Suggestions for Krav Maga

hey, this question is mainly for Miss Parker and those of you with experience with Krav Maga…

a buddy of mine is interested in going somewhere for a seminar for this, but i really have no idea where to suggest for him. i’ve heard that the instruction for KM varies wildly, and i personally wonder how much he can learn in 2-5 day block of training. i’ve trained with this guy before, and he has a little training in BJJ (that i’ve taught him) and in LEO defensive tatics, so i wouldn’t say that he has much of a base, although he is in great shape.

anyway, thanks for any future input!

Well, like you said, the instruction varies WILDLY, as it does in most martial arts.

If they’re teaching simple comabatives moves that are easy to learn and that he can practice himself to keep up and stay sharp on, then it could be very valuable.

If they’re trying to teach MMA style fighting but throwing some Jewish phrases in there to make it sound like krav, then he’s not going to learn much.

I would check out the teachers as thoroughly as possible.

[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
Well, like you said, the instruction varies WILDLY, as it does in most martial arts.

If they’re teaching simple comabatives moves that are easy to learn and that he can practice himself to keep up and stay sharp on, then it could be very valuable.

If they’re trying to teach MMA style fighting but throwing some Jewish phrases in there to make it sound like krav, then he’s not going to learn much.

I would check out the teachers as thoroughly as possible.[/quote]

yeah, i hear ya…

i know he’s really interested in training in this style (esp with it’s applications to LE), but i kind of suspect he’s not gonna get much out of a small block of instruction, especially if he can’t train on it afterwards to maintain the skill.

I took classes for 6 months, but I had 2 years experience doing MMA type training. The problem with most is learning a good fighting stance, which of course lends itself to all the moves Krav teaches. With that said, learning the initial striking and defensive postures do not take that long. But 2-5 days?

Also, solo training is difficult in Krav, as in BJJ. Someone holding pads and correcting form are really helpful.

The highlight of the classes were always the “stress drills”. They would turn the lights off and send your partner somewhere in the room and you had to find them with pads on and attack the pads with strikes (usually the strikes you learned that evening) or fighting off several people with pads with music blaring and the lights off.

These were like sparring sessions without sparring. Really brought out the flaws in technique, just like sparring in BJJ does. The reason I bring that up is that participating in these drills with a large group of people seemed to me to be the glue that brought these techniques together and made them real world for me.

My 2 cents.

[quote]cycobushmaster wrote:
hey, this question is mainly for Miss Parker and those of you with experience with Krav Maga…

a buddy of mine is interested in going somewhere for a seminar for this, but i really have no idea where to suggest for him. i’ve heard that the instruction for KM varies wildly, and i personally wonder how much he can learn in 2-5 day block of training. i’ve trained with this guy before, and he has a little training in BJJ (that i’ve taught him) and in LEO defensive tatics, so i wouldn’t say that he has much of a base, although he is in great shape.

anyway, thanks for any future input![/quote]

You mean he’s looking to find a seminar somewhere to take that’s a sort of an “intro to Krav”? I’m not aware of anyplace that does those kinds of seminars of that length, really. Is he looking for instruction in Iowa or is he willing to travel? The lower level techniques in Krav are quite simple to learn, but like any of this stuff they are perishable skills, so he needs someone to practice with. What is his goal: self defense, putting another tool in his toolbox, or maybe just exploring styles?

If you let me know this stuff I can help you find a reputable Krav Maga place he can go to. If he has general questions regarding what Krav is about, or about particular techniques, he’s welcome to PM me any time or just jump on this thread & I’ll answer his particular questions.

KM is IMO basically a scam. I’ll take a guy who boxed for two years or even a high wrestler over a “KM master”. You are in Iowa, one the best places for MMA, send him over to a real school, please.

[quote]krazylarry wrote:
KM is IMO basically a scam. I’ll take a guy who boxed for two years or even a high wrestler over a “KM master”. You are in Iowa, one the best places for MMA, send him over to a real school, please. [/quote]

well, i disagree that it’s a scam…i think it’s very applicable to LEO and military types, as well as people looking specifcially for self defense.

prolly not a good idea if you wanna compete, though

just my opinion.

