Krav Maga

I have had a few hours KM training, but because of my JKD and muay thai training I have not had the time to really investigate into this art, although I have heard it is a very realistic approach to combat. I was wondering if anybody else had had experience with KM, and what are your views on this art?

thank you

Well, there's different types of it. Military and civilian. Military is, of course, a lot more hard core. I went and looked at a Krav Maga place near me and it looked like total crap. Their stance was really open and everything they did seemed very innefective against an unarmed fighter. A lot looked like it would work against someone with a knife, or at least that it was geared toward that. This, however, was most likely the teacher and not the style. I've heard too much good stuff about it for it to be the style. Also, this was done in a place that also teaches TKD through the American Taekwondo Association, which I know to be bad from personal experience.

I've heard from more than a few people that there isn't an emphasis on sparring within Krav Maga. I can't say either way because I've never been to a training session, however if there's no sparring or it isn't done often, I'd look elsewhere for training.


-John

Let the buyer beware. Do not believe the hype. Check it out for yourself.

There are many brainwashed people that will try to tell you that 90% of all police and military train in KM. While this is obvious hogwash, you should independently and fairly evaluate the school you are looking at on your own.

If it is that good, it should be pretty obvious.

well i was reading an artical on KM and they showed a couple of self defence moves against 2 people and i wasn't realy impresed accualy found it quiet funny. the one on one stuffs was allright, simple

My impression of the Krav Maga, mainly from a 10Gigabyte collection of Krav Maga videos, some books and a few seminars, is that it's pure CQB oriented. It's not for playin around and, while a Krav Maga instructor might have his students spend time sparring for various reasons, it's not part of Krav Maga core curriculum like some arts which demand it.
There are levels of combat. We start by fighting, which because of our skill level can be really fun and an extension of our training even when it is in the street. We then move to self defense if necessary, and finally we destroy or kill in the defense of ourselves or others if the level of attack demands.
Krav Maga doesn't bother with the first two levels. It's military roots make it purely to eliminate the opponent as fast as possible to move on to the mission objective. If your techniques take the combat from contact to elimination within 5 steps, it may not be necessarily conducive to your students learning experience to spend time working on timing, distance and cadence, the core benefits of sparring. This is especially true when you are an instructor and your students are paying for the combat curriculum not for a cardio workout.
Just my 2 cents.

jzakora:

I don't understand your post. I get the words, and the sentences they make, but your point aren't clear to me.

Are you actually trying to make me believe that if you ever find yourself in a self defence situation where the only options is to kill, letting a loved one die or dying yourself, having a good sense of timing, distance and cadence is not important to you because you have the magic techniques of Krav maga?!?

That's BS, to say the least. Without timing, without sense of distance how the F**k (excuse my french) are you ever gonna use this technique?

I've met streetfighters who were better fighters than most martial artists, some of them are my friends. What makes them better fighters, IMHO, is that they don't care about technique, but efficiency. They get all their experience from actual fighting, and what they gain is a sense of distance, timing and cadence. They have tried getting stomped, and they know what it feels like to get a full power elbow or knee in the face.

Besides I don't give a crap for this "it's a combat curriculum" attitude, no disrespect intended, but does krav maga teach you to use explosives? You ever had a KM lesson teaching you how to camouflage and move through the landscape undetected?!? I think not, if you did, maybe you should find another place to learn how to defend yourself.

Just MY 2 cents...

I'm curious about this separation between "military and civilian" training and the comment that the military version is more hardcore.

When you say this do you mean the training methods are more hardcore or do you believe that the cirriculum/techniques/applications are more hardcore?

I've seen this type of thing mentioned often and if it refers simply to the training methods, that would make sense. If it's aimed at the content then I don't think it does.

Thanks

Chris