Mistakes and Details
By Moshe Katz
CEO
Israeli Krav International

April 2, 2017, Israel

Nobody likes to be reminded again and again, no one likes to be told that they made a mistake and yet...we must.

When we look back at history, the defeat of Napoleon, The US debacle at Pearl Harbor, the Arab "surprise" attack in 1973, The Second Lebanon War, the German surprise offensive against the USSR, the Maginot Line, Battle of Kolubara, it was all the result of ignoring little details. The information is all there in advance, we only need to pay attention.

Details, how we hate them. This is tax season, and my dear accountant is paying attention to every detail, the difference is in the details. Failure to read the fine print can result in great damages.

Those of us who pay attention to details are often mocked. Before leaving a hotel, I check for my passports, cash, phones, keys. I must double check that everything is in order. How often have we heard stories of people arriving at the airport only to realize that their passport is on their night table at home?

Details. Annoying but lifesaving.

We must make checklists, is everything in order? With our cars we must have regular checkups; tires, breaks, lights, spare keys, fluids, every detail is important for the proper functioning of the car. Ignore one detail and it could be the difference between life and death.

When we leave the house; did we lock all the doors and windows, is the alarm set, is everything in order? Or perhaps we failed to lock the door to the porch? Bingo! the thieves will find it.

We are in a hurry, we don't want to stop and check the little things, we just want to go. It is annoying. Often, I am sitting on the plane and waiting; what is taking so long? Why can't we take off? But perhaps they are going over the little details, the details that will save our lives. How many planes crashed due to seemingly insignificant details that were ignored. That is why I fly El Al Israel airlines, I know they pay attention to details. They may not have the best service sometimes or the courtesy of Singapore or Thai Airlines, but I know they are checking every detail.

Yes, it can be annoying. A small delay last year meant that I missed my connecting flight from Madrid to Santiago and as a result I also missed my connecting flight to Antofagasta. This was a major inconvenience for all the passengers and led to extra expenses. But...we cannot argue with safety. If the airline is delayed because they are checking that every detail is in order we must be flexible and understand. The details will save our lives. We will yell and complain but in the end we must be silent and accept the fact that every detail is important.

It is the same in every aspect of life, including Krav Maga. We must watch the techniques and not ignore the details. Often people see a technique once or twice, think "I got it" and feel they are ready to test for black belt. Only when I watch them I realize that they are ignoring many important details; the foot work, the hand position and other critical details.

Imagine a recipe where you forgot the details, how would it taste? or when building a model airplane, taking a quick glance at the instructions and building the plane, and then, "Why does my plane not look like the one in the photo?!"

The details, we need to take a little extra time, be a little more patient, read the manual a little more carefully and that my friends will make all the difference.

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