krav maga made in pittsburgh 
BY MOSHE KATZ 
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL

February 23, 2022, Israel

Archie Bunker chatting with his neighbor George Jefferson

This is actually not a blog about Pittsburgh, sorry to disappoint any one from that city, but there is a remote connection. Visiting a friend yesterday who comes from Pittsburgh I was reminded of one of my brother's favorite quotes. It comes from the TV classic we enjoyed as children, All in the Family. At some point, the star, Archie Bunker, a simple working class man, comments about marriage. He says, "Marriages are made in Pittsburgh, not in heaven."

There is profound wisdom in this brief statement.

What this "simple" man is saying is that unlike the image created by Hollywood and fed to young girls, marriages are not made in heaven. They are made in Pittsburg; in other words, they are real relationships, not heavenly, they have their ups and downs, their highs and lows. Marriages are not perfect, no two people are a perfect match. The best of relationships will have tough times. If you know this going into a relationship, you are less likely to be disappointed.

My brother has been happily married for more than 3 decades and he knows what he is talking about. I, on the other hand, have never been married. But I can apply this to Krav Maga. 

Krav Maga is not made in heaven, it is made in Pittsburgh, and inner-city Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. It is made on the streets of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and in San Jose, Costa Rica. It is made in Johannesburg, South Africa and in Jerusalem, Israel. It is made wherever violence is found. 

In the movies couples fall in love and live happily ever after for ever and ever. In the movies martial actors, or...martial artists, perform incredible feats, fast as lighting with perfect timing. Both scenarios are fake news. If you are expecting a perfect marriage; prince charming meets the lovely beautiful princes, you might also believe what you see in martial arts movies. This is not real. 

And yet Fantasy continues to sell. As my dear mother, may she rest in peace, would always say...Hope springs eternal. But in the real world people die, and people get hurt and evil prevails. As we say in Israel, don't live in the movies. 

And yet we when turn on Youtube, which I do not recommend, and watch martial arts demonstrations, somehow we think these are real, rather than reel. We forget that these are choreographed, edited, and carefully chosen by the instructor to make himself look great. And then we must remind ourselves, marriages are made in Pittsburgh, not in heaven. Real life is Archie Bunker, even though it is of course a TV series and a comedy, but it comes from ordinary life. And, we are all basically ordinary. We are all Archie Bunker in a way. And the sooner we realize this, the better off we will be. Our Krav Maga comes from Pittsburgh, not the city, but the concept. It comes from life, it is our best attempt at coping with things that scare us in the night, or in broad day light. It is real.

Welcome to Israeli Krav International, welcome to reality. 

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