Contents
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Pagebreaks of the print version
KRAV MAGA COMBATIVES
MAXIMUM EFFECT
BY DAVID KAHN
YMAA Publication Center
Wolfeboro, N.H., USA
YMAA Publication Center, Inc.
Main Office:
PO Box 480
Wolfeboro, New Hampshire 03894
1-800-669-8892
ISBN: 9781594396816(print) ISBN: 9781594396823 (ebook)
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
First edition. Copyright 2019 by David Kahn
Editor: T. G. LaFredo
Proofreader: Doran Hunter
Cover design: Axie Breen
Photos provided by David Kahn unless noted otherwise.
This book is typeset in Adobe Garamond Pro.
Publishers Cataloging in Publication
Names: Kahn, David, 1972 author.
Title: Krav maga combatives : maximum effect / by David Kahn.
Description: First edition. | Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, USA : YMAA Publication Center, [2019] | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: ISBN: 9781594396816 (print) | 9781594396823 (ebook) | LCCN: 2019936923
Subjects: LCSH: Krav maga. | Krav magaTraining. | Self-defense. | Self-defenseTraining. | Hand-to-hand fighting. | Hand-to-hand fightingTraining. | Martial artsTraining. | BISAC: SPORTS & RECREATION / Martial Arts & Self-Defense. | SOCIAL SCIENCE / Violence in Society.
Classification: LCC: GV1111 .K254 2019 | DDC: 796.81dc23
The author and the publisher of this book are NOT RESPONSIBLE in any manner whatsoever for any injury or negative effects that may occur through following the instructions, materials, and advice contained herein. It is recommended that before beginning any treatment or exercise program, you consult your medical professional to determine whether you should undertake this course of practice.
Warning: While self-defense is legal, fighting is illegal. If you dont know the difference, youll go to jail because you arent defending yourself. You are fightingor worse. Readers are encouraged to be aware of all appropriate local and national laws relating to self-defense, reasonable force, and the use of weaponry, and to act in accordance with all applicable laws at all times. Understand that while legal definitions and interpretations are generally uniform, there are smallbut very importantdifferences from state to state and even city to city. To stay out of jail, you need to know these differences. Neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility for the use or misuse of information contained in this book.
Nothing in this document constitutes a legal opinion, nor should any of its contents be treated as such. While the author believes everything herein is accurate, any questions regarding specific self-defense situations, legal liability, and/or interpretation of federal, state, or local laws should always be addressed by an attorney at law.
When it comes to martial arts, self-defense, and related topics, no text, no matter how well written, can substitute for professional hands-on instruction. These materials should be used for academic study only.
BECAUSE NOT ALL KRAV MAGA IS THE SAME
IMITATION IS THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY.
Charles Caleb Colton
Contents
Better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war.
SUN TZU
I decided to start my foreword with a quote from Sun Tzu, one of the greatest minds in history, regarding combat. Since the time of Sun Tzus writings, to be sure, the art of combat has evolved. As an individual, the need to be prepared to meet todays threats in a volatile world has never been more relevant and prevalent. As a combat veteran, I proudly served in the United States Air Force for over twenty-four years as both an enlisted member and officer. While on active duty, I served alongside some of our nations most elite, skilled troops, having taken part in missions in pursuit of our nations high-value tier-1 targets. Hand-to-hand combat was an integral part of our specialized training. I also grew up under some trying circumstances that required me to protect myself from street violence. Accordingly, I gained many reality-based insights about what will work and, equally important, what will not work to defend oneself against both serious social and criminal violence.
Upon retirement from active duty, Israeli krav maga became the focus of my combative studies under David Kahn, chief US instructor for the Israeli Krav Maga Association (Gidon system). With a strong understanding and conviction that not all krav maga is the same, I have learned an invaluable hand-to-hand combat skill set from David. It has prepared me to face todays violent threats that may confront the everyday citizen. Krav maga was birthed in the violent Middle East by Imi Lichtenfeld. Its teachings still hold true today through the instruction of David Kahn. Davids krav maga instruction offers a practical and tactical system to identify, prevent, and, if required, neutralize a threat in a highly efficient and effective manner, using economy of force. This book builds on the foundations set forward by Imi Lichtenfeld and expanded by tenth-dan Grandmaster Haim Gidon, Israeli Krav Maga Association. I wholeheartedly endorse the pages contained within.
Captain (Ret.) Sean P. Hoggs I
US Air Force veteran, Air Force Special Operations command
We are proud to present Krav Maga Combatives: Maximum Effect. Once again, we thank the many readers and krav maga enthusiasts who have contacted us about a latest book in the line. This book is designed to both supplement and complement our previous krav maga books and video instructional materials. The goal is to explain and depict krav magas core combativesto show how to apply them for maximum combative effect within the legal parameters of self-defense.
In this sixth book we continue to expand the readers self-defense fighting arsenal based on Israeli krav magas core combatives as taught by Grandmaster Haim Gidon. This book is designed for a legally responsible person to use optimized combatives to improve his or her chances of surviving an unarmed or armed attack without sustaining serious injury. These combatives stem from my translation of technique guidelines from the Israeli Krav Maga Association (Gidon system).
An irrefutable fact is that one need only learn a few combatives to be an effective fighter. Simple is easy. Easy is effective. Effective is what is required to end a violent encounter quickly and decisively on your terms. For self-defense and fighting purposes, a universally well-known fundamental principle is to attack an opponent as fast and as hard as one can.
But aggression, speed, and force arent necessarily enough. How you use your combatives is crucial. Particularly salient for krav maga self-defense is the observation by the great physicist Albert Einstein: If you dont have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over? In other words, if you dont stop an attacker in the first instance, you may not have the time or opportunity to incapacitate him before he does egregious harm to you. This book stresses doing the right things and doing them in the right way. You may not have another chance. The simple maxim applies: do it right the first time.
Whenever I return from Israel, I come home with a solemn respect for avoiding unnecessary violence at all costs. By unnecessary violence, I mean any confrontational situation we can walk away from without having to physically preempt or use counterviolence. I emphasize this point for two reasons. First, the only fight you are sure to win is one you avoid. Second, paradoxically, I am naturally repelled by the level of violence our krav maga is designed to wreak in a matter of seconds. I have no desire to maim another person unless that person is determined to inflict egregious bodily harm and cannot be deterred otherwise.