Israeli Fighting by S. C. Coleman (book recommendations .txt) 📕

Summary

DISCLAIMER: THIS BOOK IS NOT PROMOTING KRAV MAGA. THERE IS NO SPECIFIC MARTIAL TEACHINGS OUTLINED IN THIS BOOK. FURTHERMORE, THIS IS ONLY DESIGNED TO EXPLAIN THE CLOSE QUARTER COMBAT METHODS DESIGNED AND USED BY THE ISRAELI PEOPLE.

People like to fight, it’s our nature. Israel is a great example of a country built around combat. Israel currently faces conflict daily, surrounded by people that want them dead. If it weren’t for the fighting styles created out of Jewish suffering the nation of Israel would not be what it is today. In fact, Israeli probably wouldn’t exist without a forge to harden the will of its people. This short book will give descriptions of the different combat methods used by the Israeli people. Haganah, the precursor to Krav Panim El Panim, is described here. Also, this short book will describe Krav Maga, its creator Imrich Lichtenfeld, and the origins of this Israeli Martial Art. The most important combat system used to today, Krav Panim El Panim, will be the focus of this manifesto. Which method is most effective of the Israeli systems? This book is intended to expand the horizons of understanding and show there is more to Israeli close quarters combat than just Krav Maga.

 CHAPTER ONE: Krav Panim El Panim

The evening was pleasant; this was the evening of one of my martial arts classes, with my Instructor Will Figgins and the Gordons. To this day the events of this evening are foggy in my memory, but they most likely went a lot like this.

“Would you guys like to hear a story?” Will said, on fire with something to tell us. The dojo was quiet with the day being uneventful as we replied yes. “A car suspected to have terrorists in it was driving down a street. My Instructor Albert Timen was the operative sent to check it out. Albert circled around the car, keeping out of sight of those inside, and crept to the passenger door. Wrenching the door open, Albert saw the man inside with a bomb vest strapped around his chest. Albert pulled the man from the car, while the man was fumbling with his detonator, and Albert quickly knocked the detonator from his hand. Albert pinned the man to the ground and forced him into submission with a move called the nailing technique.” This technique is a move that inflicts high amounts of pain by thrusting the thumb into the side of the victim’s neck.

The Kapap System (Krav Panim El Panim)

Kapap (Krav Panim El Panim) is a system of combat based in effective simplicity, which can turn anyone into a fighter in a matter of weeks. Kapap uses the knowledge of closest weapon nearest target. This means that the closest limb or object to a weak point on a target, like the face or neck, is the one that should be effectively and quickly used. In further explanation, a practitioner should us a hand closest to the opponent for striking. Kapap also uses the neutral stance, which is a combative posture with the purpose of de-escalation, while also preparing the entire body for, or against, an assault. This combat system is heavily based in intense and realistic situations. A person’s reasoning and physical ability would normally be impaired by dangerous. Not only would a person’s body potentially freeze in an intense situation, but cognitive processing is also diminished. The implementation of drills, simulating intense situations, allows the practitioner of Kapap to be comfortable in a real situation of peril. Kapap is neither a defensive nor offensive combative system; instead it is entirely based on simple reaction. It is, as one might say, a counter-offensive system. The ability to determine and eliminate the primary threat is Kapap. Take for instance this scenario, a man attacks a person with a knife. It is not the man attacking with a knife that is the primary threat, it is the knife. One’s mind cannot process so many moving parts. The scenarios must be broken down. Why is this necessary? When a reflexive action is taken by the body, the subconscious and peripherals are used. These physical processes require a simple objective. To take the knife is to disable the primary threat. The primary threat then changes to the man is still able to attack. Once the opponent’s ability to attack is removed, by controlling his movements through a dominant position, the attacker must be disabled for good. The primary threat then changes to the fact that the man is still standing. The Kapap system breaks down the different parts of a highly intense situation, with multiple variables, into a manageable situation that can be survived.

