Analyzing Israeli Martial Arts
To understand Israeli martial arts you need to understand
the history of Israel and why the art was developed in the first place, and
to see why it must continue to evolve. You need to understand the goal of
the art. No one can sit in Los Angeles or anywhere else and teach Israeli
martial arts and claim to be the official system of the Israeli army if they
have never served a day in the Israeli army.
Remember, Israeli martial
arts was a concept before it was a "martial art".
Israeli martial arts has a history that started in the
late 1940s. During this time the Jewish people were under attack and they
were forced to fight, not so much for their culture or life style, but
simply to survive. For this reason Israeli martial arts do not use a belt
system and we do not bow to one another, not because we don't respect our
enemy, but because we do. This art was developed for "real life" survival,
not for sport.
There are many famous people and others who aren't so
famous who contributed to the history of the Israeli martial arts. One of
the most famous is Solomon Aruch whose life story was told in the movie
"Triumph of the Spirit". Solomon Aruch had to fight on a daily basis in Nazi
concentration camps to be allowed to survive. The Nazis would arrange boxing
matches and he would be forced to win or die. Their was Hana Senseh, a young
Hungarian, a new immigrant, living in kibbutz 'Sdoth Yam' who was recruited
to serve as a paratrooper in the British Army. She fought against the Nazis,
helping Jewish people in Hungary during world war two. This young brave girl
lost her life in this mission. In addition, their was Oli Giveon, the
commander of the Revengers Unit that fought the Nazis and was later
responsible for hunting down Nazi war criminals. There are legendary
fighters alive today such as Meir Har-Tzion, who helped found Paratroop Unit
101, the first Israeli anti-terrorist unit. Of Meir Har-Tzion, Moshe Dayan
said: "He was the bravest Jewish warrior since Bar Kochba. These and many
others are the people behind Israeli martial arts and CQB training".
The road to the development of Israeli martial arts and
CQB has been a long bloody road, filled with the deaths of many of those who
helped to develop it. Only someone who has no comprehension of the true cost
of its development, in terms of human life, would think about owning it or
using it for financial gain. It is alive, used for everyday survival, not
meant to become stagnant, stuck in the past. This is why we fight so hard to
see that no one person "owns" Israeli martial arts and CQB and why it cannot
be trademarked in Israel and why it should not be trademarked anywhere else
in the world.
Israeli martial arts and CQB has no one owner or creator,
it belongs to all who fought and lived and those who fought and died and to
those who continue to work to develop Israeli martial arts so that those who
use it will survive to fight another day. As you study Israeli martial arts
and CQB you need to understand the Israeli culture. You need to know about
Eli Cohen,
the Egyptian born Jew, who daringly attempted to infiltrate Syria, which at
the time controlled the Golan Heights and frequently shelled the Israeli
settlers down below. On May 18, 1965, the Government of Syria executed Eli
Cohen, despite protests from world leaders and Israel. He was never allowed
a defence at his trial. He was brutally tortured during interrogation in
defiance of international humanitarian law and his body was never returned
to his family. We are still fighting today to bring his body home to Israel.
You need to know about the 11 Israeli athletes who were murdered at the
Olympic games in 1972 (see the movie "One Day in September"). You should
also know that the first victim of September 11th was Israeli, his name was
Daniel Levin. He was in one of the airplanes taken by the terrorists and
he was the first person to fight the terrorist in an attempt to stop their
attack.
This is the history of the real Israeli martial arts and
CQB, the spirit of fearlessness and determination, the back bone from which
the Israeli martial arts and CQB training derived. So, if you want to learn
Israeli martial arts, you must learn it with the same spirit and heart of
those who developed it and continue to refine it. Don't learn Israeli
martial arts and CQB because you've seen what you think is Israeli martial
arts done by some actor in the movies or on TV., and please don't fall for
the marketing scams of those who know nothing about the spirit of the real
Israeli martial arts.
If you are truly interested in Israeli martial arts, read
on and learn more about it.
The Development of
Israeli KAPAP/CQB
Unfortunately, Israel is the most experienced nation in
the world when it comes to terrorism and that is why it has developed one of
the most valued CQB training systems in the world - the Israeli martial art
of KAPAP/CQB, whose history has been written in special ink, our blood.
