Do guys think something like Krav Maga works?

My opinion:
- better than nothing for untrained old ladies or fat dude.
- random boxer or kick boxer will eat a random krav maga dude on da streetz for breakfast 9 times out of 10.
 
yes krav maga works. Yes there is sparring in a traditional krav maga class with out those big stupid looking suits, but kicks to the balls, eye gouging, fish hooking and all the other potentially dangerous manuevers are not allowed, basically sparring in krav maga is like sparring in muay thai. The main problem with krav maga and most if not all the videos on youtube is that krav maga is being taught by people trying to make a quick buck off the hype. most of these people come from other martial art backgrounds and are just pulling shit out of there ass and calling it krav maga. For real krav maga training a person should seek an intructor who was trained by the IDF/ israeli defense forces or by the Haim Zuit orginization. If someone says they were in israeli special forces it does not mean they recieved krav maga training for more than a few hours, but if they were in a commando unit or the mosad then they have recieved countless hours of solid training. also take note that in a krav maga class the first few times you practice disarming someone with a gun or knife it will be in slow motion in order to learn and correct the mistakes being made but after technique is solid the speed and power must be increased, if its not then you are in a bullshit krav maga class and waisting your money. Bottom line go with an instructor that was IDF trained or Haim Zuit trained all other krav maga intructors are a waist of time and money

Don't forget Shin Bet as well.
 
My opinion:
- better than nothing for untrained old ladies or fat dude.
- random boxer or kick boxer will eat a random krav maga dude on da streetz for breakfast 9 times out of 10.

Well, that's because the random boxer or kickboxer will have better training since there are more legit schools around. Equally good training for both parties and it's a crapshoot imo.
 
Krav Maga is the shit.

I have been "doing" it since '99 and it is what it is a great fighting system that people hear about but don't really know shit about because they are too far up their own brands ass to see something else as useful.

In KM we use everything, Marine Corps linefighting, kicks from Muay Thai, locks from BJJ, throws from Judo and Eskrima techniques for weapons. It's about what the teacher knows and is willing to teach, not about what the T Shirt may say.
 
Your best bet is to train to fight. Spar often. Spar light to hard. Fight in tournaments. Being a trained fighter with experience will take you far in any situations.

The current bullshit being sold to fill up the McDojos that are losing students fast to MMA ...is that TMA, etc. trains for real life situations of mortal danger while MMA is merely a sport. This is a load of shit. It's like saying that Mike Tyson or Manny Pac, etc. is useless in a streetfight b/c they train for the sport of boxing only....or that some fat ass 50th degree black belt TMA guy can kill them easily in a streetfight.

Most of these magical powers of TMA or KM is talking about are the illegal strikes not allowed in sports fighting....such as strikes to the nuts, throats, eye pokes, etc. They make it sound like it's impossible for a trained fighter who spends thousands of hours hitting bags, pads, sparring partners, other trained fighters in tournaments, etc....can't possibly switch to attacking these illegal targets on the streets and/or when their lives are on the line. They're basically anti-rape techniques that we teach to scared ladies with tight vaginas walking in dimly lit parking lots. You really don't even need to train anywhere to learn how to hit someone in the nuts.

There are many KM fighters that compete and are legit. But there's no shortcut to being well prepared to fight for your life. Play fighting and pretending to get hit helps, but not as much as actually sparring hard and trying to knock someone out while being in danger of getting KO'ed yourself.

Streetfighters with no real training, in general sucks. Big bullies, etc. who thinks they're big & bad, in general, gets beatup when they step into a real MMA gym, boxing gym, etc. for the first time. Nothing against KM nor TMA, just against idiots who tries to sell their deadlier than death snake oils.
 
The answer to your questions largely depends on what context you are defining where Krav Maga 'works' - street, ring, ?

I trained in Krav Maga in the 90's before getting into MMA. And there was certainly limited sparring contrary to what some people are posting, including some limited multiple attackers scenarios.

Secondly, Krav Maga's general mindset is to simply do enough damage/distraction to ensure you can get away safely and then run like mad. It is for street safety/survival, not for winning in sport. (The battlefield variation is likely a bit different in that regards, but this was civilian instruction). Nut shots, eye pokes, nostrils as a handle, etc. are all taught. Its strikes are a very basic subset of boxing and MT (elbows and knees), and they brought in basic BJJ for the ground.

