Articles by Elke Weiss

Grandmaster Imi Lichtenfled, founder of Krav Maga broke some of his ribs while training for the 1935 Maccabiah sports game. He was not able to compete. He promised himself a key part of his training would be to always avoid all injuries if possible. As my first instructor, Alon Dagan [Read More]

So We’re in the Park… When Raz Chen and I co-write, we often spar or hit pads in the park while working out the details. Raz insists this is because it helps him think better. I believe the sight of his students loafing is offensive to him and he derives [Read More]

On Father’s Day, I was irritated to see so many martial arts studios and publications post the same meme. I can take a joke, but I do not like being the butt of jokes. When you consider why this is supposed to be funny, it stops being a joke and [Read More]

I have often explained to my long-suffering famly that my devotion to Krav Maga is healthy. I tell them the greatness of martial art goes beyond being able to be healthy or protect ourselves. In life, we will all face moments where the unfairness of the world crushes our spirits. [Read More]

I don’t remember the first time I was placed in full mount, because my mind shut down completely. I was frozen in terror. Everything faded away, and all I could think was that I was about to die. It didn’t matter that the person on top of me was my [Read More]

January 2nd, 2022, I mark four years of Krav Maga. Even though I’m currently training Ju-Jitsu, because I can’t do striking with an injured shoulder, I will always be a Krav Maga person at my heart because it was the gateway to this incredible world of martial arts. I think [Read More]

Some days, I really struggle to remember why I do Krav Maga. I really love Aquacyling and water Zumba, and I’m struggling with getting back to training after an injury. Why do I put myself through the stress? Then I remember why I fell in love in the first place.  [Read More]

Swimming Through Martial Arts Before the pandemic, I was attending Krav Maga five days a week for a total of twelve and a half hours of training. I was already behind the eight-ball in terms of disabilities, so I would do anything to catch up.  Then my overworking of my [Read More]

I saw a friend at school I hadn’t seen for two years. I was so happy and excited, I couldn’t wait to hit the mat with them. “Wow, what rank are you now?” they asked.  It didn’t feel comfortable to tell them that despite stellar attendance and a lot of [Read More]

In order to examine the issue of women in martial arts, I think the first factor we have to examine is how martial arts is marketed towards women.  After a lot of googling, I saw martial arts are often marketed very differently to women in three ways, which all impede [Read More]