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Thank you for reading this thread,
I have spent the last several years of my life learning and now teaching Krav Maga! I have recently fulfilled a dream and become a school owner. During the last few years I have had the opportunity to work with and train with some of the most dynamic practitioners in the world. I truly am blessed and I want to thank all of you for your commitment to Krav Maga.
Unfortunately during this time another breed of instructor has come into our midst. The phony Krav Maga instructors who fabricate their history and create business based on lies and deceit. These people spit on our Imi and all that we hold dear. Krav Maga is my life and I don’t have it in me to sit by and watch this happen.
I have embraced the leaders of the major Krav Maga organizations and I am proud to be a Krav Maga Worldwide Instructor as well as an IKMF instructor. Equally my friendship with David Kahn and respect for IKMA is well documented. Though these organizations have had issues in the past I know that there is a deep respect for the preservation of Krav Maga that is the foundation for all of these organizations. It is time that we put the beef aside. We have to embrace each other now. We have a new enemy at the door. The charlitan is amongst us and only we can stop these imposters.
So here is what I propose. I am calling on all of the top ranking leaders in Krav Maga in Israel and the United States to come together. All of the political rhetoric and ill feelings regarding the law suits are ruining our system and creating and opening for pretenders and fakes. Look we may all have our different techniques and applications of the principles but we all love KRAV MAGA! We all respect what Imi was about. We are not better as independent organizations or as a system for all of this bickering.
I am not suggesting a merger. I am suggesting a commision. I am suggesting a council. I am suggesting that we create an organization that embraces each other as brothers in Krav Maga. We don’t have to agree on every technique and teaching point. What we will do is protect the integrity of the system by agreeing to expose all pretenders and fakes. We can’t be afraid of competition. This is a good thing for our system. However infighting allows the enemy to creep in undetected and we all pay for it later.
So here is my proposal to IKMA, KMWW, IKMF and KMF. I propose that a meeting of the minds be held at a neutral site like…. Las Vegas! Is there a better location? I think not. This would be epic. To have all of the collective expertise in a room together as a show of solidarity would be an unparalled accomplishment. No egos. No law suits. No arguments just Krav Maga at its best. We all have collective experience that can be shared. There is no fear in this. We are a small community and soon, very soon we will be under attack from the Martial Arts community on the whole. Why? Because their run is over. Krav Maga is surging around the globe in popularity. Trust me the backlash will come soon. We must prepare for this together.
I will host the event. All leaders are welcome. We must hash this stuff out. We must at least agree to support those true deciples of Imi. We don’t have to agree on everything but we must support eachother in the fight to secure the integrity of our system. What if the event could be the largest of its kind? What if we showed the world Krav Maga in a way it that it has never seen? Equal time for each major organization. Equal support from each organization! This can happen. If we are willing to put down our egos and learn from each other, we can do great things. We just witnessed one of the greatest moments in our country’s history. Politcal loyalties aside, this last election will go down in history as one of the great moments of this country’s exsistence. So why not change? Why not try? We have to try!
Please show your support! I would love to see this happen by Spring 2009. The first annual Krav Maga Summit! I love the sound of that.
Re: It’s Time That We Change Things
That is well written, well thought out, and forward thinking.
Well done.
Re: It’s Time That We Change Things
Donavin’s post is on the money. I know (or I think I know) that there’s a lot of water under the bridge, but we shouldn’t miss an opportunity to preserve the integrity of Krav Maga.
Well stated, Psyops. Plus, it sounds like there’s a trip to L.V. to be had!!!
Re: It’s Time That We Change Things
Excellent post! Agree 100%! thumbsup thumbsup thumbsup thumbsup thumbsup
Thanks Psyops for trying to put this together. I hope the leaders will follow your call. C’mon guys, it’s Vegas! What have you got to lose? :):
Re: It’s Time That We Change Things
Congrats on owning your school! I agree, one shouldn’t have to wade through an alphabet soup to understand what kind of Krav they’re taking, or if what they’re doing is Krav at all.