I would say it was the most 'realistic' of any martial art I have taken (i.e. compared to TKD, Tang Soo Do, Karate, etc), so if that is your question regarding 'does it work', then yes.

Its very much designed to take advantage of natural instincts, minimal training and ensure you can at least get away from a dangerous encounter forced upon you. Example - they found that by researching police reports that most rapists get the mount position and then choke the victim to force submission...hence, they spent a lot of time drilling basic mount escapes esp. with male trainees on the women to make it more realistic (i.e size and weight disparity).

And with regards to the whole 'rehearsed' aspect - after we learned a choke defense, we had a water break. While I was waiting in line for the water fountain and talking to someone, the instructor jumped me from behind with the choke we had been working on breaking out of, and applied it hard and full force until I got out using the defense we just learned. My throat was bruised for about two days, but the point of my mentioning this is to show they take it pretty seriously and will force completely unrehearsed suprises on you as part of your training.

That said, if you get into a hardcore MMA gym, the focus and intensity is going to be a whole different level, in exchange for a lot more training commitment. There were a lot of housewives and relatively out of shape people in my Krav Maga classes and thats more their target audience - normal people, not athletes and street survival, not taking someone out within the context of sport specific rules.

Anyway, that all said, you really should go watch or try out a class instead of making decisions based on postings here.

As a Certified Krav Maga instructor this is the only post after about 60 or so I read that makes any sense. I'm also a certified KRU Muay Thai instructor and kind of chuckled the posters on here saying Muay THai should be studied, or boxing, etc. instead of Krav Maga

Well all those posters must have gone to shit Krav schools or fake certified ones because guess what is part of the Krav Maga curriculum? Muay Thai, Boxing, basic BJJ, wrestling.

Like you said, the techniques it is taking from those combat arts aren't designed for competition to pro fighters status vs average people learning hardcore simplified techniques to apply to a street situation.(I also chuckled at the posters who said the best self defense system is MMA).

Lack of education plain and simple. I reaally hope none of you actually think that all your hundreds of hours rolling and teh like while those are awesome (our gym has a Krav program, muah thai, and BJJ program), even our competition level BJJers and Muay Thaiers take the Krav class to learn applicability of self defense which is a COMPLETELY different world from professional fighting and training.

Try to do a flying armbar on the concrete or in a bar with dozens of people around crowded and all taht will save your ass is... Well you get the point.

It's a system, like anything else and is only as effective as which practitioner's hands it's in. One thing it's not? Is a happy horseshit TMA system that teaches kata or some other bullshit that WILL GET YOU KILLED!
 
Its not entirely fair to compare highly trained combat athletes to some random joe who trains krav maga 2 times a week. The main goal of self defense isn't necessarily to beat the hell out of the other guy, but to allow you to escape a potentially dangerous situation with your skin intact.

A much better comparison would be to ask if rampage jackson could beat a rampage jackson who is trained in Krav Maga to an equal level in a street fight.
 
I am in the reasoning that any martial, practiced for the intent of self-defense and done appropriately with good instructors and sparring partners, can be effective.

I have found it is the individual and his or her mindset more than the art itself.
 
What's the MT or BJJ defense when you get blindsided in a bathroom and your head is between the toilet and the wall as the attacker is choking you and his buddy is guarding the door?

From my 2 years of KM training experience a typical class looks like this:
- warmup
- striking drills to exhausting
- technique demonstration
- technique training
- scenario options
- technique training with full combatives
- stress drill
-- attacked in the dark, LOUD disorienting music playing, multiple attackers using any attack that is part of the curriculum for the level being taught

Of course the combatives are simulated strikes (punches, knees, elbows, kicks, eye gouges, groin strikes, stomps, etc.) but all the combatives have been drilled with pad/mitt work.

Striking Sparing is done with Headgear, Shin Guards, and 16oz gloves and looks more like MMA Standup than anything else.

