Is Krav Maga legit or bull****?

[ImTheDoubleGreatest!]

I'm wondering. I did some reading around and I don't see why anyone would need to take a class on it. It's mostly just some common sense stuff and taking off your own self-limits that would normally inhibit you from doing stuff that would seem dishonorable such as a kick to the groin, or an eye gouge, and it seems to me that you target those things first. Especially since you can't actually spar with it, I'm wondering how effective it is. Many people say that militaries all over the world use it and even the IDF which is supposedly one of the best and also where I think it originated from. But the IDF is good for their guns and other weaponry, not their Krav Maga. I also heard that civilian Krav Maga is different from the one that the military practices. If this is true, why?

Anyway, back to the main point: legit or nah?

 

[Bible_Belt]

KM is mostly hype, not by definition, but just by the people who are drawn to it. There are no KM tournaments or competitions, so there is no way to tell who is legit and who is a scammer. If you were to go buy a random KM lesson today, I would say that there is a greater likelihood than not that you are being conned. KM is basically Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, anyway. It's not like the IDF invented the idea of kicking someone in the nuts. My trainer's background is JJJ. He trained nut-kicking for ten years before the UFC came along and made it illegal. It is a very critical component of any no-rules fight, even if just to defend against it.

 

[speed dawg]

I'm wondering. I did some reading around and I don't see why anyone would need to take a class on it. It's mostly just some common sense stuff and taking off your own self-limits that would normally inhibit you from doing stuff that would seem dishonorable such as a kick to the groin, or an eye gouge, and it seems to me that you target those things first. Especially since you can't actually spar with it, I'm wondering how effective it is. Many people say that militaries all over the world use it and even the IDF which is supposedly one of the best and also where I think it originated from. But the IDF is good for their guns and other weaponry, not their Krav Maga. I also heard that civilian Krav Maga is different from the one that the military practices. If this is true, why?

Anyway, back to the main point: legit or nah?

I have a buddy who did KM, and while he liked it, he has nothing show for it now. Maybe a tad bit better reflexes, maybe. And he's essentially quit going, like many tend to do.

I've decided on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, if I ever go that martial art/self defense route.

The problem I have in my head, is that I can spend all this money on learning self defense, or just carry my pistol, and take a few free classes at local police departments on how to conceal carry with any clothes, quickly draw and shoot, etc. I think, at the end of the day, I'm going to want to have to compete if I pay the money for a class.

 

[Bible_Belt]

"Safe distance" is the space you need between an attacker and yourself in order to put them down with a firearm before they can touch you. For a trained FBI agent, the bureau's research put that distance at 12-18 feet. For a typical civilian, it is likely even further. It takes time for bullet holes to bleed a man out, and if he mortally stabs you before he bleeds out, that's not exactly winning the fight.

I wouldn't carry a gun without martial arts training, honestly. If you're introducing a weapon into a conflict, you had better be able to grapple better than the other guy, or he is going to take it away from you.

 

[devilkingx2]

The problem I have in my head, is that I can spend all this money on learning self defense, or just carry my pistol, and take a few free classes at local police departments on how to conceal carry with any clothes, quickly draw and shoot, etc. I think, at the end of the day, I'm going to want to have to compete if I pay the money for a class.

it's harder to kill someone with martial arts, and you really don't want to have to go to court and prove self defense.

I wouldn't carry a gun without martial arts training, honestly. If you're introducing a weapon into a conflict, you had better be able to grapple better than the other guy, or he is going to take it away from you.

who do you plan to fight that is going to try to rush you and wrestle a gun out of your hands instead of surrendering or immediately running away?

also if you had a melee weapon like a machete or a knife you wouldn't have that problem

 

[Bible_Belt]

LOL @ "surrender." That's supposed to be the right answer. But last year, while leaving a St Louis Cardinal's baseball game, a man was mugged by a guy with a gun. The victim threw down his money and turned to run away...and then the mugger shot him in the back. He lived, but he'll be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. I'm not going to get shot in the back trying to run away.

 

[ImTheDoubleGreatest!]

it's harder to kill someone with martial arts, and you really don't want to have to go to court and prove self defense.



who do you plan to fight that is going to try to rush you and wrestle a gun out of your hands instead of surrendering or immediately running away?

also if you had a melee weapon like a machete or a knife you wouldn't have that problem

Like BB said, I don't want to just surrender and lose my **** just so that I can get hurt anyway. I'd rather fight. But this thread wasn't really about that anyway.

 

[devilkingx2]

LOL @ "surrender." That's supposed to be the right answer. But last year, while leaving a St Louis Cardinal's baseball game, a man was mugged by a guy with a gun. The victim threw down his money and turned to run away...and then the mugger shot him in the back. He lived, but he'll be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. I'm not going to get shot in the back trying to run away.

you said:

I wouldn't carry a gun without martial arts training, honestly. If you're introducing a weapon into a conflict, you had better be able to grapple better than the other guy, or he is going to take it away from you.

so you're the one with the gun there, so I'm picking your brain about what kind of person would think to try and charge you for the gun instead of surrendering or running away from you, since you have a gun and they apparently don't

Like BB said, I don't want to just surrender and lose my **** just so that I can get hurt anyway. I'd rather fight. But this thread wasn't really about that anyway.

I wouldn't fight someone who had a weapon period unless whatever they were stealing was so valuable to me that I'd rather die than live without it.

 

[ImTheDoubleGreatest!]

I wouldn't fight someone who had a weapon period unless whatever they were stealing was so valuable to me that I'd rather die than live without it.

Id only fight them if they were close enough to me where I could grab them or react faster than them. At that point I would know whether or not I was meant to live on or die.

 

[Bible_Belt]

When I get too old to fight open-hand, I will probably carry a gun. But if I do, and I ever pull it on someone, I am going to shoot them before they realize I have a gun. That's the best way to not get it taken away.

 

[Von]

Krav Maga is legit and fun.... but like Bible Belt said: Japanese JuJitsu is similar... but JJJ adds the ground fighting elements too (BJJ style).

In theory... Krav Maga is a ''technical - Joint - Hybrid martial arts''.... So it goes in 3rd of practice order

1st and 2nd order are Striking and Grappling

Striking = Anything relating punching and kicking (boxing, muay thai)
Grappling = Anything related to wrestling (judo, wrestling)
Technique = 3rd order... krav maga, aikido etc..

Another art similar to Krav Maga is ... Silat (which also has a knife fight section)

Silat = Philipino version of JJJ and Krav Maga.. quite brutal

At the end of the day... Martial Arts is all about the teacher and his spreaching.. (so the teaching)

I did AikiJutjitsu, BJJ, MuayThai, Aikido

The art that was the most useful for me in street scenario/Self Defense was AikiJutjitsu (to break the fall on the ground and get back up in an instant, the choking, the blocking) and Muay Thai (punch stance)

But why are Striking and Grappling more popular? They are simple arts and they allow competition.

You want something Simple, Efficient... Krav Maga is simple and efficient.

Why is the teaching so important? Cause its the teacher and his education.... 90% of what you learn in a gym (no matter the art) will be forgotten in a Street Fight or a Competition or not even applicable

Why 90%? The stress..... stress phases out all complex stuff

Everyone think they can ''handle'' a street fight or a competition.... try to be there and see how much you remember ... if professionnal athlete don't do it well in the competition.... imagine the street level.

Rules of self-defense: Simple and Efficient..... Strike first, Technique after, Run

I've been thinking of picking up KravMaga... but their aint enough gym/schedule that fit for me

Martial Arts/Self-Defense is best against ''non-trained regular people'' and ''element of surprise situation''

Everyone should learn it from a great teacher