The Kapap Academy

The Kapap Academy, founded by former IDF operative Albert Timen, is based in the United States and is an international instruction institute that operates and is represented in more than 20 countries. The Kapap Academy is the best place to learn the Kapap combat system and is staffed with many experienced teachers in counter terror combatives, LOTAR, including former police and military instructors. The phrase “better to be a student of reality than a master of illusion,” Albert Timen’s motto, describes the essence of Kapap and the Academy. The word Kapap was originally used when the Nation of Israel was founded. The Pal’mach, the first Israeli Special forces used Kapap and trained the Jewish army against the Islamic nations that surrounded and wished to destroy them. The Pal’mach became the Israeli Defense Force when the surrounding countries of Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and the Palestinians, attacked the newly formed nation of Israel, hoping to destroy Israel. The IDF and the army of Israel, who were trained in Kapap, beat back the Islamic nations and pulled off something seemingly impossible. Kapap is an acronym for Krav Panim El Panim, which means Face to Face combat in Hebrew. Because of the constantly evolving nature of Israeli martial arts, to accommodate the rapidly changing systems of warfare, the term Kapap was abandoned. At least until Kapap Academy began using it to pay homage the highly effective system that fought back the Islamic nations surrounding Israel not so long ago.

CHAPTER TWO: Haganah

Most martial arts styles, or combat forms of any kind, are surrounded by mystery. To understand these different arts the practitioner must throw out stereotypes and many legends, since they can create falsehoods of what is possible within the art. An example of stereotypical falsehoods lies within the Jewish history. The stereotype of weak and unreasonably pacifist Jewish people, created by the wrong perception that, because so many Jews died during the holocaust, they must have freely gone to their deaths at the hands of the Nazis. Whether this is true or not the Jews being a weak and ignorant people, going like lambs to the slaughter, is false. Many Jews fought against the Nazis, even escaped from concentration camps. This early Jewish resistance movement was known as Haganah.

Early Israeli Defense

The word Haganah, meaning defense in Hebrew, was first used to describe a Jewish fighting force in the early and middle nineteen hundreds. This group became the main defense of the Jewish people through the British mandate of Palestine and the oppression by Hitler, and the Nazis. It was Haganah that set up the Pal’mach, and is the main reason the Jewish people are around today. Haganah didn’t only describe the Jewish fighting force, but also the style of combat used. Haganah was an early martial art that taught the ability to survive in any situation, and trained for any situation.

Influence of Haganah

Many combat styles and systems alive today were inspired by Haganah; these include most of, if not all, the Israeli martial arts and Russian martial arts. Many Jews inhabited Russia and the countries surrounding it, which naturally caused the spread of Haganah into Russian martial arts. The Emigration out of Russia and surrounding countries during Hitler’s rule, among other factors, caused a split in the already diverse Haganah and inspired the creation of many new styles and combat systems.

CHAPTER THREE: Krav Maga

The word Krav Maga is a term encompassing many different Israeli martial art styles. This word is not specific, since many Krav Maga styles teach different techniques and philosophies. One main philosophy taught by many schools of Krav Maga is aggression, which is not necessarily a good way to defend oneself. Simple reaction is how Kapap, and many true street based styles, teach not being attached during a high stress situation. This causes the practitioner to be able to react appropriately in such a situation. This appropriate reaction deals with not being tied down by emotion, or over thinking an intense situation. In fact, often our mind gets us into trouble. Being able to detach our mind and do what is needed gives us the ability to survive almost any situation.

Imrich Lichtenfeld: Creator of Krav Maga

Today Krav Maga is taught in many different countries, in many ways. Krav Maga was created by Imrich Lichtenfeld, who grew up in Bratislava, Slovakia, and competed in wrestling, boxing, and other combative sports. He learned that the world of sport martial arts and street based martial arts were vastly different. Sport martial arts did not train in dealing with a live situation, while street based arts did. Soon he began building his own skills and ideas to prepare for the street, and around 1940 he immigrated to Palestine to escape Nazi controlled Europe. In Palestine, Lichtenfeld began teaching members of Haganah and Pal'mach in his ideas and methods. Krav Maga is better known