@glorious-leader
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Re: Iki ?
I just recently attended a seminar under Moshe Katz at the IKI gym I go to. I observed him to be a capable fighter, but moreso a business man. I had to pay to attend the seminar. I also had to pay for a “belt assessment”. The combined total was $65.00. I didn’t show up for the meet and greet, but I heard from a fellow student that Moshe spent the whole time discussing the finances with the gym’s operator. The dojo was packed beyond capacity with students from surrounding gyms, and Moshe didn’t have time to give particular attention to most students. The entire 3 hours of the seminar we went over knife defenses that were quite shoddy, in my opinion. I spent the whole seminar expecting that at the end Moshe would personally test me on the level 1 curriculum. Instead, he just signed a certificate and handed it to me as I left.
My gym is awesome. My teacher is certified to teach in KMWW, as well as IKI, and chooses IKI because of the flexibility in the curriculum. If you have an exceptional teacher, IKI may be the preferable institution, as you will learn not only Krav Maga foundations and techniques, but also things from other areas the teacher is proficient in that can be applied to Krav Maga. KMWW guarrantees a solid and consistent curriculum, but doesn’t really allow an exceptional teacher to play his strengths.
However, as far as my opinion of Moshe Katz, I would not pay to attend another one of his seminars. He can fight. There is no denying that. But there are few feelings as low as the one I felt when he handed me a slip of paper with his autograph on it and told me that’s what defines me as the next level of Krav Maga practitioner. I felt like more of a customer than a pupil.
In essence, IKI isn’t in and of itself a bad thing. Its flexibility allows exceptional teachers to run an exceptional gym. But this also allows poor teachers to run a below average gym. Thus it’s varied and each gym must be individually analyzed.
Re: Weapons Offense
I’ve learned quite a bit of weapons combat in all kinds of situations, from fighting an armed individual with no weapons in my possession, to fighting an unarmed attacker when I myself am armed, to fighting on even grounds where both fighters are armed. Through this I’ve built up a degree of proficiency with knives and sticks/clubs. I don’t know how much of this falls into Krav Maga’s domain, however, as my gym is based on the IKI model, and thus my instructor has quite a bit of freedom to explore concepts from martial arts other than KM, and integrate them into the curriculum as he sees fit.
Re: What you carry and why.
I carry a pocket knife for practicality. I mostly use it for cutting boxes at work, or doing other such common tasks. However, when selecting a knife I intentionally picked one out that I could use as a weapon if needed. I don’t expect to have to use it as such, but it’s nice to know it’s there.
Re: Iki ?
quote yli:I think the main issue so far is not that he’s teaching a form of Krav Maga unaffiliated with Imi. As mentioned previously, Itay Gil does the same thing, and nobody has questioned Mr. Gil’s qualifications or skills.However, Moshe Katz’s system seems to be somewhat dubious technique-wise (judging by Ryan and Jeremy’s comments), and his business practices have been called into question. Itay Gil, despite being unaffiliated, hasn’t been accused of handing out black belts in exchange for cash. That’s the biggest issue we seem to have with IKI. If IKI was a more honest organization that remained unaffiliated, we’d have far less of a problem.
I train in Moshe Katz’s system. Some of it may or may not be bull****. I doubt I’d ever try his neck snapping techniques, as even if they worked, I don’t feel like going to prison for something that could’ve been avoided. However, the vast majority of what we learn is the stuff I see students of other KM branches practicing.
Re: How to avoid bad situations ?
I go to bars because that’s where the metal bands play here. I don’t drink, I’m just there for the music and the mosh. And generally, when you’re at a bar but you’re not drunk, you tend to find your way into less conflict.
Plus, when a bar’s full of metalheads, the only conflict you really see on an average night is that which takes place in the mosh pit, which is never really violent. People may get knocked around a bit, sometimes pretty viciously, but as soon as the song is over if you look around you see the same guys that were just beating the snot out of each other giving out bro hugs, knuckle bumps, and gestures of respect to the other moshers. I think that’s why I love metal culture; the ability to embrace conflict and aggression, yet still hold a deep fraternal respect for each other.
Re: Have you used KM in real life
As a member of my city’s metal scene, I go to a lot of shows, and see my fair share of bar brawls. Generally, I let them go their course. A couple weeks ago, however, a fight was getting a bit out hand, and I moved through the crowd and grabbed the dominant fighter’s shirt and tried to jerk him back to separate him from the other guy, who was getting beaten pretty bad. Really, grabbing the shirt wasn’t a great idea, as he just became aggressive towards me. He threw a punch typical of someone without organized fighting experience, wide without any form of guard or strong posture. Instincts kicked in, I ducked out of the way, grabbed him around his torso, and charged him off his feet.
Once I had him in a mount I just hit him a couple of times, and when he tried to shield himself I got off of him and pulled him to his feet. After that he cooperated with me. I told him that if he’s going to pick fights, do it elsewhere. And that was the end of it.
I’m not one to try to spark conflict, but I have to admit, it was nice falling into a situation that required the skills I’d learned in Krav Maga in the real world. It really gave me more confidence in the system and made me feel like my monthly payment is going to something worthwhile.
Re: Iki ?
The KM style I’ve been learning is based on IKI. I’m pretty sure it’s legit. According to the students that are in the military, many techniques we learn are often taught in MCMAP, which to me indicates some degree of legitimacy and practicality. As for the neck break, yes, we’re taught how to do it. But we’re also equipped with many other means of disengagement, and we’re encouraged to use those other means if possible, as it’s impossible to truly practice a neck break.
However, on the effectiveness of a neck break, I remember having a new student do the motion on me, and accidentally jerking my head through almost the entire motion. While it obviously didn’t kill me, it did hurt quite a bit and disorient me. Even if you don’t successfully break the neck, the technique could help you in a pinch. However, being of pragmatic mind, I’d prefer to drill with the knee or wrench the arm if I’m in a position that lends me the capability of attempting a neck break.
Edit: Also, my gym doesn’t even have belts for KM. Moshe came by the gym a while back, but I was unable to attend, so I didn’t see if he was giving out belts or not, but seeing as I’ve still not seen anyone wearing any, I’d say that’s not the case.
