Can Not be Done, or Can It?
By Moshe Katz
CEO
Israeli Krav International

May 25, Lan airlines flight 167, Antofagasta - Santiago, Chile

Coffee served

Before my flight I had a wonderful experience. As I said goodbye to dear Yuriko and Ramon they suggested I have enough time for a cup of coffee before I board my flight. I said, "Yes, but I will be alone, so sad".

But God is great and He takes care of even the little things in life sometimes. As I was walking around the lounge I see a couple sitting down. The man says to me in excellent English, "You are Moshe Katz the Krav Maga master."

Well...."How do you know me?"

They are the parents of Roxana, girlfriend of IKI instructor Daniel Moscoso Perez. They have seen my photo and heard all about me from their daughter. Gabriel and Claudia invited me for coffee. So I had my coffee and I was not alone. Like the angel of the same name Gabriel was sent to invite me to coffee. Angels are all around us.

Having flown well over 100 domestic US flights in recent years I have come to know the "pleasures" of flying.

Airlines have been cutting back and reducing their expenses. And yet the price for airline tickets keep increasing.

On an average US flight there are 2 flight attendants. Coffee and water and coke are free. On occasion there will be a cracker but other than Jet Blue there are no snacks served. Movies and headphones cost money. Food is available bur for a fee.

I have come to accept all this as a given. After all the airlines are in trouble and they need to cut back. We the customers pay the price.

Such is life,

Or is it?

And yet, in Latin America, in South and Central America, the situation is different, very different. Tam, Lan, Copa airlines; even no a short domestic flight there is service, with a smile.

(Now please people, do not take this as an anti-American statement, it is not. It is Pro good service and efficiency statement).

Señor, café, té, agua, jugo de naranja, plus a choice of 2 snacks. A choice!

And this was on a flight that was less than an hour and a half.

Sheesh....How do they do it? How can the poor countries of Latin America provide what the world's leading commercial power cannot?

We come to accept that certain things cannot be done. We are told that certain things cannot be done. We accept this as a truth, a given, a fact, until!

We accept this as a fact until we see someone doing what we were led to believe could not be done.

Krav Maga Application

We are told that to train in Krav Maga you must be prepared for blood sweat and tears. We are told in Karate we must punch the Makiwara 500 times per day and stop at nothing. We suffer permanent damage to our bodies in an attempt to achieve martial arts mastery.I can hardly think of a martial arts expert without some permanent disability. (Myself included).

And then we have IKI Krav Maga, the other way. We try our best to make Krav Maga...

Easy to learn

Easy to apply

Easy to remember.

And we try our best not to hurt our students.

Because that is the only way the vast majority of people will be able to use Krav Maga. Make it like a boot camp and you will only get the diehard athletes. Make it for tough guys and you will train only the bullies. We believe that Krav Maga is for everyone.

I have trained Special Forces, presidential guards and SWAT teams, but I am equally proud to say I have trained a young man in a wheel chair, autistic children and other special needs children.

Bruce Lee was in such poor condition that the US army rejected him for the draft during the Vietnam war. He succeed because he understood his handicaps, not because he was a "superior" human being.

Krav Maga for all.

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