Level 1 focuses on defense against chokes and strikes. Combatives are basic punches, elbows, knees and kicks.
Level 2 incorporates bear hugs, chokes against the wall, and some ground work, and lots of defenses against strikes. Combatives expand to include more types of kicks.
Level 3 and some weapons stuff.
Level 4...
Level 5... you can look these up

Mileage May Vary - from my experience in 2 different KMWW schools there is a focus on learning and proving that you can execute each technique correctly, BUT the most important thing is the ability to adapt to a fluid situation and fight thru it using what you've learned. In the high stress drills technique starts to fall apart but even at 50% effective technique combined with 200% aggression and situational awareness is highly valued.

I've had a few experiences when running drills that I pulled off a flawless technique on my training partner only to have my instructor kick/hit me from a blind side - teaching me that I forgot to scan the area for other threats.

Some instructors are better than others when it comes to tactical scenario focus. Some are better at pure instruction and technique.

Its not a Sport. It is great fun. I hope never to have to use any of it in real life, but if I need to I'm confident it will work. If your curious go try out a class or two for yourself.
 
What's the MT or BJJ defense when you get blindsided in a bathroom and your head is between the toilet and the wall as the attacker is choking you and his buddy is guarding the door?

What's the Krav Maga defense for that scenario?
 
If your hands are at your sides its not a two hand pluck and buck but whatever works. The point is that we sometimes run drills with this type of simulation and you realize there is no predefined technique that can be applied in a rapidly changing environment, in that regard its similar to JKD. Based on the circumstances you have to prioritize the threats and deal with them as you can. If something doesn't work, keep going, keep being aggressive, don't give in. What works for me in the drill above might be different to another. We learn what those options are by training.

Sorry if it was misleading, I was trying to point out that self defense training is very different from sports training although self defense borrows from the combat sports its a different thing.
 
In other words, just spaz out and hope for the best?

Better chances with boxing and bjj imo.
 
No Groin !! No krav maga !

Hilarious!!! A friend of mine had been trying to get me to a KM class for months! After he came and trained with me in Filipino Martial Arts, and asked again I reluctantly went with him to satisfy my curiosity and get him to shut up.

From an intensity standpoint, I absolutely loved it. No room to breathe with constant pressure. However, technically, I did not agree with many of the techniques especially because I'm not that big of a guy.

After a few practicing some multiple opponent attacks with firearms and knives, my friend and one of their senior students got very frustrated training with me. They asked why they kept getting cut when I was one of the attackers. I told them that FMA knife fighting techniques are much more concise and tighter. Granted, whenever I go to another school or train other styles, I always try to remain as humble and respectful as possible so did this quietly without disrespecting the instructor.

After class when everybody had left, my buddy and the senior student brought me to the instructor and asked what to do if they run into somebody who's got some decent knife fighting skill. Instructor says, "Hopefully you don't run into someone like that, but if you do, kick em in the nuts and run".
 
Hilarious!!! A friend of mine had been trying to get me to a KM class for months! After he came and trained with me in Filipino Martial Arts, and asked again I reluctantly went with him to satisfy my curiosity and get him to shut up.

From an intensity standpoint, I absolutely loved it. No room to breathe with constant pressure. However, technically, I did not agree with many of the techniques especially because I'm not that big of a guy.

After a few practicing some multiple opponent attacks with firearms and knives, my friend and one of their senior students got very frustrated training with me. They asked why they kept getting cut when I was one of the attackers. I told them that FMA knife fighting techniques are much more concise and tighter. Granted, whenever I go to another school or train other styles, I always try to remain as humble and respectful as possible so did this quietly without disrespecting the instructor.

After class when everybody had left, my buddy and the senior student brought me to the instructor and asked what to do if they run into somebody who's got some decent knife fighting skill. Instructor says, "Hopefully you don't run into someone like that, but if you do, kick em in the nuts and run".

hahah Nice story bro.
 
meh. im going to try it before i decide. i really still believe any martial art can be usfull in self defense situation.

though im telling you BJJ would not be on the top of my list for self defense. one of my concerns is mutliple attackers and bjj isnt designed for that
 
I'm just curious, I want to hear your guys' opinions on this.

There is a difference between poking someones eyes out, ripping off their eyes, and punching them in the throat than fighting in MMA
 
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