Real World Survival Based Self Defense
“Survive!”
MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission, simply stated, is to attempt to teach as many people as possible effective ways to protect themselves from aggressors and attackers. We at GMKM strive to teach how to defend and escape from situations involving virtually any kind of weapon to situations where there is no weapon involved other than the aggressor himself.
KRAV MAGA is designed strictly for self defense and personal survival. The term, in Hebrew, is typically translated to mean “close quarter combat” or “fighting up close and personal”. The training is demanding but fun and easy to learn, easy to use.
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL (IKI) is an Israeli based organization dedicated to simplifying, testing and continually evolving real world self defense and survival techniques which can be used by anyone when needed.
KRAV MAGA is unarmed combat against guns, knives, sticks and unarmed attackers. The style is simple, extremely effective, very user friendly and is designed specifically to meet the needs of modern self defense.
The IKI style of Krav Maga is continually evolving. Every technique and approach is tested in combat and on the streets in real life or death situations. Any technique that does not work in a real life confrontation is either abandoned or modified. In addition to actual combat and street survival encounters, extensive study and research is performed based on surveillance and security tapes in a number of very dangerous areas in Israel and in other parts of the world. Attacks and defenses are analyzed, mistakes are corrected and improvements are made on an ongoing basis.
Our training consists of awareness, conditioning, techniques, defense against all sorts of threats and more. We also address varied real world environments. Continually training in a relatively ideal training environment, such as a gym or dojo will not prepare you to defend yourself in most real life confrontational situations, such as being outside on uneven ground, in a crowded bar or restaurant, on gravel, broken glass, nails, on a hill, in the woods, in a congested parking lot and certainly not in an extremely tight situation such as a car, bus, airplane, house trailer or even your home.
Krav Maga draws from all other martial arts styles, extracts and tests what works in real world combat and/or survival situations and goes from there. Nothing is “cast in stone” and the only lingering tradition in the teachings is that one must survive.
Krav Maga is simply survival based self defense, tested and proven by people whose survival depends on it on a daily basis. It is easy to learn, easy to recall, extremely effective and uses natural body mechanics that can be called upon to work well in high stress situations. We have relatively few techniques but they are applied to many, many situations. Mies Van Der Rohe, one of the great architects of the Bauhaus era had a phrase for his innovative and outstanding designs: “Less is more”. This applies well to Krav Maga. In more modern terms, Larry The Cable Guy says “Get Er Done!”. This is also Krav Maga.
In Krav Maga there are no rules, no referees and no ring or cage. We assume that if help comes at all it will arrive too late…..There is only survival.
We like to keep Krav Maga simple; in fact it seems that IKI Krav Maga keeps getting simpler. Read more…
In Krav Maga training we stress concepts over techniques, understanding over memorization, and attitude over skill. Read more…
The modern state of Israel was born in a struggle. This struggle consisted of wars… Read more…
Women have played a role in Israeli fighting history from the very beginning. Read more…
Attitude? How do you explain it, how do you teach it? Read more…
In Krav Maga we believe in reality training, we believe you should be prepared, but how? Read more…
Krav Maga is designed for real world self defense, to protect you in any situation. Read more…
Airline self defense begins before you board the plane. In Israel we believe that security is everybody’s responsibility. Read more…
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL (IKI) is the basis for our style of Krav Maga. IKI is headquartered in Maaleh Adumim, Israel and was founded by Moshe Katz. Moshe Katz has been training in Krav Maga, kickboxing and jujitsu with Itay Gil since 1993. Itay Gil has been training and/or teaching Krav Maga to the Israel Defense Force, the YAMAM (Elite Counter Terrorism Unit) and many other security professionals for over thirty years.
How is Krav Maga different from traditional martial arts?
Many traditional martial arts styles teach what was taught hundreds and even thousands of years ago. There is great merit in these systems but they must be understood for what they are. That was then….this is now and things change. Society changes and the types of attacks and types of weapons change. Most people do not have or are not willing to spend years and years of training it takes to become “expert” in a martial art. Additionally, as one progresses in martial arts it seems that typically the techniques do not become more effective, they become more complex. This complexity is not a benefit in a highly stressful situation.
Someone once stated that in self defense there are three R’s and that if you have even one of them what you are doing or seeing is a sport. The three R’s are rules, referee and a ring (or cage). In Krav Maga we have none of these.
Why “pure self defense” as opposed to traditional martial arts? The answer becomes clear once you realize what really happens in an actual real world life threatening situation. The dissertation below is compiled and simplified from significant research into the subject of the “fight or flight” response to life threatening situations, both civilian and military:
The consensus from people who know from real life experience seems to be that when we are suddenly and unexpectedly confronted with what could be a life or death situation nature provides us with a massive adrenaline dump. Adrenaline is a great thing in that it can give you immense strength and stamina (witness the grandmother who lifts a car to keep her grandson from being crushed). However, this adrenaline dump also converts our very complex brain back into a very primitive state, usually referred to as the “reptilian” part of the brain or “fight or flight mode”.
When this occurs most and frequently all rational thought disappears. The ability to think logically, plan your method of defense or escape, etc., is radically diminished and usually non-existent. This means simply that no matter how many great, complex and “effective” martial arts moves and techniques you may have learned you will not likely be able to execute or even access them. Even a traditional roundhouse kick is a very complex move requiring fine motor skills to execute properly.
This leaves us with only gross motor skills…..those skills which are totally natural, biomechanically simple and brutally effective. Pinpoint accuracy such as striking pressure points, etc., is not a possibility in this situation.
Self defense is simply being able to survive a life threatening situation. The best way to survive is to strike first, strike hard and strike fast. Gross motor skills include (but are not limited to) palm heels, fists, elbows, knees and grabs. Accuracy helps but with enough aggressiveness it is not critical.
Intent and intensity are vital to survival. Self defense comes from the subconscious and from “the heart”. Your will to survive will enable you to survive. Pain will not be a factor at the time, nor will fear. You must be brutally and intensely aggressive. Be aware that you cannot be aggressive and afraid at the same time. Fear and aggression simply cannot live in the same place at the same time.
The IKI style of Krav Maga is discipline, technique and aggression all rolled into one. It is survival at the most primitive and basic level. It is simply getting the desired effect, getting it quickly and moving on.
Pertinent Quotes
"There are two kinds of martial arts instructors...Those who hurt their students to prove how good they are......Those who prove how good they are by not hurting their students."
"You can tell how hard an instructor has worked for his rank by how hard he makes others work for it."
"There is no failure....there is only feedback."
"The map is not the territory"
"Do not show your students what you can do. Show them what THEY can do"
"Before you promote a student to black belt, ask yourself this question: If my reputation as a teacher is to be judged by observing only this student, how will I be remembered?"
"Martial Arts is not measured by the destination, but rather by the distance traveled and what is learned along the way."
"All martial artists are beginners; Some of us have just been beginning a little longer!"
"Learn from the mistakes of others....You can't live long enough to make them all yourself"
"There are no bad attacks......just bad defenses!"