- Home
- Krav Maga Blog
- Krav Instructors
- Train in Israel
- Tour Train Israel
- Krav Shop
- DVD
- Kickboxing
- IKI Near Me
- Seminars
- IKI Membership
- On-Line Training
- Krav Maga Training
- Testimonials
- History Krav Maga
- Instructors Page
- Past Blogs
- Spanish
- Italian
- Certification
- Contact
- Holland Seminar
- Vienna Seminar
- Poland Seminar
- Italy Seminar
- Belt Requirements
Total Krav Maga Concept
BY MOSHE KATZ
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL
February 5, 2025, Destin, Florida
I have been active in martial arts for many years, over 4 decades, I have been involved in the evolution of Krav Maga for decades as well. I have seen Krav Maga traditionalists who believe that all that an alleged founder taught is holy, sacred, and must never be tampered with. I have seen Commerical Krav Maga that believes in "Give the people what they want". I have seen Fitness Krav Maga that focuses on fitness more than on survival. I have seen Stagnant Krav Maga that never changes, and I have seen Ego Krav Maga that is more concerned with looking tough than actually knowing how to survive. And I have seen "Compilation Krav Maga". That is what I wish to address today.
Compilation Krav Maga
What is Compilation Krav Maga?
When I first began with Krav Maga I thought, and wrote of it, as basically taking the best of other martial arts, adapting them a bit, upgrading them for street use, and adding a little "Israeli attitude" to the mix. My earliest blogs reflect that attitude. I am not going to go back and edit those blogs, I do not believe in changing the past as in the "1984" Department of Truth. I have evolved and grown. Over time we developed the concept of One Thread, the idea that one thread, one concept runs through all our techniques. A ground technique will have the same concept as a choke defense. A gun disarm will share a thread with a block, a car defense will share commonalities with airplane defense and so on. Thus, the idea that all techniques share a common thread, a common outlook, and there will be no conflict in understanding between techniques. For example, in the past we might have borrowed a great technique from Ninjutsu for a wrist defense, and a great technique from Kenpo jitsu for an armbar defense. But those would be different, and that would create a mental conflict. i.e. your brain would say, for this situation we employ this idea but for a different situation we must access in our brain a different concept. This creates a slowdown in the way our brain and body work, this creates a slower response to a threat. We do not have that luxury. Every second counts, so we dropped all of that. We are no longer a "Greatest Hits" collection of various martial arts, we are an entirely different creature, although we share and have a certain degree of overlap with some other styles.
We are known for our unique gun and knife defenses. Krav Maga in general as an Israeli art is known for Gun Defenses, Knife Defenses and Aggression. But we go beyond that. Most Krav Maga systems are compilations; the gun and knife techniques are Krav Maga but the groundwork is Brazilian Jujitsu, the takedowns are Judo, the "control techniques" are Japanese Jujitsu, the striking techniques are boxing, karate and Muay Thai, but there is nothing in all these categories that is truly Krav Maga.
Our ground techniques are not Brazilian Jujitsu or Wrestling, they are shaped, adapted, modified to be pure self-defense, not tournament. Our takedowns are not Judo, they are Krav Maga, our control technique are not Japanese Jujitsu, they are Krav Maga. Our striking is not boxing, our kicks are not karate, they are all based on the principles of Krav Maga which are different from other arts.
Our style, IKI Krav Maga is born out of the reality of life under constant threat of terrorism in Israel. Our style is shaped by the experience of our members all over the world, from all walks of life including the highest echelons of law enforcement and military, special operatives and secret service. We are not an art, we will not be featured in any demonstrations, and we will never participate in any tournaments or shows. Our training is based solely on reality and designed for real-life survival.
We are not a collection of techniques from other styles and therefore we do not share the approach of other styles. We are innovators. We are realists. We have a realistic understanding of what real people can do under stress. We do not have a movie star mentality or ego, we have realistic expectations and therefore realistic training. The rest you can discover on the mat.
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.
Start Your REAL Training TODAY
Or is someone coming to save you?
IKI Krav Maga online distance training - Leading to ranks and certification.
Tour and Train Israel Experience
Personal Training - If you are interested in personal Krav Maga training please contact us on the form below.
