As a former IDF soldier and a Special Agent in one of Israel’s security agencies, I’ve learned the importance of martial arts as a supplement to your rifle or pistol. Learning Krav Maga was hard, and the question that always remained in my head was ”why in the world will I need martial
arts if I have my rifle and pistol on me at all times?“ I came across people who considered themselves black belts in Smith and Wesson and some other forms of excuses to undermine martial arts, but everything has changed after the third Krav Maga session I took with the Israeli Defense forces. Just like any other session, we began with a strenuous warm up that continued with a safety briefing. Then, we were introduced to nonlethal knives, bats, pistols and rifles for demonstration purposes, and soon enough we were instructed to try to defend ourselves with our firearm of choice against a determined perpetrator (which at the time was our training partner). After the second try to use a firearm against a knife or a bat it was clear that the use of firearms against cold weapons in close proximity is impossible. This is where Krav Maga is coming very handy.
At the end of the 15th session, Krav Maga was second nature to us. We’ve learned to identify the situations where the use firearms is appropriate versus the use of soft/hard hands. We’ve also learned to use our firearms during Krav Maga which seemed to makes a lot of sense.
Retiring from the Israeli Defense forces and becoming a civilian only emphasized the importance of martial arts. In the real world, perpetrators have the element of surprise which requires defenders to act quick and use proper judgment in seconds. Some scenarios will justify the use of deadly force if a certain criteria is met, but others absolutely don’t. Krav Maga is an additional skill we can use in certain situations where a firearm cannot be used while reducing the consequences involved in self-defense.
In conclusion, the use of firearms may take too long in certain situations where an attacker is located in close proximity. In those situations a cold weapon attack will always win against a firearm. There are many ways to defend yourselves against such actions, but Krav Maga will be the most efficient and natural method of operation against the cold weapon in close proximity.
At Jericho Defensive Shooting Academy & Krav Maga, we teach our trainees to use proper judgment while using firearms and Krav Maga to defend themselves or their loved ones. We accept students from all levels of skill, beginners to advanced, as well as Law enforcement units. Sign up for your first class to discover more.
Author:
Adir Rafael - Former Israeli Special Agent and Owner of Jericho Defensive Shooting Academy & Krav Maga - Charlotte, NC.
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