I did two plus years of krav maga pretty religiously, to green belt level. I got this book, and I would say it is very good. It is the only book out there that details basic krav maga techniques, and for that, I think we should thank the author. I was a bit surprised to hear the Israeli guy say it is not real military krav maga, because I trained several times here in the U.S. with Israeli Seals and paratroopers and I see no real difference between their system and what David teaches (plus, the krav maga I learned is the exact program designed in Israel by Imi for the IDF). Yes, there is a lot of "politics" in martial arts (!), and yes, it is very "par for the course". The author states that he travelled to Israel to learn krav maga, so I also found it odd that someone would say he doesn't know the "Israeli version of krav maga". I found this book to be a really solid intro. to krav maga. It is just, there is nothing like the intensity of a krav maga class. If you have been in a class, the intensity is just so real and important, and you can't get that from a book. I recall doing like 30 seconds of hard knees into a pad someone was holding, with 3 krav guys yelling at me to "stay in the fight". I recall being in a darkened room, with people with pads pushing in on me, with my eyes closed, and someone yells "gun !!", and you have to fight your way out past the people and find the gun guy and defeat him. I recall the adrenaline, the stress, the sweat. You of course can't get all those "military" things in a book, but you can at least see the krav maga program. I think this book is a good introduction to krav maga.
I have studied various martial arts for years. I was fortunate enough to have had an instructor early on whose primary focus was practical self-defense, in other words, what would actually work in a street fight, mugging, ambush, etc. The techniques in this book are the same I have learned over the years. They are practical, and they work. The thing about this book I was happiest to see was the instructor's admission that: in a fight, you're going to get hit/hurt, possibly more than once, and that you must defend yourself to the best of your ability while striving to end the fight as quickly as you can with the appropriate amount of force (you're not going to immediately gouge the eyes out of some drunk who's a little overly friendly in a bar, but you may need to if he follows you out and tries to rape you). I also like the fact that he has included reality: it may take several blows from you before your attacker succumbs. Don't just hit a man once in the throat; hit him as many times as you safely can. Overall a good read, and if you can remember and apply these techniques in a crisis situation you're ahead of the game, but it still doesn't take the place of taking a class in a martial art and feeling what it's like, under controlled conditions, to actually block someone's strike, grapple with them, punch back, etc. But remember and apply these techniques if necessary, and this book very well could save your life.
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I typically don't get involved in writing reviews of products. But I felt it was my Amazon civic duty to inform all who are interested, that the material covered in this book is clear and thoughtfully presented. Compared to the Imi Sde-Or (Lichtenfeld) book, the author takes an approach more oriented to the civilian. The book will make an excellent addition to the library of a beginner or intermediate Kravist or for anyone interested in the system.
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Being the author of several books on the martial arts and fighting, I am always looking for books of exceptional quality to add to my library. If I have a book in my library, it's definitely worth owning. One such book is David Kahn's, "Krav Maga."
After a brief introduction, David gives you a good basic overview of Krav Maga including some of its history. From here he goes right into a section on philosophy, which is very good, and one in which I would have to agree with about 90% of what he has to say.
The next section in the book gives a good overview on the proper mindset needed in order for you to prepare yourself for combat. Something a lot of books fail to do, but not this one. David also gives you a basic understanding of the vital/vulnerable points on the human body.
David's next section is rather brief to my liking, but still a good overview on the basic principles involved in striking correctly for maximum effect. This section covers such strikes as; punches, palm heel strikes, elbow strikes, and eye gouges. There is also a small section on blocks and parrying as it is called in boxing.
The following section covers various lower body strikes and kicks along with kick defenses, which include deflections, blocks and grabs. This next section was particularly interesting in that it discussed close combat fighting and techniques essential to this section. Such as; falling, crawling, clinching, takedowns, defenses against tackles, etc.
The escape section was very enlightening as David covered the basic principles of escape from basic grabs, chokes while standing, chokes while lying down, head locks, hair grabs, and bear hugs.
Like most books that try to cover too much in one volume, I feel that the sections themselves although very well done, tend to be too brief on the proper execution of each individual technique. However, having said that, this is to be expected as the scope of this book is intended as a basic overview of the complete system, not a single volume devoted to one particular technique.
The only fault that I have with this book is the fact that I would have preferred actual photographs for demonstrating the techniques, rather than illustrations. I felt that a lot of what David was trying to explain got lost with the use of illustrations compared to if he would have used actual photographs.
The book continues with a brief section on basic strategies, which I found to be very solid. It then finishes with a basic training section which covers stretching, training programs, a 12 week training routine, and sparring.
Overall, this is a very good basic overview on the art of Krav Maga, and one you definitely want to acquire, especially if you decide to join a Krav Maga class. And that is not a bad idea at all.
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This book is AMAZING. I've often been a critic of martial arts books because it's very hard for me to learn from books. The creators of martial arts books don't always make it easy to learn from their books either...and let's face it, some martial arts don't lend themselves well to book form.
David Kahn has OUTDONE himself with Krav Maga: The Contact Combat System of the Israel Defense Forces. The format of this book is very eye catching and uses a lot of bold text, boxed text and special sections to hold the readers attention. While much of the material can be considered "basic self-defense" by some standards, I found myself learning a new perspective on every nearly every page. Even though I've seen these techniques before, I had never seen them packaged and categorized in the way David has done it.
I'm going to make a bold statement here...I can actually learn Krav Maga from this book! That's right! We all know that going to a class is the best way to learn any martial art. But this particular book even surpases DVD's in my opinion in an applicable way to learn effective self-defense.
I try nearly everything that lands on my doorstep for review. I enjoy a lot of it, but nothing, not one thing on this website has impressed me the way this simple book did. I wish I owned 50 copies and could give them out to family and friends.
If you follow what David is saying and practice in the SUPERB way he has it laid out, you will learn self-defense and Krav Maga. I am following David's 12 week program right now and I will finish it. I was VERY sore after the first day which was a suprise! This isn't just a fitness program or something, you are drilling the techniques and building muscle memory.
Summary: I have quite simply never come across a martial arts book THIS inspiring and THIS good...ever...period. It's a MUST READ for anyone concerned about self-defense, fitness or Krav Maga.
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Like many other difficult subjects, infertility is often taboo even between close friends. Lisa's memoir creates a platform from which these issues can be discussed. Her story is endearing with moments of gentle humor and humbling honesty. It really presses the reader to think about the way our culture defines womanhood, and what happens to a woman's identity when she finds she cannot reproduce. This is a definite discussion starter for your next women's reading group pick.
