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Tons of arguments about the efficacy (or lack of efficacy
) of Krav Maga.
To echo what some have already posted, Krav Maga is indeed subject to McDojo-ization, but it ultimately boils down to the legitimacy of the instructors at the local schools. At my school, we do plenty of sparring, randori, and mix up the two from time to time. I cross-train in BJJ (blue belt), Judo, and wrestling (nearly a decade of experienc), been to a few Bas seminars now, believe in Geoff Thompson's approach. One of our other instructors is a green belt in MT and jitzes as well, so we have a good comprehenisve background to bring to the table.
Man! There's no sparring at your school! That sucks.
I've taught Krav now for nearly 3 years, been a student for nearly four. Not gonna try to sell you on it, because it mostly boils down to what you're looking for, your goals, and what the instructors are willing to offer.
A good Krav instructor should convey that Krav is not the end-all be-all; never was. Like Dominic stated, its about trying to end a fight quickly to go home safely. And by ending the fight, I mean disrupting an attack long enough to find the opportunity to escape, not simply KOing or tapping people out, which is ridiculously unlikely considering some size and athletic disparities. Some folk here might thing its cowardly to turn and utilize nike defense, but if is what gets you home in one piece at the time, then I endorse it. That's the perspective I convey when teaching at least.
One of the pluses in Krav are the weapon defenses (hand gun, knife, stick). They are highly effective IMO, yet imperfect (what systems out ARE perfect), and I always premise teaching these techniques telling folks that sh!t is FUBAR if it gets to this point there is high likelihood thay you may be injured from this point on (I think anyone teaching weapons defenses without disclaimers is a charlatan). The down side is that most schools don't teach these until more advanced levels, but again, I don't have a control of national standards for curriculum.
OoosunkingooO, to sum up, you have to know why you are looking to train in the first place. Try the place out and see for yourself. Do they teach weapons defenses early? Do they offer a fighting program? Is there grappling/BJJ/Sub wrestling offered? Also, are you an LEO? There is a separate curriculum that takes more of a law-enforcement tactical approach to the techinques (I'm unfamiliar with the curriculum so ask the instructor). I've been to several schools nationwide, and have seen good krav and bad krav. If you're looking to compete or MMA, and its not offered at this school, then you might want to look at other gyms.
kaewkaew,
LOL there are always peeps on these threads with agendas. Have you trained in Krav before? I agree that the manner it is marketed on the large scale is suspect, but I have no control over that. I DO KNOW that here were we train, the so-called soccer moms don't normally hang around long, for different reasons. Our most experienced students are males with decent standup and ground skills.
Personally, I'm not a fan of those instructors giving KM a bad name either.
I'm done here. Unfortunately, this is such a controversial subject that it usually spirals into mudslinging "my kung fu is better than yours" nonsense. Good luck, OoosunkingooO, in whatever you decide to do.
Flame away!!! I'll see y'all in the grappling forum!!
