Through the years, students have asked me what it is like to perform a perfect defense – and/or to have mastered Krav Maga.
This type of question typically comes up during the first few months of training. The short answer is…I have no idea. I’ve never performed a perfect defense, nor do I fancy myself a Krav Maga master. In fact, the more I study, contemplate, and train – the more I discover the flaws in the performance of my defenses, and the more I understand what must be done to move towards improvement.
To put a fine point on this idea, I’ll simply offer the following – the consistent movement towards improvement is the ideal intention a Kravist can hold. In this intention, the Kravist is both “happy and hungry.” The Kravist is happy to be on a worthy path today, yet hungry for the gains that training and the reflection pursued tomorrow will bring. As an instructor, I encourage my students to take some measure of satisfaction in simply putting effort into training – that is, doing the right thing for the right reasons. In this, you should give yourself permission to be happy about the path you are walking and hungry to do more.
With regard to “perfection,” I encourage my students to see a Krav Maga defenses as a means to an end. In other words, we should all train with the intention of self-defense and preservation. In short, we must think of a successful defense as securing life and quality of life – as the ultimate goal (perfection!). Thus, we must all train in such a way as to consider how well the defenses we are making efficiently achieve the realization of the principles of Krav Maga – specifically, the addressing of danger, the speed and power of the counterattack, the quality of control, and the effectiveness of the finish. The truth of this is evident.
Lastly, to take the imperfection of the human condition and apply it to the idea of perfection can lead us astray and obfuscate the real goal. However, if the Type A folks out there want a definable goal of perfection in Krav Maga…explore what the words, “walk in peace” really mean. That’s outright perfection.
