For those who have been training Krav Maga with us for a while, you will agree that it is pretty easy to do some significant damage to other human beings. What we teach here at UTKM is not just the “self-defense“ portion of Krav Maga but also a complete fighting system originating from Israel. We, the instructors, know how to get you angry and aggressive. We know how to awake your inner beasts. There are moments when you hate us so much that you wish you can get your hands on us, and sometimes you do get your chance when we play the “Bad Guy. “ Aggression is rewarded and action is praised at UTKM.
However, we also tell you to stay calm and not let your emotions take over. Fighting is probably one of the most emotional and tiring things you can do in your life. Many Krav Maga schools emphasize on going into a rage and going “animal”, but they do not understand that an animal does not always fly into a rage when they fight, kill or hunt down other animals. Perhaps the small one does when it is cornered and fighting for its dear life, but have you seen a wolf going crazy when it hunts down a deer? A wolf has feeling like us but not in hunting time nor fighting. A wolf is not angry at the deer but it is simply hungry. It is aggressive when it needs to kill but not because it is in a rage. We should be like predatory animals.Remember Krav Maga is a complete fighting system for the Israel Defense Forces not just a Self Defense System.
We fight when we choose to fight and we flee when we choose to flee. We throw our punches, head butts and knees not because we are going into a rage but simply because we are aggressive and need to neutralize the threats. We are calm, cool and collected.
Why do we need have a calm, cool and collected head? First of all, you need to be aware of other attackers and going into a rage will only increase your tunnel vision and you will lose your tactical awareness. You also need to think straight in order to plan your exit or be ready to fight the second or even third person. Secondly, you have to control your inner demon. People are just people and each one of us is capable of doing great evil. Remember the time someone says something nasty about your loved ones or that bully who pushed you around in high school? Each one of us has an experience that will make our blood boil. Your inner demon fed on those feelings; anger, pride, jealousy, sorrow, hatred.
” Now imagine suddenly someone is pulling a knife on your child and you witness it. ”
The biggest difference between you and most other people is that you are capable of doing systematic harm to your fellow human beings. In this case an attacker with a knife. The question is not how you are going to defend your loved one, the question is what are you going to do after you finish the defense. Would you say the thought of doing something horrible to this horrible human being never cross your mind ?
There will always be stupid and bad people out there. It is not your job to teach them a life lesson because you will lose more in the end; maybe not in the pub or the street, but definitely in the court. Be aggressive, stay calm but keep your inner demon in check.
Written By: Borki Ben Yony
Edited By: Warren Chow