Is Krav Maga a real and useful martial art, or is it flashy 'tae-bo' hollywood stuff? The premise, a self-defense system that has a quick learning curve sounds good, but is it all hype and no actual substance. I've heard of 'israeli shooting tactics' such as carrying a colt on an empty chamber described as 'tactical' so at this point I'm kinda wary about anything with 'official IDF anything' attached to it.

(Given that Scott is one of the trainers at the krav maga summer camp, I can guess the reply, I just wanted to hear it from the horse's mouth)

Thanks,
atek3

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Brett,

Dear atek3,

Quite the contrary. Krav Maga seems to be a very practical and well thought out form of self defense. From what we have seen, the beauty of it is that you don't have to spend years to learn how to defend yourself and everything you learn can be utilized fairly soon. It makes a lot of sense to Scott and I. We strongly endorse Krav and as they say, "don't knock it until you've tried it".

Dear atek3,

Quite the contrary. Krav Maga seems to be a very practical and well thought out form of self defense. From what we have seen, the beauty of it is that you don't have to spend years to learn how to defend yourself and everything you learn can be utilized fairly soon. It makes a lot of sense to Scott and I. We strongly endorse Krav and as they say, "don't knock it until you've tried it".

brett@internationaltactical.com

Krav Maga has a lot going for it, and I enjoy training in it immensely. The emphasis on practicality and instinctive movement flattens out the learning curve, and unlike more esoteric forms, KM's techniques can be put to work quickly.

The downside is that Krav Maga has little or no techniques for grappling on the ground, which is a kind of encounter made very likely by the prevalence of Wrestling in American High Schools. KM's training center offers Machado Ju Jitsu to supplement this, but it would have been nice to see those techniques added to the system, since it's already a well-designed hybrid of other effective styles.

Krav Maga's true genius, however, lies in its emphasis on warrior spirit. And I don't mean this in a paint-your-face, bang-a-drum way. I mean that KM instructors are excellent at teaching you to tap into your aggression, unleash it fully on your opponent, and to control it so that you don't become an indiscriminate punching machine. Fighting spirit must be instilled before any techniques can be put to use, and KM does that very, very well.

If you think Krav doesn't have any ground work, it just shows that you haven't trained in it long enough.