Unity of Technique Vs. Collection of Techniques
By Moshe Katz
CEO
Israeli Krav International

August 23, 2016, Israel

Over the years, I have trained in many martial arts. In some I have attained rank and in others, I just trained for a while or attended a few seminars. I have, also, purchased hundreds of videos and DVDs over the years and studied those diligently; from Russian Sambo and Systema, to various forms of Brazilian Jujitsu and many "suddenly revealed secret styles" as well as "Street proven methods guaranteed to turn you into an unstoppable instant killer".

I studied them all. I incorporated many of those techniques into our style of "Mountain Spirit Warrior Martial Arts", which was the earlier form of IKI Krav Maga.

It was a hodge podge of techniques, a little jujitsu with some sprinklings of taijutsu and ninjitsu, karate, Kenpo, Kung fu, kickboxing and many techniques from Brazilian Jujitsu. I enjoyed introducing a technique by saying...I learned this one at a seminar in America with legendary Choy Li Fut master...so and so.

And so it was. But it was not good.

Why? And the answer will tell a lot about what is wrong with many "new" styles of martial arts. A hodge podge, a a heterogeneous mixture of all sorts of techniques, simply does not work.

Why?

1. It is way too much to remember.

2. It is too difficult in a moment of truth to "access" these techniques. You have a very large tool box but when you need the tools you discover that you cannot find the key. So, all the tools are totally useless.

When you have such a system it is a wonderful collection but it makes no sense in terms of real self defense. Simply put that is not how the brain and body work. What I discovered over decades of training, teaching and studying crime is that a collection of random techniques is very difficult to use. What we need is a very limited number of techniques, all along the same principle, all the same concept. We need simplicity, not confusion.

We can access only limited data when we are stressed. We do not need information overload. We need simple easily accessible information. And that is what IKI has become.

Over a period of more than thirty years we have distilled our system down to a few simple concepts and techniques. There is a single thread running through everything. Thus you might find a great takedown from Mongolian Wrestling, or a cool lock from Brazilian Jujitsu, but it will not fit in with IKI.

It will jar and cause friction, it will end up causing damage to the system, it will confuse the students.

It will not be part of the IKI thread. It is a foreign fabric that will stand out.

I dream someday of traveling to China and studying Monkey Style Kung Fu (Now you know one of my secrets), but I do not plan on incorporating that with IKI Krav Maga. No, it will not fit in with the thread, it must remain a separate art.

Our system is based on one common thread, one theme that flows through all of our techniques. Often I myself forget a technique as I have not done it in a long time, so I simply apply the concept and the technique emerges, often improved.

Simplicity, uniformity, flexibility, unity throughout all our techniques, that is what makes IKI Krav Maga so easy to learn and apply. It must work for the real world, it must work for you.

Tour and Train Israel Experience
See it for yourself

Come to Israel, immerse yourself in Krav Maga for two weeks and reach levels you had not thought possible. This is not your standard Krav Maga but new and cutting edge. All styles welcome.

Frank Dux, Mordy Glam and Moshe Katz, during Tour and Train, an international gathering.

See Israel for yourself, learn its history going back 3,700 years. Combine touring, training, and study in one great session, two weeks, every November and June.

For more information

Krav Maga Tour and Train Israel Experience.

Sample Itinerary

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