The actual art of Krav Maga is that which is taught to the Israeli military. That is the best, fullest, most complete system of Krav Maga.
Because of the popularity of Krav Maga, many people in the US and other places have opened schools. A small percentage of these schools are actually legitimate. There are many watered down, bad schools out there.
However, there are some good schools; the Israeli military is not the only place to learn good Krav Maga. There are some rare schools that are actually legitimate. In prder for a KM school to be legitimate, it would have to trace its roots back to the Israeli military. If it can't do that, then it's not legitimate KM.
As others have said, Krav Maga has it's strengths and weaknesses. I had the opportunity to go to an above average Krav dojo, so I am a little bit biased towards it. When taught properly it can be very effective and damaging. The civilian version of it is watered down from the military, but honestly I can't think of almost any so called "civilian art" that doesn't water things down in certain ways. It also has its good spots and bad spots. It's good spots is that when it's taught write it's much tougher than many martial arts and teaches you to fight with fear and adrenaline on your side (which if you are in a real fight, those two things are going to be the main things that are going on in your body.) It also teaches effective direct attack techniques. It has a good amount of weaknesses though, like how its basic defensive stance leaves your torso open and makes it a great target for anyone who actually knows what they are doing.
But every art has its ups and downs. Some arts fit certain types of body mechanics better than others. Some people naturally move in more direct motions so things like Krav and Jeet Kun Do may fit them better. Some people naturally move in more circular motions and it is much easier for them to have something like Hapkido as their "foundation" art.
My advice is to not decide on one style yet, but go to a couple of different dojos and test and see which one fits you the best and has good instruction with a lot of sparring. And remember, every style that is easily available is bound to have a lot of bad schools, so most all of the complaints about Krav that you are seeing will apply to all the other styles as well. Just find a good school that fits you well and dedicate yourself to it.
Others have told you pretty well what krav maga is all about.
@Bogeyman
I gotta ask man what is your problem? Are you so blinded by your own pride in your system that you can't see the trees from the forest? For a man who claims to have trained for the better part of half a century you sure are displaying no objectivity at all.
What I and Shaeeck have told you repeatedly is that it's damn hard to find a quality krav maga school. I don't understand, do you agree with that or not?
You keep inviting people to come and take a look at the place you train. Why? What's the point? Let's assume that the place you train at is off high quality. Congratulations. Now what? There are still thousands, upon thousands of other krav maga schools that are not off high quality.
Should I recommend people to take krav maga because there is one good civilian krav maga school out there? But what if they don't live close by that school? Then they have to settle for a $hit one.
I find it weird that you haven't seen how bad some of these schools are. You ask Shaeek not to generalize and that she can't possibly know how all schools like like. True, but neither can you. But at then end of the day I don't why I'm arguing with you. When someone can't see how bad civilian krav maga has become in general there is nothing to talk about. You're completely blinded by what's in front of you.
Krav Maga is kind of like eating at Burger King. It's not bad, but it isn't anything special and there are plenty of other things more interesting that you could be enjoying. It doesn't have much substance to it, but people still partake in it anyway even though there are far better substitutes out there. It has all the things you need in it, but none of those things are of real quality or are really going to do anything particularly good for you.
Krav Maga will teach you all sorts of basic gross motor functions without any real refinement and then they'll send you out thinking you're a badass, eye gouging, ball grabbing machine of a human being when really you're just as much a LARPer as a "Ninja".
Never done it before but based on youtube videos of "krav maga demonstrations," it looks very static, unrealistic, and marketed towards people who are ignorant to how fighting works.
Most Krav Maga schools are watered down rubbish. It is taught to military and not applicable to civilianised world as much so the style has become weakened rubbish, with 25000 new schools opening every day they are mostly garbage.
IF you can find a genuine instructor then it is amazing to learn but they are all going to tell you they are amazing instructors. If you do find a good instructor it is worthwhile for most people to learn some of the system.
If you want to learn some basic self defense fast and not dedicate yourself to learning a martial art then Krav Maga is the way to go. If you want more knowledge then go to a legitimate martial art.
I found KM as disrespectful of other styles and dilusional of its own abilities. I also feel it teaches some poor traits and disregards its duty of care to its students. but this is my personal opinion
Now watch all the thumbs down i get by the delusional thinking "krav maga" wannabes.
but atleast what i have said is truthful. - like any art you can get bumps and bruises and the harder and more realistic you train the better you are for real life.
"Cry in the dojo- Laugh on the battlefield"
EDIT>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>...
You tell me how the style has not become watered down. When it was first promoted here you had to be 16 years old to even attend Krav Maga classes because of the way in which it was constructed. NOW they have 4 year olds training it. Now im not saying that there is anything wrong with children training but what i am saying is that is proof in itself that Krav Maga is watered down.
My brother is in the military here and he and all his friends when to Krav Maga here and left laughing at how ridiculous it is. So this is the point in which i am making.... I am not saying that ALL places are like this.. I am an avid fan of people learning it Provided they find the right instructor. Because it has just become another crap marketing tool just like TKD did and now what BJJ did. It is watered down rubbish in comparrison to the legitimate academies of these styles..
This is the opinion of many people and it wont change anytime soon. This couple with the fact that i havve so many times been disrespected by the fact that every KM person claims it to being the rainbow that shines from gods a*s and all others are inferior is complete rubbish that makes KM hated by much of the MA community
So get over yourself that i say that all places are like that, i am saying it is hard to find a real place because most of it is all crap. Then giving people the illusion of being able to defend themselves from knife attacks by being aware and attacking the attacker all within 6 months of training WOW that was the biggest load of rubbish i have ever heard in martial arts. So yeah lots of people are bitterly dissapointed in KM not just me so dont go attacking me for my views
@flipflopsrcool, If you are training at a Krav Maga center and you don't get bruises you are at the wrong KM school. The intensity of legitimate Krav training demands the most realistic instruction and execution of the training, short of cause debilitating damage to the students and training partners. Go see for yourself, and if it's not what you like then that is your choice and you should find a system more suited to what you are trying to accomplish. BUT, find the school closest to you and see what they are doing before you take the word of someone who had a bad experience in one school.
http://www.KravMagaAlliance.com then click on the affiliates tab.
And now I must apologize for using your question for the following, but what needs to be said, needs to be said...
@ Shaeeck, You know Shaeeck just because your personal experience with a particular KM training center was not up to snuff doesn't mean KM is "rubbish". The disrespect you experience from that KM instructor does not reflect the opinion of KM Alliances founder John Whitman, nor does it give you the right to disrespect KM as a whole (which you and others have done on these boards). Mr. Whitman respects all martial systems because he understands that what KM is constructed of is from all other martial arts systems. It is not KM that is rubbish it is the instructor(s). Yes learning a traditional martial arts system is more satisfying in the long term, but KM accomplishes a goal... self preservation. Again I will reiterate that it is not the system of Krav Maga that is a "fail", it was that instructor. And as you know there are many instructors just like that in every MA system. They are commonly referred to here as "McDojos".
Yes I gave you a downward thumb, not because I don't think you have some valid points, but because you come here and blather on about the weakness of civilian KM training as if you have all knowledge and experience in the matter. I would recommend you go to the KM Alliance website and put in a contact message to Mr. John Whitman, tell him of your experience and your concerns, he will be glad to know if there is a school that is not meeting the true KM standard of training. He trains with the IDF for his training instruction, and he trains military and law enforcement groups both inside the U.S. and internationally. He takes his purpose and his reputation as the founder of KM Alliance VERY seriously.
