what happens next? 
BY MOSHE KATZ
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL 

August 31, 2021 Delta flight 1630, Atlanta - Memphis, USA

 Krav Maga Concepts

Over decades in training in many martial arts I have come to see that most styles treat self-defense as if it were a "Point Sparring" match, or a martial arts tournament. This is not to imply that they do not take their training seriously, as they most certainly do. This is not to imply that they don't care about their students or the safety and well-being of their students. This is not to imply that they are lacking in intelligence or wisdom. But there is a concept here that leads to be addressed, an underlying principle that is somehow being ignored.

After the completion of the technique, after the successful completion of the technique, what happens next?

Allow me to explain; You have a wrist grab situation, you follow the directions of your style and now you have released your wrist, but where are you now? What is the relationship with your assailant now? In most training scenarios that I have seen the defender is still within striking distance of the now humiliated/angry/vengeful aggressor. While the immediate threat has been removed a greater threat now exists. You are still right next to your aggressor/assailant, he is still in a threatening position, so now what? In fact sometimes the body position after the successful release from the wrist grab is worse that it was before. i.e. You have escaped one danger only to be confronted by an equal or greater threat. Sometimes at the completion of a knife or gun disarm I see that the Defender is in such a vulnerable position via a via his aggressor that he is almost begging to be beaten up. 

We need to look at where we are when we complete the disarm, what is our body position, what are the potential dangers now. and we must address these issues and incorporate them into our training. We must look at the Big picture, at the totality of the situation. 

Often I look at gun defense techniques and I see that a split second after "winning" the Defender is in a precarious situation, it is as if he is expecting there to be a referee there to hold up a flag and shout "Point". It is as if when the aggressor moves forward he will be told that he lost that point and now it is a "Break"  and he must return to his starting position as a point has already been called. Action can only resume  at the call of the referee. 

The reality of life is there are no rules, one must think of action through; what will happen next? Every move we make has consequences, we need to think it through and ask what will happen next. Life is like a game of chess, each move opens up new possibilities. A master chess player will see a few moves ahead, he will anticipate the consequences of each move, the options and the dangers. A poor chess player will "win" a single move but cause his overall defeat a few moves later. 

Chess is an art, as a child I was a chess player and purchased a monthly magazine on chess moves, it is not child's play. Self-defense is more complicated and volatile and has higher consequences. 

At IKI we look not a "techniques", but at concepts, at survival. There is much more than a physical martial arts technique, we find that totally inadequate. We look at the overall situation; before the threat or attack, during and after. Thus talking is part of our classes and seminars, understanding situations is an integral part of our approach. A technique alone falls far short of our goal. 

Imagine training a soldier in how to shoot, and hoping to win a war based on this. This is how I view most martial arts, totally inadequate for your survival. At IKI we strive for more, and we are never satisfied nor content. The journey never ends...

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