubt, and struggle. But that is reality.

Martial artists can also be divided into those that live in the real world and those that prefer the fantasy life. 

Many people perceive themselves as great heroes. 

People win great hypothetical victories, often these take place in the shower or while resting. In these cases the individual imagines a situation. Someone says something to him, he responds quickly with wisdom and wit, he has the correct quotes on his fingertips, Plato and Aristotle are his weapons and companions, and the startled opponent is bested. 

Under the warm water of the shower our hero has just won a dramatic debate. Only it is not real.

I saw a posting, "Hypothetical arguments I have won in the shower", vol 1 - 68. Indeed this is true, for most people their "victories" take place in their minds, but no place else. The same is true with fights.

Get a few beers, or in some cases not even that is necessary, and you hear the fight stories, either future or past. If that guy would approach me I would clubber him like a baseball slugger, I would knee him in the groin and elbow him in the face. 

Or, people imagine the past as if they indeed already won great battles. The guy said to me Hey Sweetie and I super suplexed him over my head. I taught him a lesson. 

These are all imaginary or hypothetical battles, they only took place in your own mind. 

With out Krav Maga we try very hard to keep it in the real world. There is no fantasy fighting, no glory stories, no "shower victories". It may not be dramatic, they may never invite us to make a film, but we keep in real. This is our reality. 

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