reality vs martial arts
BY MOSHE KATZ 
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL

April 3, 2022, Israel

No nonsense here, only the brutal truth. 

A friend just forwarded to me a martial arts video. Turns out it is a martial arts comedy video with an ethnic twist. But there is a hidden lesson. Now I hope now will will take offense to this. The video is made by Muslims. Am American Muslim man is teaching a martial arts defense. He tells us that it is a defense vs your mother who wishes to take off her sandal and whack you in the face with it. He introduces his brother who will play the part of his mother. His brother is wearing a Muslim dress and a traditional Muslim head covering worn by women, to play the character of their mom. He says now I will demonstrate what to do if you mom ever comes swinging at you with a sandal. 

His brother attacks him, he grabs his brothers arm and continues with a classic martial arts takedown and disarm, along with an armbar. I know the technique well, I learned this many years ago as it was presented as a practical real life saving martial arts technique. Since those long gone years I have matured, wizened and no longer believe fairy tales. These classic martial arts techniques have gone the way of Dumbo the Flying Elephant and talking animals who clean up your house while you sleep. But this video takes a twist, and I give them credit for this. As our martial arts expert, in full police uniform and head, completes his impressive demonstration, we hear HEY!

His actual mom shows up, headset woman in traditional Arab garb, she says, "Show me"!  (in a tone that shows she is clearly not impressed with her son's mocking behavior).

Our expert martial arts instructor continues, So let's say she swings at you...

but before he can complete his sentence his mom gives him a well deserved whack and his flying straight to the floor. End of video.

We all laugh, do a smiley face icon, and move on. But not me. There is a lesson here, a lesson as powerful as the smack his dear mother awarded him with. 

Martial arts training gives us a false sense of empowerment. But reality is a rude awakening. When a real person, even an older woman, picks up a sandal and whacks you without warning, boom, you are on your rear end before you can even complete a sentence. That is reality. That is the reality of real life attacks. They come suddenly, out of nowhere, and your great well rehearsed martial arts techniques are of no value whatsoever. This is the lesson. The whack quickly erases your false sense of confidence. 

I know this technique, I performed it for my first black belt test, I have dropped this and all related techniques although sadly these are still taught by Israel Krav Maga instructors, and students still flock to their seminars. Why? because they saw these instructors on TV, so they must be great, they speak with cool accents and hit people in the face, wow, how impressive. I just hope that our students have more common sense than to fall for these facades of instructors. Cut through the crap and see the brutal truth. And the truth is that your old overweight mom will knock you on your ass with a one smack of her sandal. Now if you train with us, you will see a totally different approach. We are a different breed of Krav Maga instructors. 

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