I recognize you said "most" but I disagree with that as well. Have you been to "most" of the existing KM schools? I would contend that it is a better choice of word usage to say "some". I don't know if you've noticed but I do not disrespect ANY other systems either. That is because I have my foundation in traditional arts but found them to be restrictive in their adaptation to variables, and limiting in their approach to application over style and form. They were not suited to me so I choose a different path, but I do NOT, EVER, say they are rubbish! Or crap!, Or $hit!, as so many others on this forum are so inspired to do in regards to KM. Not everyone here, but those who do know who they are. I am a traditionalist when it comes to the core of the Martial Way. I would gladly present and meet any challenge inspired by the level of disrespect that is shown to the Krav Maga system. Because to disrespect Krav Maga is to disrespect Imi Sde-Or (Lichtenfeld) the creator of the Krav Maga system; Darren Levine, direct student of Imi Sde-Or and founder of Krav Maga Worldwide (first Krav org. in the U.S.); and John Whitman, former V.P. of KM Worldwide and co-author of "Complete Krav Maga" w/ D. Levine; as well as every other legitimate KM instructor including myself, and my instructor Mike Kassebaum. I would expect the same type of response from you and others here if I were to degrade your, or their, system based on the failings of a single instructor and limited contact with the system itself. Am I mad?... Yeah, you could say that. I have had other students and instructors around my area actually come to our school to demonstrate how effective their system is over Krav. The end game is always the same, intense unrestricted, adaptive, hand-to-hand vs stuck in a rut, can't think outside the box sparring, they have all left with a new respect for a system they knew little to nothing about. And I STILL don't talk down about them to others, they were not ready for Krav when they came, and some have even joined us afterwards.
I will always try to be respectful, even in my criticism of other systems, because I understand it is not the system that may have "failed"... it is the practitioner and their instructor that has "failed". And I dare you to show me "25000" licensed schools that have opened on ANY day. To so blatantly make such a false statement is so far beneath anyone who would claim to be a Martial Artist it leads one to believe the integrity is not lacking in THEIR system, but in them as an individual. Just because you study a martial system does not mean you have understanding of the Martial Way, nor does it make you a Martial Artist. It just makes you another person in some dojo.
@flipflopsrcool, again I apologize for occupying your question. And if I knew your location I would gladly give you the contact information for the closest KM school in your area. Like I said previously, KM accomplishes a goal...Self preservation. Try it for yourself and see if it is what you are looking for.
Edit: @ Shaeeck, I do understand EXACTLY what you mean by "watered down", and what you are describing and what the video reveals are testimony to the "rubbish" you speak of. I don't pretend to think that all KM schools are legitimate, nor are all the legitimate ones of quality. My contention is the generalization of KM itself that would lead the inexperienced person to view it as a total perception rather than based on the individual school or instruction itself. At our school, as is supposed to be with our affiliates, no individual under the age of 16 is allowed to train in Krav Maga without individual consideration of their awareness of consequence to action. And even then it is limited to persons no younger than 15. Some schools teach what is know as "KM for kids" which is a very basic curriculum of the most basic techniques involved in defense of bully threats, abduction, etc. My instructor does not bother with it because he feels the basic curriculum is almost identical to the basic techniques in the Songham TKD program he teaches to kids. And I said I recognized you said "most", I never said you said ALL, but I still contend it is "some", not most. And I will agree with you that anyone, ANYONE, who says they can teach someone effective gun/knife defense in 6 mos. is full of ****. That is why I recommended you go to the KM Alliance site and leave a contact message for Mr. John Whitman. I guess I could have been more clear, I was asking for your help in getting this type of thing corrected. I don't mean to "attack" anyone, and I apologize for it seeming so, my frustration got the better of me. I spend a lot of time working to rebuild the image of a system I would trust my life to because of the weak representation of others. I do hope you will accept that I am trying to uphold a system that I KNOW works. I chose KM because it is best suited to my CMS background, and I guess I am one of the lucky ones for finding the instructor I have. I would like to ask you to contact me, if you might be so inclined, by checking my profile and sending me an email contact. Once again, it is not personal, it is just that I know this system works even at the civilian level of instruction (when taught correctly), and again I apologize for any offense you may have taken, but please understand I also felt offended at the generalization of the KM system you presented. I would hope to ask that you might describe it more precisely as you have in your "edit" response. Please contact me, I would greatly like to discuss martial systems and philosophies with someone who is as ardent about their views on the subject as you.
I want to learn self-defense most of all. I also want a good workout. But I heard from someone that you get a lot of bruises... are there many concerns like that
