Krav Maga: An Essential Guide to the Renowned Method--for Fitness and Self-Defense

No matter what it says on the cover, no book is going to teach you any martial art. The only way to truly learn a martial art is the hard way: train with someone good. Also despite any system’s reputation, or what the devotees of that style tell you, no one style is completely superior to the others. If that were the case, there’d only be one martial arts style practiced today.

What David Kahn presents in this book, Krav Maga: The Contact Combat System of the Israeli Defense Forces, is more of a look at the underlying philosophy of the style and some of the foundation techniques than comprehensive manual for the style. It will give you some feel for the types of moves expected and does provide some training exercises that will help show more any martial artist. If you are beyond the beginning level in any self defense form, you can benefit from some of the techniques shown here. More advanced students with backgrounds in more than one style may also recognize that Krav Maga is a mixed martial arts form and uses techniques borrowed from many styles.

According to Kahn, the founders of Krav Maga tried to make the moves instinctive and flow from natural responses. In reviewing the techniques presented, they all do indeed seem to follow natural movements, but there is an emphasis on power. Kahn stresses that Krav Maga is not magic, you must work at it and incorporate regular exercise into the training routine. The final two chapters are devoted to this topic and are a good guide to developing your own fitness routine.

Reading this book is not going to make you into a black belt, not even if you practice the moves daily. This book will help you decide if this style is a possible choice for your life style and what you want out of knowing self defense. Like Krav Maga itself, the language of the book is very clear, concise and devoid of anything superfluous. The illustrations help explain the style very well. Any discussion of the philosophy behind the style is confined to coping with an attacker and does not veer off in any mystic direction. Altogether, this adds up to an excellent introductory book for anyone interested in Krav Maga. show less