She struggled
BY MOSHE KATZ 
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL

September 1, 2024, The Valley, California

I am in the Valley, the Valley where the film "Karate Kid" takes place, where Cobra Kai takes place, where all those legendary fights take place. Only none of that is real, and as impressive and entertaining as those movies and shows are, the fights are truly pathetic. Any martial artist can see that the actors are not fighters, and the scenes are so cliché and choreographed as to be a joke. The karate stances used in the fights would never work, the kata like moves would never be a part of any real fight. The films and the TV shows are truly enjoyable, and I can relate, having been a student of Frank Dux in the Valley back in the 80's when the original show took place, I was the same age then, and now, as the actors. My life too has changed over the years, and now, I am back in the Valley visiting family and friends and teaching Krav Maga. 

But it is different. I am not an actor. I am teaching the real thing.

I am in the Valley, but my heart is in Israel as I hear of the mounting death toll among our soldiers, the murder of our hostages by Hamas and the people of Gaza (anything but innocent) and the increase in terror attacks against Israeli civilians. We keep it real, we have no time for acting. Our life is the movie, and we must fight to survive, not to win an academy award. 

Often when a woman is killed, we hear the following phrase, forensic experts determined that she put up "quite a struggle", she fought back hard against her killers but ultimately, she was defeated, she was killed, murdered. I think of that phrase...she put up quite a struggle, and I wonder if that matters at all. 

Is this being mentioned in order to lessen the pain for the family and friends? i.e. she did not go down easy, she put up a struggle?

Or is it to honor her memory, she did not go easily to her death, she fought back and gave the killers a hard time?

Perhaps it is a way to sooth the pain, or to make us feel better. But perhaps there is more we can do, perhaps we can use this person's death as a way to motivate us to train better, and to avoid this occurrence in the future?

Perhaps "putting up a struggle" is not enough when you do not really possess any self-defense skills? Perhaps desire to live, is in fact, not enough to defend yourself.

If we look at a failed business, we want to learn from it. There are countless books, stories of how people succeeded in business but not enough books on why other people, just as motivated, failed in business and lost everything. We need to study both sides. 

We need to understand that wanting to succeed is not the same as having the skills to succeed. Will power and motivation are not enough. Wishfull thinking, "Positive thinking" is not enough. We need skills, 

and there is only one way to obtain skills, and that is by training with a professional who possesses those skills. 

Rather than making ourselves feel better by say, She Struggled, she put up quite a fight, we should actually train, learn how to fight back and defend ourselves, and see if we can do better, when our turn comes. 

Wishful thinking is not the key to success, training is. 

Moshe2021

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

CoverNationWarriorsNew

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.

Books by Moshe Katz

Start Your REAL Training TODAY

Or is someone coming to save you?

IKI Krav Maga online distance training - Leading to ranks and certification.

DVDs from Israel

Tour and Train Israel Experience

IKI Membership Options.

Krav Maga Certification

Krav Maga Instructors

Krav Maga Seminars

Personal Training - If you are interested in personal Krav Maga training please contact us on the form below. 

IKIFlag

Please note that all fields followed by an asterisk must be filled in.
Google