Winning in Self Defense Means Having Specific, Directed Objectives.

I often ask my students what the most important principle of Krav Maga is during self defense. It’s a trick question, because the answer is, “the one you’re on.”

There are no “throw away” self defense principles in Krav Maga. Rather the principles come together to provide a blue print that creates a viable defensive response. And, while I define the word “winning” in the self defense context as…surviving with your quality of life intact…the truth is survivors of violent crime rarely go back to the quality of life they once enjoyed.

So, a winning strategy for self defense, in this context, is one that increases the probability that the defender can quickly end a violent encounter without serious injury. And, with this in mind, I’d like to offer the following strategy: (1) Your initial defensive movement must definitively defeat the initial violent attack, while (2) placing the defender in a position to powerfully launch and land his/her own counter attack.

When approached in this way, the emphasis and explosiveness focused on the first two principles of Krav Maga (address the danger & counterattack) must be focused on and mastered. This simple and seemingly obvious conclusion is often discarded as students begin to focus on technical issues in defense – while ironically, the key to making technical issues/movements much easier to access under stress is found in the two keys enumerated above.

Check out the video below for more details, and walk in peace.

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  1. Pam Daft

    great video! very helpful.