[quote]Miss Parker wrote:

[quote]cycobushmaster wrote:
hey, this question is mainly for Miss Parker and those of you with experience with Krav Maga…

a buddy of mine is interested in going somewhere for a seminar for this, but i really have no idea where to suggest for him. i’ve heard that the instruction for KM varies wildly, and i personally wonder how much he can learn in 2-5 day block of training. i’ve trained with this guy before, and he has a little training in BJJ (that i’ve taught him) and in LEO defensive tatics, so i wouldn’t say that he has much of a base, although he is in great shape.

anyway, thanks for any future input![/quote]

You mean he’s looking to find a seminar somewhere to take that’s a sort of an “intro to Krav”? I’m not aware of anyplace that does those kinds of seminars of that length, really. Is he looking for instruction in Iowa or is he willing to travel? The lower level techniques in Krav are quite simple to learn, but like any of this stuff they are perishable skills, so he needs someone to practice with. What is his goal: self defense, putting another tool in his toolbox, or maybe just exploring styles?

If you let me know this stuff I can help you find a reputable Krav Maga place he can go to. If he has general questions regarding what Krav is about, or about particular techniques, he’s welcome to PM me any time or just jump on this thread & I’ll answer his particular questions.[/quote]

well, i guess i’m not sure what he’s looking for…i think he’s looking for a training class, maybe something like an intro. however, the more i think about this and read through, the more unrealistic his expectations are, unless he is able to train afterwards…

i’ll talk to him and tell him to stop being dumb.

Ha, not a good idea at all if you want to compete, I don’t believe. We’re self defense & LEO/mil only. I understand they’re actually planning some kind of Krav fight competition in a ring or octagon or something…I’m not sure I see the value in this yet, but it hasn’t happened yet either, so I’ll hide and watch, as my mama used to say.

I know the general consensus on these forums has been that seminars are of little use, but I disagree with that. I tend to really only retain a couple of things out of a short (weekend or less) seminar, but adding these outside items to my toolbox has always proven to be of value. I also tend to take loads of notes at these events, which help me retain the information I find most useful. May I ask what city your friend is in?

[quote]Miss Parker wrote:
I know the general consensus on these forums has been that seminars are of little use, but I disagree with that. I tend to really only retain a couple of things out of a short (weekend or less) seminar, but adding these outside items to my toolbox has always proven to be of value. I also tend to take loads of notes at these events, which help me retain the information I find most useful. May I ask what city your friend is in? [/quote]
Sorry to interrupt, but how do you take notes at seminars? I’ve tried to do this, but have a hell of time doing this. Trying to write down what we worked on, what I learned, etc. at breaks when you’re dripping with sweat and still gasping. End of the day and I can barely remember my name sometimes. Any tips for note taking at seminars?

/hijack

[quote]blackhand wrote:

[quote]Miss Parker wrote:
I know the general consensus on these forums has been that seminars are of little use, but I disagree with that. I tend to really only retain a couple of things out of a short (weekend or less) seminar, but adding these outside items to my toolbox has always proven to be of value. I also tend to take loads of notes at these events, which help me retain the information I find most useful. May I ask what city your friend is in? [/quote]
Sorry to interrupt, but how do you take notes at seminars? I’ve tried to do this, but have a hell of time doing this. Trying to write down what we worked on, what I learned, etc. at breaks when you’re dripping with sweat and still gasping. End of the day and I can barely remember my name sometimes. Any tips for note taking at seminars?

/hijack[/quote]

i’ve seen people use video or audio recorders…

the last seminar I went to, the instructor allowed it video’ed, but not posted to the webz.

We’ve never been allowed to video, I just keep a small (like 4x4 inches) notebook & pen as close as possible & jot down things while the instructor is talking, or while someone is asking a question I don’t care so much about. You will find your partner will be patient enough to wait a second for you if you promise to email him your notes.

I use a lot of abbreviations/my own shorthand. Sometimes it’ll just be a 3 or 4 words, but I leave a few lines between each note so I can go back & fill in later that night or the next day while the memory is still fresh. However, I will admit to seeing a scrawling of mine once in a while & thinking, “what the hell was I trying to say?”