The answer is…Vegas!
Re: It’s Time That We Change Things
they couldnt get along when Imi was alive so I doubt this woulod ever happen
Re: It’s Time That We Change Things
I’ve seen some amazing things happen when people put aside there ego’s for something they love. Granted it doesn’t happen often, but it would be nice to see it happen here.
Re: It’s Time That We Change Things
quote Kevin Mack:they couldnt get along when Imi was alive so I doubt this woulod ever happenDitto!
Nice idea, though I can’t see Haim Gidon,Eyal,etc…. sitting down and ceding an inch to another. Maybe a fight to see who the real grandmaster is? Lol!
If you concentrate on teaching and keeping your core values in the right place, you should be fine, the imposters will disappear eventually. I can only hope, as I have seen a few of them here.
Best wishes on your school!
Re: It’s Time That We Change Things
Psyops,
It’s a grand idea. I have to admit, like others who have posted before me, I can’t see the leaders getting togther to conceded anything. Which is a real shame.
One question though, what of those who train military and civilians? Most of the organizations in Israel train civilians in order to prepare them for military service, or just for personal defense. Then, those who serve rarely come back to train. Most of those who have a desire to continue, pursue military teaching careers. They YAMAM, has their methodologies, which is NOT KAPAP as often reported, in Krav Maga. Sayeret(s) Mat’kal, Golani and Duvdevan all have their own. Border Police, local police and security forces have their own….. and so on. Many of the leaders in each of these fields still train anti-terror groups exclusively in Israel, but are leaders none-the-less. Does the plan have a place for them? After all, what they teach has a trend of becoming what others teach later as it trickles into the civilian market. So their techniques today are innovative, tomorrow the standard.
I hope I am not sounding like a doubting Thomas too much. I would love to see something like this happen, but there has to be a place for those who are KM leaders, but were not mentioned above. Not because of any fairness doctrine concept, but because they are leaders who are on the cutting edge of what is working in real life violence – which is the basis for creating Krav, straight from Imi’s heart. “That we may all live in peace”.
IMHO,
CCRe: It’s Time That We Change Things
A long winded post from someone who lurks a lot but doesn’t post often, but…please hear me out…
Speaking as a relatively new student to Krav Maga I can only claim a rudimentary understanding of the differences and conflicts each branch of Krav represents. But I wanted to interject something about Psyop’s idea from purely a student’s…a ridiculously enthusiastic student’s…point of view.
I have dabbled in enough other systems that I have become pretty immune to their rhetoric pertaining to how this is the best, we are the greatest, this is the “way”. For the first time I have found in Krav a principal based system on the realities of how we can train to truly defend ourselves. From the basic mechanics, the aggressive spirit in which we train to the never say die attitude Krav instills, it undeniably serves the purpose of those looking to “walk in peace” with a realistic confidence. In a way I have become a little selfish. I am respectful to any who beleive they have something to teach, but I am extremely selective in what I will absorb based on…well…does my gut tell me it will really work. A type of prejudicial purity test that Krav seems to be geared toward passing everytime.
My reasons for studying any system are usually pretty far outside the history and politics of that system. I guess I am a litle bit more in the “now” when it comes to that. But I also am aware that systems and teachings are not just greatly influenced but are shaped by their origins and historical development. I certaintly can understand how differing histories and applications can shape the modern application and teaching of a system or style.
With that said…I think their are a large (mostly silent) majority of students who see Krav as I do…an efective culmination of fighting principals shaped for real self defense. I would love to see a gathering of many of the senior instructors from the different branches of Krav in the same room. Just to see that, even if nothing else was accomplished, would be a great opportunity for a self proclaimed purist like myself to gain a deeper understanding. I have little doubt that such a gathering of instructors who held core beleifs of Krav in common despite political differences in affiliations, would be great for us as students. With no disrespect pointed to any one branch or affiliation I think there are many of us who don’t take the time to understand or even care about those lawsuit worthy differences. I am here for core principals represented by Krav. It would be extremely exciting to see a large group of individuals gathered who believed so strongly in those same principals that they dedicated their lives to learning and teaching them.
