Krav Maga: How to Defend Yourself Against Armed Assault
by Eyal Yanilov, Imi Sde-Or

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Book Reviews of Krav Maga: How to Defend Yourself Against Armed Assault

Book Review: UPGRADED REVIEW
Summary: 4 Stars

I have to apologise if I seemed overly critical in the last review because I have over 15 years experience in specific anti-gun and anti-knife techniques so when I looked at Krav Maga I didnt think wow something that really works! I thought mistake, bad foot work, wrong position elbow, what if attacker does this, telegraphed movement, approach from wrong side etc..

However after thinking about it, compared to what other books are out there it is quite good. Certainly what I have learnt in my training I have NEVER seen in any book. For me KM was nothing new. It was a good read and interesting and gave me an insight into the psychology and social history behind its development. Maybe I should write a book  seriously, maybe I will.

Kjetil Moland you asked what techniques I advocate against guns, knives and sticks  I recommend techniques similar to Krav Maga  but when I saw the KM techniques I picked them apart, I forget that what I know is not widely practised. I made specific points in my other review. THERE ARE SHORTCOMINGS IN THE TECHNIQUES IN THE KRAV MAGA BOOK. If you cant pick up on them then you need more experience. Coat your practise knife in paint and see where you get cut. Karate, Taekwondo, Ju Jitsu, Judo, kickboxing, thaiboxing are inferior to KM for real world self defense (although Ju Jitsu should not have been too bad) they all have their own strengths but in all that I have seen of those you mentioned I have never seen adequate real world techniques taught. 4 of those you mentioned are purely sport and the other 2 are a combination of sport / traditions and none of them strictly taught without any pure real-world self defense practise are adequate for the real world  you should know that.

p24 Stab to the Stomach from the Side, Oriental Hold, Forearm defense. Anyone skilled with a knife will immediately twist with the knife and slash the veins along your forearm, retreating and driving the blade down into your throat. Even if the attacker has no knife skills and just lunges at your stomach, you would be lucky if the knife was short enough to not hit you regardless. Either way you have put yourself in the path of the blade. Do you honestly believe that after blocking with your right forearm you are able to then move your right arm and grab the same position on the attackers wrist with your left hand while he stands there not moving? He has a huge knife, any movement he makes with his arm is leveraged with the length of the blade. Slash your forearm, hook it up into your armpit or bicep, not to mention your throat, the knife wielding attacker has the advantage of reach speed and leverage (not to mention the sharp edge) and the KM guy is basically saying dont stab my gut, stab my throat instead.

You would be far better off initially trapping the arm by deflecting it to your right, leaving you on the outside of the attacker (on his right hand side past his arm) and able to break his arm at the elbow or drive him down.

However after criticising that technique I will say this: what they show IS instinctive, simple, easy to apply even in for example a really crowded place with people all around, easy to learn, and most importantly could well save you especially if the person attacking you is just some ordinary guy with a knife trying to stab you, and not a trained killer (with a cool head, knife skills and a deliberate intent). More likely than not, if you practise these KM skills, then in that situation your trained reflexes will save you and give you the edge over the attacker (the last thing he would expect is a competant counter attack).

Also I would point out that many martial arts, if you had learnt them instead of KM, you would have the reflexes to block the initial stab but you probably would not instinctively grab the knife etc... like KM would teach you. The traditional martial arts generally do not give adequate training for real world events. KM does fill the gap quite a bit. I am sorry if I seemed overly critical before but remember I didnt look at KM and think gee I never saw this before

If you do not think you can defend yourself against knives, guns, sticks (or grenades  something I hope I never encounter) then you would probably learn a great deal from this book  and then you must practise it a lot as realistically as you can. Get it, get a friend, practise practise practise  experience is the real key. Practise until it is second nature and then practise some more but with chaotic unpredictable opponents (not just rehearsing) (like the reviewer who mentioned going all-out with pads). Tell your partner: "Take this knife and kill me or die."

Dip the practice knife in paint. Use a water pistol with food dye in it. Make no excuses. And dont go thinking KM is the be all end all just because youve never seen techniques like these before. Everyone loves to think their martial art is the best and to pretend to themselves that because their technique is superior they will be OK  dont fall in that trap, practise, learn what is useful and what works.

Good luck and may you never have to use these skills.

I also recommend Bouncers Guide to Barroom Brawling - an accurate account of street fighting, however it does not have many illustration or specific techniques like Krav Maga does.

Summary of Krav Maga: How to Defend Yourself Against Armed Assault

Safety & First Aid Books

• Subjects > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Safety & First Aid
• Sports & Outdoors > Individual Sports > Martial Arts