Does Krav Maga use resistance against weapons?

[cfr]

Greetings.

Please do NOT hijack my thread and make it a "Krav Maga vs. other style" thread, thanks.

With that out of the way, I'm looking for feedback from those that have some Krav experience under their belts. So here's a summary on me: 42 year old athletic male with a fair amount of injuries. Haven't trained in two years due to a knee injury, but ready to get back at it. Trained off an on for years in a guys garage. The training was mainly a combination of boxing, kickboxing, and BJJ, but we'd also sometimes make it more like a RBSD class by:

1. Using rubber knives and trying to "cut" each other. After leaning a basic "move", the guy with the knife would come at you like a guy really would by swinging wildly, repeatedly, not leaving his arm out for you to do a fancy move on.
2. Having "no rules" rolling. You give me your back, my elbow is going to rain down on the back of your neck (gently of course).
3. etc

Since then I've moved. I have the ability to train in either a great looking Krav school, or a great looking MMA gym. I've always said that if I were ever going to do something other than MMA, Krav would be it. To be clear, my goals are fulfilling my love of training first, self defense is second. Competition is nowhere on my radar at my age, only being able to train a couple times a week, etc.

I've been watching a bunch of Krav vids online. The biggest thing I see lacking is resistance. An opponent leaving his arm dangling out for you to do a bunch of fancy moves will simply build a false sense of security IMO. I know this because I've tried dealing with an opponent quickly attempting to stab me over and over with a rubber knife, it looks nothing like the vids do, and more like a Dog Brothers sparring session. Now I realize that there's a lot in Krav that cant be done at speed for safety reasons. Training partners would be tough to retain with real headbutts to the face, eye gouges, etc. I'd also be the first to say that MMA leaves some huge holes in it for SD purposes.

All said, let me just ask: Does KM train against a resisting opponent? Specifically when training against an "attacker with a weapon"?

 

[Kong Soo Do]

I have an instructors certification in KM, and both my niece and nephew are police officers in Israel and have gone through the training there. KM can be an excellent SD system and it has a successful track record. Having said that, it all boils down to the school and the way it is taught. Your example of leaving the arm dangling out there is a classic example. Hapkido can be an excellent system of SD if taught properly...or it can be a joke if it isn't. Same goes for KM. When I was taught by Israeli instructors, well it wasn't a joke! It was painful, it was real and it was flat out no nonsense. If you can find a legitimate school that teaches that way then you'll be a happy, if perhaps sore, camper. And yes, the opponents resisted with enthusiasm. It wasn't touchy-feely or tippy-tap. It was safe, but definitely pushing the envelope. As a side note, they're firearms instructor course was the most effective, and painful, firearm's instructors course I've ever taken.

I will say this, I don't use the edged weapon tactics in KM though. Not saying that they aren't effective, but in my professional opinion the Boatman system is quite a bit better. Unfortunately, not to many of us teach it anymore.

Hope you have access to a good KM school that you enjoy.

 

[K-man]

Likewise, I am teaching Krav. As a reality based SD system it is excellent. It uses simple techniques to great effect. As Kong Soo do pointed out above, it depends on the school and instructor. We train with realistic attacks. In many martial art schools you have straight punches where the arm is left hanging, obviously wrong. In the real world someone punching is more likely to be throwing big swinging punches rather than controlled punches like a boxer but Krav does give you defence against both. Krav is a system where when you need to fight, you almost always enter to engage. Your technique most be trained with a partner who is attacking realistically. This teaches you to read body language rather than just watching for a punch, for example.

Again, like Kong Soo Do I use a modified knife training module and also I prefer the Systema approach to multiple attackers. But having said that, Krav is not a static system. It is a living system that will continue to change to suit your need.

As to training against a resisting opponent. Certainly you do. But like all training, you start with less resistance and build up as you become more proficient.

Whatever your choice, go for it. Good luck.
:asian: