Krav Maga Course

Discussion in 'Other Styles' started by Botta Dritta, May 3, 2017.

  1. Botta Dritta

    Botta Dritta Valued Member

    I've just been hit by a bad case of the D3adleez. Just Kidding...

    Since dropping Taijiquan and having to focus a bit more on my fencing club, and because my work hours have been a bit messed up of late, I've really just been doing Boxing as my main go to base, and even then only once or on the occasion twice a week with some light sparring when I feel like it. Basically I've slacked off a bit.

    Seeing as my holidays are also a bit messed up this year I'm having to take short stretches when I can. So I hit on an idea, but I would like a second opinion.
    There is an organisation in London that teaches a short 18 hour Krav Maga course over 3 days. Please see below

    https://krav-maga.org.uk/

    Now before you all jump on my back and give me an e-kicking. Yes I know what I can learn in three days will be minimal, that there will be liitle to no resistance training I don't really plan to become a Krav (Magaist? what do you call a practitioner?), I'm just looking for an overview of the system and a couple of days doing something interesting and different.

    I've been reading up on Krav the Last few days and while I don't totally buy the deadly streets battle tested hype, I still think it might prove interesting especially if the RBSD aspect is as it claims to be, even if in theory. I'm particularly interested in the concepts of simple gross motor skills in self defence, starting from a position where time and distance are compromised.

    However I'm struggling to find much out about the setup, it seems to be quite an old established but independent organisation , but beyond that I'm struggling to find much out about the instructors or if its a modified form of Krav Maga. It looks as its tailor made for people who have little prior knowledge of martial arts, (but I'm cool with that)

    Am I throwing away good money? Does Krav Maga add anything/complement boxing? Or am I better off looking at some other short course?

    Any Ideas? Constructive criticism please. My co-worker says I should just save my cash and blow it on a sandy beach weekend in a hot climate instead, which I would totally do but having broken up with my girlfriend recently I'm looking for single activities.
     
  2. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    £20 per hour?! :eek:

    If there was an impressive facility and lots of equipment I could forgive that, but the photos show some matts with pads and rubber pistols. If the instructors had impressive CV's it might be worth it, but I didn't see any instructor bio's on there.

    Their last blog entry was a masterful mix of news-based paranoia and fantasy-land heroics too:

    Hmmm...
     
  3. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    This cracked me up :D

     
  4. Hannibal

    Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

    Looked at the site..... I would probably avoid
     
  5. Hannibal

    Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

    Well, leaving aside personal feelings on Krav that is
     
  6. Purespite

    Purespite Valued Member

    I did Krav for a while - alongside my other training.

    I think one of the issues it has is that it's become victim of it's own hype, commodification and latterly schisms.

    At the core of it there is some good combatives stuff that is usable, but I think with the commodification techniques have been added to keep students interested and these are sometimes not the best.

    The same goes with the modification of techniques after a schism - changing a perfectly workable technique to something less viable simply because the other side do it.

    For me as long as you drill the core combatives you'll get something worthwhile out of it. I enjoyed when I did it, but I think I was also viewing it through the prism of my other arts.

    On the other hand - gun disarms are fun. Pointless and impractical yes, but they look cool at parties (you never know when a guest will threaten you with a banana).

    Hopefully that ramble makes sense.
     
  7. Pretty In Pink

    Pretty In Pink Moved on MAP 2017 Gold Award

    Hot, sandy weekend AND you're single?! I see no downside. Go on holiday, money waaaay better spent.
     
  8. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    Exactly what I was thinking :)

    Going on holiday single is just as good as going on holiday with someone else, unless you really enjoy arguments and doing things you have no interest in :D
     
  9. Botta Dritta

    Botta Dritta Valued Member

    Thanks for the responses.

    I didn't read the AK47 thing. Comes off as quite cynical marketing on the back of a tragedy.

    Pity as the combatives angle seemed quite interesting, but I guess can get most of the hand striking/kicking from my boxing instructor anyway. Just seems odd I can't find anything more about the instructors. Seems as the director was quite high up in the IKMF before he decided to go so solo.

    Well I guess the beach it is then!
     
