Krav Maga can be boiled down to a few key concepts. One of them is that we must live outside our comfort zone. I was never someone who enjoyed writing as a hobby, and suddenly, I’m committing to writing an article a month here at Martial Journal as well as submitting articles to other publications.
For me, it’s the most Krav Maga way to live. Writing is an important talent and I wanted to develop it. Not being good at it naturally isn’t an excuse. I embrace the challenge.
I write for a lot of reasons, but one is to show my students I am with them in their struggle. Students should know that I have areas I need to work on, and I’m not ashamed to seek out teachers to help me improve.
One of the valuable lessons I gained from all my teachers, military and civilian, is not to be a hypocrite. If I challenge them to push themselves beyond their current limits, I also must do the same and lead by example. Writing is one of the areas where I’m learning new skills and making mistakes and growing as a person.
In fact, even what I do best, Krav Maga, requires me to spend a lot of time outside my comfort zone. People think because of my current level of training, I must have been naturally talented in Krav Maga, and it was easy for me to acquire the skills I have.
Actually, my journey was quite different. Had you met me on my first day on Krav Maga, I doubt you would have predicted that short, skinny boy would one day make it to E2. I was one of the struggling students, who was out of the comfort zone, and felt like they were constantly swimming upstream. It used to bother me that I was smaller than the other students, but it actually became one of my great assets.
Because I was smaller, I had to work harder. I couldn’t rely on strength, I had to learn how to be agile, aggressive, and use clean footwork and technical skills to make up for it. Because I was always the underdog, I had to push myself to be the best.
It also made me a better teacher. One female student said “I like having you as my teacher, because you understand what it’s like to be weaker than your opponent. You’re the same size as me, so I know you get it.”
It’s true. While Krav Maga is for everyone, not everything in Krav Maga is useful. Cavaliers joint locks and take-downs are very fun to learn, but are very difficult to use in a real life situation. I train for effectiveness, not what looks interesting. I understand that smaller people may only have one chance for a strike in real life, and they need to make it count. A palm strike to the nose may be very simple, but it is very effective.
My Own Journey
So, how did I actually start? My Krav Maga journey actually follows the path of Krav Maga’s creation.
Krav Maga began when our Grandmaster Imi Sde-Or, a talented athlete, realized that his athletics wouldn’t work in a street fight. At first, his work was civilian self-defense against fascists, before fleeing the Nazi persecution and joining the Jewish Haganah Underground. There, he used those same skills to train Jewish fighters for the liberation of their country, and then became the Chief Instructor for the Israel Defense Force.
After serving honorably, Imi retired and began creating new schools of Krav Maga, that would serve the different needs of his students. He developed curriculum for ordinary civilians, military, police, and security.
Imi also sent out his students to study all over the world and bring back techniques. His goal was to constantly evolve Krav Maga to meet the challenges that life would bring. As society and threats evolved, so would the discipline.
My journey was a lot less dramatic (and is still being made) but it had a similar path.
Part One: An athlete who became a fighter.
Part Two: A civilian Who became a soldier.
Part Three: A Student who Became a Teacher
Part Four: Bringing It All Together.
Next post, as I go from athlete to fighter, you’ll learn how fruit shopping can be a scary and effective tool for training.
- Tehran fails to impress on Krav Maga - September 18, 2023
- The Pursuit of Perfection - August 7, 2023
- Grace Under Pressure - March 17, 2023
I seriously can’t wait for you to post the fruit story. It’s my favorite!