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Overtaking and the Unexpected
BY MOSHE KATZ
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL
August 1, 2024, N4 Road, South Africa
We were on our back from Botswana to Johannesburg, South Africa, and then, the unexpected happened, literally in the middle of nowhere the car broke down. Due to the location, there was no internet connection. It took some innovative thinking to get connected to someone who could help us and call the insurance company and a tow truck, known here as a bucky with a trailer. We were 70 kilometers north of a little down called Zeerust.
While waiting two very kind Afrikaans farmers stopped, twice, to see how we are doing. I was deeply touched by this gesture of humanity towards complete and total strangers, not of their flock. This positive experience illuminated the darkness.
Zeerust is a commercial town, in the Ngaka Modiri Molema district of Northwest Province, South Africa, about 240 kilometers northwest of Johannesburg. It lies on the N4, the main road link between South Africa and Botswana. There are large cattle ranches in the area, as well as wheat, maize, tobacco and citrus fruit farms. The town takes its take from a man named Diderik Jacobus Coetzee, who came to own the farmland in 1866. The name Coetzee's Rust was later abbreviated to Zeerust.
So there we were, waiting, enjoying the tranquility of the African land, on the road we saw a monkey, and some buck, birds sang above us. The scenery was beautiful. We waited, like waiting for Godot. But we were fortunate, soon enough a lovely Afrikaans guy named Wiaan came along. Not only was he a true professional but a lovely human being with a kind soul. Sitting next to him during the very long drive home, I learned a great deal, about life, about survival, about "being there" in the moment.
Wiaan is a man of experience, he has been driving a tow truck for many years, he has been there and seen that. He has seen brutal accidents; he has seen mangled bodies of children. He has even lost friends and relatives to car accidents, and he has gained wisdom. He is an outstanding driver and explained to me some of the rules of driving a bucky with and without a trailer, and what the differences are if the trailer is loaded (with a broken-down car), or unloaded. This affects the way he drives. And then he discussed overtaking, or the art of passing other cars on the road.
One must overtake now and then, otherwise the slowest vehicle will rule the road and everyone else will be stuck. A slow driver must be passed, or overtaken. However, timing is everything, one must gauge the distance correctly, one must take into account the size and type of vehicle, one must only overtake if one is sure of success, for lack of success means death.
Never as expected
And then he offered the following: overtaking is never as expected. In other words, you can plan, you can calculate, you can take all the various factors into account, terrain, types of vehicles etc, but one must still expect the unexpected. It is never as expected.
This wisdom can and should be applied to Krav Maga, and life itself. No matter how well you plan, no matter how many factors you take into account, no matter how many advisors you have, it will still be "never as expected". Life is a game of cat and mouse, life is the baseball pitcher trying to outsmart the batter, and the batter trying to outguess the pitcher. Thus we train our tools and hope that our tools will strike at the correct moment. We do not plan a step-by-step defense, that is not how life works. I recall a young woman in Ukraine, all glad in fake military gear, demanding an exact sequence of counter attacks, life does not work that way. Life is unknown, the overtaking is never as expected said a very wise and experienced man.
A long drive along a long road with a new friend from a different way of life, the twists and turns of the road, the twists and turns of life, an unplanned journey with an unknown teacher and guide who guided us home to safety. Life. It Happens. Be prepared. For the unknown. The unexpected.
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
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.
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