Krav Maga Mind Training

By Moshe Katz

Where is your mind when you are training? What are you thinking about? What should you be thinking about?

I will tell you exactly what you should be thinking about, so pay close attention, Fare attenzione (Italian), Venimaniye (Russian) Sim lev (Hebrew).

Your mind should be nowhere in particular. Shut it off and lose yourself in the training.

Now I am not talking about technique learning, then of course you must be focused and pay close attention. I am referring to when you are working on your drills; your kicking, punching, full contact knife defense. I am talking about when you must drive yourself physically.

If you have a teacher, that is great. Just surrender to his/her control, be a robot, do as he says. If he says kick, you kick until your legs can move no more, if he says punch, you punch until your hands bleed and can no longer move. Man, I miss those days.

So what do I do these days, I will blast something like AC/DC singing "No mercy for the bad if they need it." Or "Evil walks behind you, evil sleeps beside you, evil talks arouse you, evil walks behind you."

Maybe I will hit myself in the head with…

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Faith in Technique

Moshe Katz writes:

Have Faith in your Technique.

One of the principals in Krav Maga training is having faith in your technique, believing that it will work. If you are not sure about your technique, if you are not confident that it will work; you will not give it one hundred percent, you will hesitate and the technique will not be effective. This in turn will reinforce your lack of belief or confidence in the technique. You will become convinced that the technique is not effective. You must never let this happen.

For any technique to work, it must be executed with confidence and spirit.

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Defended Myself and Didn't Get Hurt

I was at a convenience store speaking to the owner when, like a whirlwind, a man comes into the store. He came in shouting expletives and seemed to be angry at the world. He appeared to be 6’ 4” tall and probably weighed 260 lbs. He definitely was an intimidating figure.

As the man moved towards the counter, where I was standing, he turned to me and said, “Do you have a problem?” I said, “No.” as I stepped to my right keeping a watchful eye on this guy. The man was on my left.

As he continued with his ranting, he abruptly turned and threw a punch to my head. It happened so fast that I had just enough time to move my left hand and arm up to the side of my head to absorb the punch.

Instinctively, I did what I’ve been trained to do in Krav Maga: go on the offensive. So, I spin to my left, grab his right upper arm with my left hand and slam my right forearm into his face. This drives his head back violently.

Still grasping his upper arm, I slam my right forearm into the right side of his neck near his trapezius muscles. Driving myself forward and applying my weight, I grab the back of his shirt at the nape of his neck. I am now controlling him.

I deliver two arrow-like knee strikes to his liver with my right knee. He curls over writhing in pain.

I move my right hand from the back of his neck to the top of his head and push it down as I deliver an upward knee strike to his face. I feel his body go limp.

I release my grips and throw a right uppercut/left hook combination to his head. He drops to the floor holding his bloody face in his hands. He is now in the fetal position moaning.

Poof… back to reality. I visualized this entire scenario while I was in the convenience store. I feel bad about the unsuspecting guy that came into the store to buy a lottery ticket. He took a heck of a beating from me and didn't know it.

As was mentioned in an earlier post, your subconscious mind does not distinguish between what is real and what is imagined. This kind of exercise is a good tool to have in your training toolbox.

When you’re in a parking garage, elevator or store - any area - practice visualizing a real confrontation. Visualize how you might try to de-escalate it and if to no avail, how you would handle a physical response.

It’s a good way to exercise your mind and practice your skills. Plus, you’re able to walk away from the incident unscathed.

10 Ways to Learn Quickly

The following is from the Fighter's Fact Book, by Loren W. Christensen.

1. Repetitions

According to Casey Eberting, a teaching professional for golf:

What I have learned, and what studies mention, is that it takes a certain amount of time for the body to learn simple motion…. I, therefore, recommend for my students to practice a new motion for at least three to four weeks… before moving on to something new. If you do any less, you run the risk of not learning the motion, or you may only partially learn it….

2. Mental imagery

When you mentally rehearse techniques, you educate your subconscious mind so that it later directs your body to reproduce what you rehearsed, whether you are in your training center or a self-defense situation. This works because your subconscious mind doesn’t distinguish between reality and imagination.

3. Verbalize the technique to someone

4. Verbalize to yourself

5. Train with a partner

6. Unstructured practice

This consists of sparring and drills that are not prearranged.

7. Shorter training sessions

This refers to doing one to three 20-minute workouts a week outside of your regular class.

8. Listen to slow learners

Some people are naturals which makes them hard to emulate. Your best bet is to emulate the people that had to sweat and strain to get where they are today. The people that had to figure out the best training regimen for their average or below average genetics.

9. Don’t do the same thing every day

Rotate the exercises in your training for optimal results.

10. Have a training objective

By developing a plan of attack for your training, you enhance your concentration as well as your ability to learn. By having a clear objective for each training session, whether it’s solo, with a partner or in your regular class, you go into it more motivated and stay motivated for the entire session.

So… you’re standing at a train station

…and a man waving a knife threatens to kill and rob commuters. In my occupation - particularly in my area of expertise - we call this a high-risk low incident scenario. In other words, it is a very dangerous situation, but it very seldom happens. Nevertheless, we have to be trained how to handle the situation.

Only two Saturdays ago, our training center conducted a 4-hour knife defense seminar. I am sure attendees of the seminar are feeling the same way I am right now after hearing or reading about the Newtonville train station attack. And that feeling is… I am glad I attended the seminar!

More stabbing headlines
Life sentence over knife in skull

A Reason for Learning and Training Hard in Krav Maga

"On Monday, August 25, 2008, Jennifer Hall was brutally attacked by two homeless people on the South Side of Chicago. Out celebrating her 36th birthday with fiancé Joe Hoffman, Jen was viciously kicked in the head until she became unconscious… an unprovoked altercation that left Jen lying in a pool of her own blood with only four teeth left in her mouth."

Visit the following website for more information about Jennifer Hall's story: http://www.thewalkingmiracle.com/