  10. Botta Dritta

    Botta Dritta Valued Member

    Hi.

    while glancing through the Krav articles on MAP, I noticed that you once said that Krav Maga more of a methodology than a style. While this is spinning off my original post somewhat, if most of the techniques that can be found in Krav Maga are drawn from other styles, it seems that what sets it apart is the concept of Retzev. On the web it comes up as:

    "Retzev is most commonly referred to incorrectly as a combative theory or directive. The truth is, Retzev is a concept that urges the Krav Maga practitioner to utilize and harness the natural power in movement throughout both defensive and offensive initiatives within a self-defense technique(s)"

    I once met a combatives instructor called Mick Coup who said that when starting from a negative/ambush you really need to GLF (Go like F@*&!). It this all it is really. Basics combatives and 1-60 agression?

    Is this all there is to it? Or is there are larger core of methodology behind it? I've always been keen to learn counter-ambush to round out my training. Would it be better to just take a seminar on SPEAR instead?
     
  11. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    £350 for 18 hours just sounds like an awful lot to me. If it was a lot cheaper I'd say go for it, but when you consider the amount of instruction you could get at regular MA classes for that amount of money it seems really overpriced, IMHO.
     
  12. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    Don't know how representative of other Krav groups this is, but here are the principles spelled out:

    http://www.britishkravmagaassociation.co.uk/897-2.html

    As for "training from a negative", I still think that the most important thing is to recognise when you are getting into a negative position, and where and how you place yourself around strangers so that you have a certain amount of positional advantage is a big key. Knowing what you can do to whom, and vice-versa, instinctively in any group or melee situation, which will constantly be changing, is the way to go. I think that always starting from a true worst case scenario, as most SD escape stuff centres around, is a mistake in trading methodology.

    I don't think a seminar or two is enough to make that habit, and finding like-minded people to run through scenarios and drills as regular training is the only way to ingrain it.
     
  13. Hannibal

    Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

    Attitude and aggression are as important as anything else - and more so in certain circumstances

    SPEAR I am not massive fan of either tbh

    Most quick fix systems are neither quick to learn nor fix anything....
     
  14. Botta Dritta

    Botta Dritta Valued Member

    Well thats its then!

    Thanks for the advice. Time to look at short weekend breaks then.
     
  15. Thomas

    Thomas Combat Hapkido/Taekwondo

    Well... since most of the replies have been mostly against the idea,
    I will add some 'pro's' (maybe)

    I've attended a lot of seminars over the years, some in my own style(s) and some in similar ones and some in completely different ones. What I have found is that any sort of seminar tends to energize me in own studies. A good seminar always give me some new ideas and thoughts to try. I've only been to a few 'bad' seminars... and even then it gave me stuff to think about and some ideas to try (sometimes with modification)

    18 hours over three days? Even though the training time may seem short, you also have to add in (if applicable) the meal times, evening times, and such where you can interact with other practitioners/instructors... the extra time can really help build a deeper understanding in the seminar work.

    I did a multi-day seminar on police defensive tactics (more for my own knowledge than for wanting to teach police defensive tactics) - it was really neat. Having multiple hours to work let me focus on key techniques (with plenty of assistance) and the off hours gave me more insight and access to more experienced people. It also set up cool cross training connections for later.

    That said, I don't feel like I came out it able to teach police defensive tactics to LEOs, but it did add quite a bit to our normal Hapkido thought processes by adding in real world 'levels of force' and situations.

    3 days sounds like a good way to get an overview and meet up with others... if you love it, you'd probably be able to step into a school easily through these contacts.


    Tough to say. As much as I like seminars and such, I haven't been as impressed with Krav Maga (or its clones)... the lack of info on the instructors might worry me too.

    Maybe a one day seminar or even a 'visit' to a different art's dojang might give you the refreshing ideas and energy. Maybe not as much as a several day immersion, but then you could add in your vacation too!

    Well, now... travel vs a three day seminar? Tough choice. The seminar will put you together with like minded people and give you lots of ideas (hopefully) to further your training, whereas a vacation will probably be just... a vacation.

    Good luck!
     

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