How to Use This Book

This book is a valuable resource that will absolutely improve your knowledge of Krav Maga and make you safer, but in the end it is only a book. To complete your knowledge, you need to take the information contained here and apply it with a partner, slowly at first and then with increasing speed and aggressiveness. As we noted earlier, techniques are the beginning of your understanding, not the end. Try the techniques as described in this book and use the principles to create variations that are comfortable for your body. Obviously, you will get the greatest benefit from training with a certified instructor. Our certified instructors have the knowledge to teach you the technique itself, and then show you how to apply it under varying degrees of stress. You can find a list of locations certified by Krav Maga Worldwide at www.kravmaga.com.

Along these lines, please remember that a book offers its own limitations. We cannot describe every “what if” situation for every type of attack. If we did, the book would be enormous, expensive, and confusing. In many of the techniques, we describe follow-up counterattacks or movements. These are, for the most part, recommendations rather than requirements. If you feel that a knee is more effective for you than an elbow, throw the knee. Or, better yet, pick up a stick and use that! Our message here is simple: If you take every word in here as gospel, you will gain knowledge, but it will be rigid. That isn’t our point. Focus on the principles as much as the specifics.

If you have previous martial arts experience, then we offer you a proverb from Eastern martial arts: In order to fill your tea cup, you must first empty it. In other words, approach these techniques with an open mind. In the end, you will probably incorporate those you like into your own collection of techniques. This is fine with us, but please remember that Krav Maga is an integrated system whose movements are designed to work with each other, not necessarily with movements from a totally different system.

The Organization of This Book

We have organized this book to mirror the belt, or level, system we follow in our program. While we don’t wear colored belts in our classes, we do use terms such as “yellow belt” and “orange belt” to describe each level of the system because these terms are familiar to people who come from the martial arts world. In our schools, you’ll often hear these divisions referred to simply as “Level 1,” “Level 2,” etc. Below, we’ve listed the belt color, corresponding level, and the main area of emphasis for each.

Belt level area of emphasis

Yellow 1 basic combatives; choke defenses.

_{Orange 2} intermediate combatives; bearhugs; introduction to groundfighting; basic fighting skills.

Green skills.

3 intermediate combatives; intermediate groundfighting; intermediate fighting

_{Blue 4} advanced combatives; gun defenses; stick defenses; advanced fighting skills, advanced groundfighting.

_{Brown 5} advanced combatives; knife defenses, long gun (rifle) defenses; advanced groundfighting.

The next level after this is Black Belt, which involves additional material such as third-party protection, hostage scenarios, and multiple attackers. Because we can only fit so much into one book, we have elected to stop this book at Brown Belt, or Level 5. You will find, though, that this material covers the most likely attacks you will see on the street.

A Note Regarding Stance: Throughout this book, we have assumed that the defender is either in a passive stance, or in a left-leg forward stance. We prefer a left-leg forward stance for right-handed people. In other words, we have our strong side back. Our reason is simple: Most attackers (especially with a weapon) will attack with their right hand. We want to block with our left and counterattack with our strongest weapon—our right. Once you’ve mastered these techniques, you should try them from an opposite fighting stance. We require all our black-belt candidates to perform every technique from both stances—but remember, they are testing at a very high level. The average person interested in defending herself will face a right-handed attacker using his right hand most often. If you train for that situation, the odds are you will learn to deal with the most common attacks.

Left-leg forward stance.