Sorry for the long post with the multifarious run on sentences. I just wanted those instructors willing to read this to see that such a gathering would mean more to the student of Krav than you realize. If some political fence mending also occurs…great. But again, I am selfish and would just like to see something like this for what I, the student, could learn and experience from it.
Thanks
Re: It’s Time That We Change Things
A long winded post from someone who lurks a lot but doesn’t post often, but…please hear me out…
Speaking as a relatively new student to Krav Maga I can only claim a rudimentary understanding of the differences and conflicts each branch of Krav represents. But I wanted to interject something about Psyop’s idea from purely a student’s…a ridiculously enthusiastic student’s…point of view.
I have dabbled in enough other systems that I have become pretty immune to their rhetoric pertaining to how this is the best, we are the greatest, this is the “way”. For the first time I have found in Krav a principal based system on the realities of how we can train to truly defend ourselves. From the basic mechanics, the aggressive spirit in which we train to the never say die attitude Krav instills, it undeniably serves the purpose of those looking to “walk in peace” with a realistic confidence. In a way I have become a little selfish. I am respectful to any who beleive they have something to teach, but I am extremely selective in what I will absorb based on…well…does my gut tell me it will really work. A type of prejudicial purity test that Krav seems to be geared toward passing everytime.
My reasons for studying any system are usually pretty far outside the history and politics of that system. I guess I am a litle bit more in the “now” when it comes to that. But I also am aware that systems and teachings are not just greatly influenced but are shaped by their origins and historical development. I certaintly can understand how differing histories and applications can shape the modern application and teaching of a system or style.
With that said…I think their are a large (mostly silent) majority of students who see Krav as I do…an efective culmination of fighting principals shaped for real self defense. I would love to see a gathering of many of the senior instructors from the different branches of Krav in the same room. Just to see that, even if nothing else was accomplished, would be a great opportunity for a self proclaimed purist like myself to gain a deeper understanding. I have little doubt that such a gathering of instructors who held core beleifs of Krav in common despite political differences in affiliations, would be great for us as students. With no disrespect pointed to any one branch or affiliation I think there are many of us who don’t take the time to understand or even care about those lawsuit worthy differences. I am here for core principals represented by Krav. It would be extremely exciting to see a large group of individuals gathered who believed so strongly in those same principals that they dedicated their lives to learning and teaching them.
Sorry for the long post with the multifarious run on sentences. I just wanted those instructors willing to read this to see that such a gathering would mean more to the student of Krav than you realize. If some political fence mending also occurs…great. But again, I am selfish and would just like to see something like this for what I, the student, could learn and experience from it.
Thanks
Re: It’s Time That We Change Things
Psyops, you are my hero. As a new instructor myself, I believe very strongly in the system and what Imi did for the world when he created Krav. Some type of collective understanding and mutual bond amongst the organizations would eliminate so much confusion for the students/prospective students the world over. Thank you so much for this thought-provoking thread.
Phil
P.S. Congrats on your school. If I’m ever out that way, I’m coming in to train!
Re: It’s Time That We Change Things
This is a great post. I know it’s probably futile, but the end result can only make KM better for everyone. If this isn’t possible, maybe those involved in KMWW can come together to make sure that their system is the best it could be. There’s been many a post with concerns of KM becoming a McDojo.
Maybe as a first step, each organization makes sure that it’s adherering to KM principles. I’ve found that I’ve been doing more and more arm bars and spinning kicks and less and less drills with multiple attackers. I know it’s tempting to want to capture the MMA audience, but it’s not I why I chose to train in KM. I know this went a little off topic, but I know there’s groing concern about where KM is going.
Sorry for any typos. I’m posting on my iPhone.
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