Krav Maga: the ugliest way to defend yourself

Gian Spencer is a cop, a decent Italian, he takes his career and his public service seriously, but he’s a very funny guy. However tall, not burly-looking. He always brings humor to everything around him. When he’s not in a police officer’s uniform, he could pass for a janitor. When he dresses for Sunday mass, he looks like a Wall Street guy. That’s Gian Spencer, cop and KravMaga artist.

With the name, there is a person who has everyone’s fear of being attacked in dark alleys. With such a profession, there is a person who knows how to maintain peace and order. With Krav Maga, there is a beast that shows no mercy for raiders and any other individual who exhibits sinister plans on him or anyone in his sight. That’s Gian Spencer, cop and KravMaga artist.

It is like most of us. What makes him stand out is his confidence that he can protect himself, his family and his closest circle in unforeseen attacks by criminals, with or without weapons. Gian Spencer is the embodiment of a normal person and the warrior we all want to be when threatened.

Enough of Gian and let’s talk about Krav Maga. It means “contact combat”, it is Israel’s official melee combat system, used for decades by the Israel Defense Forces. Designed as a simple and efficient art of self-defense, “Krav” is an effective and brutal technique used against unprovoked attacks; in the first he can learn and be skilled, in the second he can go anywhere since criminals do not lurk in particular territories. Those tactics that prohibit the usual martial arts, allows Krav Maga. From those nasty groin kicks to the even nastier eyes, from the lethal elbows to the throat and the cruel twisting of the neck, Krav Maga teaches it and enthusiasts practice it. If this sounds cruel, it is. If you think it has the element of street fighting, well, hell yeah!

So are there rules in Krav Maga? Yes there are. And there is only one. “Do not get hurt.” This is the strong statement from Josef Belsari, owner and trainer of Belsari Brothers Martial Arts Academy. “When your only concern is surviving an attack, why should you consider simply pinching your attacker on the nose?” By the way, Josef is only five feet five inches tall, wears glasses, and works at the local library. His two older brothers scoff at his soft talk, and his two sisters always amuse themselves with his collection and constant humming of Bon Jovi songs. Nothing about Josef talks about him being a Krav Maga artist until provoked or when those close to him are in danger.

With Krav Maga, you don’t get those dance moves to thwart your enemies, and you don’t get those “was on, off” tactics to take down criminals. Josef Belsari and Gian Spencer are a strong testament that protecting yourself isn’t about those moves and kicks and lots of dialogue you see in martial arts movies. Both of them would immediately follow this statement saying that most martial arts are sports oriented and designed to win competitions and tournaments only. With KM, what makes you a winner is that you truly defeat any attacker, whether they are pointing a knife at your face or showing biceps the size and pulse of a rhino preparing for an attack.

While other martial arts grant you a skill level belt or any other form of recognition; his only rewards would be to be able to weaken an attacker or, in most cases, to be able to move freely and with the confidence that he can handle any aggressor. Krav Maga workouts are informal and eclectic, liberating for many beginners as you progress through conditional exercises and calisthenics, routine combat practices, and then different techniques are adapted to the different dangers posed by any attack.

Your instincts and your physical form are your best weapon in Krav Maga. When you’re in a fight, just a few moves from Krav and your enemy is down and begging for mercy. No more of those punching or kicking exchanges, just instant retaliation from your body and voila. The moves used in Krav are simple but leave your enemy defenseless. Ugly? Yes.

You may be wondering why this form of combat is taking shape and why KM videos are always selling out. It’s because the truth is about all other varieties of martial arts. They work well in the movies, but they never work in a street attack. Since the military and law enforcement agencies have used Krav Maga in their operations, it does not mean that only people in uniform can protect themselves and their loved ones from attacks. You should be able to do it too.