Things As We Want Them to Be
By Moshe Katz
CEO
Israeli Krav International

July 30, 2018, Israel

Things as we want them to be Vs. Things as they are. Hmm, where are you going to put your money?

A woman shows up late for her doctor's appointment and makes a big fuss when she is told she missed her appointment. It was not her fault, her kids did not get ready for school on time, there was more traffic than she expected, and she did not find parking as easily and as convenient as she expected. And that stupid receptionist at the medical clinic tells her she has to reschedule. Having a bad day.

A man wakes up in the morning, he has a big presentation at work but he can't find his favorite tie. Damn it!! Where is that tie?!?

He is so upset he spills his coffee on his only clean shirt, now he is running late, things are going bad, and yet, the show must go on. 

Things as we want them to be. We all have a plan. I will be married by 25, have 3 kids, by the age of 30 I will be a bank manager. Everything will go as planed, but nothing ever does. 

When I was trying to find my path in life I received some sage advice from my friend Eli Cohen, 5th dan black belt Shotokan Karate, a student of Tsutomu Ohshima. 大島 劼

He gave me advice like no other, his advice was "non advice". You will struggle in life. You will be like a person walking through a narrow corridor in the dark, you will hit the wall on one side and then on another side until you find the path that is right for you. No one can show you your own path. 

And so it was. I worked many jobs: with an MBA in Finance and Economics I worked in a bank, in a mortgage firm, washing dishes, cleaning swimming pools, doctors receptionist, clearing building debris, installing water heaters, private tutor, (math, Talmud, Bible, Science, History, Citizenship, Biology), assistant plumber, assistant roof repairs, gardening. Yes, I am a man with experience.

And so I struggled until my path emerged as a Krav Maga innovator and developer. And nothing went as planned, and now that itself becomes part of my plan and my way of teaching. 

I see videos from other styles and by watching their videos I can learn a little about the life and personality of those who teach these techniques. Yes, you can see a great deal. 

I can see that many people actually believe they can anticipate the attack. I guess things have gone well for them in life so far. I guess they are not prepared for, as my dad would say, "When the shit hits the fan" (sorry for the language). but that is how my dad raised me; things will go bad, things will go wrong, deal with it.

How can you teach a knife defense where you are running in towards the attack?

Yes, I know their logic, you are being "aggressive", and "tough", you must fight hard, yada yada yada. But think realistically; you will be caught by surprise, that is what we learn from all the real cases we study. This idea of running in aggressively towards the attacker implies pre-knowledge, you are able to predict the attack, wow.

In all recent cases in Israel this has not been the case. Combat veterans have been stabbed, all have been caught by surprise. None have been able to implement these "aggressive" ideas. And yet I see them going on-line and offering "public service" announcements with advice on how to deal with a knife attack. 

Our training at IKI incorporates this idea that life will not go as you planned. Things will not be as you hoped or expected, and we deal with this Drek, this filth, this bad stuff in life. 

Our Krav Maga, self defense is a reflection of the knowledge that things will not always go as planned, not always turn out how we hoped, so we prepare for that reality. This is reflected in all aspects of our training. 

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