Think Ahead
By Moshe Katz
CEO
Israeli Krav International

July 19, 2015, Israel

Frequently I receive calls from people seeking self-defense training. And then they ask me if it is "serious". Not really sure what kind of answer they expect. "No, we usually just sit around and watch comedies, if you want serious training I would suggest my competitors".

And then comes the question, "Will I lose weight and get fit, I am looking for serious training."

Well, you have come to the wrong place. I do not like the pressure of having to keep a student moving and active for the entire lesson. No, that is not what self-defense is about."

I frequently advise people, those who are truly interested in self-defense to read certain books, and no, you will not get fit by reading those books.

Didn't you say you want self-defense training?

What if I took a minute to talk about home protection, awareness, car-safety and how to stay safe on the road? Am I wasting your time with my words, since you are not physically active at the moment?

Did you say you wanted a self-defense class? Because the fitness class is just down the road. The only self-defense benefit over there is that you will be able to run faster, but remember you can't outrun a bullet and often you do not even have time to turn around.

Remember, we are talking about self-defense.

I like to use an example that defines real, effective, self-defense, as compared to self-defense that is really nothing more than yet another fitness fad. (Whose goal by the way, has nothing to do with you, you are the victim who must be separated from his/her money).

A few years back a Jerusalem man saved about 100 children. Was he Rambo? Was he a Grand Master? Was he a boxing champion? Did he have a 10th dan black belt? Was he a former football player or a former Mr. Universe?

No, he was an overweight, out of shape, slow moving, sluggish sort of man. He had never trained a day in his life and probably could not name a single martial art other than "karate".

He was an ultra orthodox Jew living in a secluded neighborhood of Jerusalem, away from secular newspapers, away from television or other foreign influences.

And yet he saved more lives than you. Than who? than you, the reader. I doubt that many of you can claim to have saved over 100 lives, but this man did, without a single day of training.

How did he do it? by using what some consider a waste of time, using his thinking cap. ( or maybe his thinking yarmulke)

I stress awareness, avoidance, proper clothing for travel etc etc but what do people actually hear,....He is talking and wasting our time, we came to train!!

Did you? Or did you come to learn how to survive. What if I spent the entire lesson teaching you how to survive but you did not lose any weight or break a sweat? Would it have been a waste of time?

Well that depends, did you come to learn self-defense or to lose weight and "get fit". (Commercial style "Krav Maga")

This out of shape man, this man who never stepped foot in a gym was conditioned by the Israeli/Jewish mindset, which I teach during Tour and Train. He saw a man who looked "out of place", (yes, we do profile, because it works and saves lives). He saw a man looking around and looking hesitant. He watched him closely.

He saw an Arab looking man carefully insert a large package into a trash can, right outside a school where over 100 students were enjoying their recess. He alerted the police. They dismantled a bomb that had enough power to kill all those children.

This man is a hero. Are you?

So I am really impressed with your six pack abs that you proudly display on Facebook. And I am really impressed that you entered a ring and for some reason clobbered another human being unconscious. And I am really impressed that you can do more push-ups than me, but can you save a human life?

Have you trained yourself to be alert and aware? Are you trained in real self-defense? That is what we at IKI Krav Maga are all about. And sometimes we stop the physical part and we talk. And that talk saves lives.

So next time you think about your workout time and how you want to spend it, ask yourself this, is it all about how you look? Is it about measuring your biceps or your hips? Or is it about knowing how to survive a shit-hits-the-fan, back to the wall,  holy crap we are facing terrorists situation?

For that is our reality.

Come and train with us in Israel.

So sometimes it is not about fitness, it is about learning to think ahead, to understand the dangers and know what to look for. That Jerusalem man, cut off from modern secular society, knew what to look for, he knew the Israeli reality, and he became a hero.

He saved lives.

What would you have done???

Tour and Train June 2015, at the Kotel, the last remaining wall of the Holy Temple of Jerusalem. Come and experience Israel for yourself the IKI Krav Maga way.

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