The knowledge gained in developing the martial art of
KAPAP/CQB came from not only the experience of successful operations against
terrorist attacks, but many times it came by making tragic mistakes. It was
after these mistakes occurred that better techniques were developed to avoid
making the same tragic mistakes again. For this reason, the Israeli martial
art of KAPAP/CQB is about evaluation and evolution.
Even today, the weapons of warfare and self-defence have
evolved from earlier techniques and strategies. For example, a few hundred
years ago the bow and arrow was a combat tool, while today we have guns -
the bow and arrow of modern times and of modern martial arts. Just as the
arrow was once the edged weapon projected towards a target, it is now the
bullet that is the edged weapon. Instead of the bow as the force behind the
delivering of the arrow, gunpowder now takes on the same role to deliver the
bullet.
That is why today, in the evolution of Israeli Martial
arts such as KAPAP, we see guns being used as an integral part of the
training, especially when it comes to gun disarming. Gun retention, which
should be taught as one unit together. Not only is it important to know how
to disarm a gun, but you must also know how to retain it, and if necessary,
use it. We see guns and firearms as martial arts! Israeli CQB training, as
well as KAPAP, owes its development to many different individuals. Though
most of their names are missing from any list you will find, they have all
contributed to the art and that is why no one individual can claim sole
ownership of having developed it.
As with any martial art, it is important to understand
the origin of Israeli martial arts and to recognize the culture from which
it began.
For Israeli’s, the roots of Israeli CQB came from
anti-Semitism and the Nazi’s desire to kill the Jews. It is the same feeling
that some groups have today against Jews. It is this climate of hatred that
has given Israeli’s their fighting spirit, fighting back in order to
survive. This is what Israeli martial arts is all about - to do whatever it
takes to survive the fight. For Israeli’s, the reality is that when you’re
in a fight for your life it’s not important how good you look delivering a
spinning kick if there is a chance the technique will kill you. And why will
it kill you? Simply because the spinning back kick is useless and the person
you were fighting against used ugly, but practical, techniques to live
another day.
Israeli KAPAP and Traditional Martial Arts KAPAP was the
first CQB training introduced in Israel and was based on stick fighting,
knives, guns, and hand-to-hand and even stone throwing in the old days. The
idea is to fight with what you have available in your hand. For instance,
when people argue about what gun is the best gun to have or what knife is
the best knife to have the answer is obvious – the best gun or knife, or any
weapon for that matter, is the one you have in your hand when you need it.
This is also the main idea behind Israeli KAPAP/CQB. It was not developed to
create a new Ryu and lots of "new" 10th Dan grandmasters so that Israel
could have a place in the international arena of martial arts. That is why
there are no uniforms or belts or ranks or even bowing to an opponent when
sparring or training. All are considered useless because they serve no
purpose in an encounter involving a real, life-threatening situation.
An example of what occurs during a real encounter
occurred last year with a martial artist who was shot to death during a
fight in parking lot. Although he was a kickboxing champion he lost his life
to his assailant who shot him after he tried to grab the assailant’s gun.
Certainly, if it were a fight in the ring the martial artist probably would
have won the fight. However, the fight was for his life and not for prize
money. This is not to say that every encounter will end successfully, but
how you respond to a situation will depend on whether or not you have the
ability to effectively defend yourself or the mentality to accept the fact
that it is okay to run away from a situation in order to stay alive.
As mentioned earlier, Israeli KAPAP is based on
evaluation and evolution, which must be done for every technique in order to
examine it, to see if it accomplishes what it is designed to accomplish.
In KAPAP, techniques are also evaluated to determine
whether any soldier or police officer can do it and, for civilians, whether
they can be done by the weakest man or woman. The techniques must also be
easy to teach. If the individual or group has a very limited time to train,
easier and simpler techniques can be implemented to accommodate these
training needs. However, if there is time to train, better and more specific
techniques are also taught. Another important consideration for teaching
KAPAP is liability. When teaching military personnel, you teach soldiers to
stay in the killing zone and continue the assault on the enemy. For a
civilian, just the opposite applies. If after disarming a knife an
individual decides to stay in the fight and attempts to kill the attacker
there is a good chance that individual will be spending time in jail. Also,
when teaching police officers, there are other things to consider since just
about every law enforcement agency has a defensive tactics program that must
not only be politically correct, but must also meet any legal and medical
requirements before being implemented. So, although KAPAP is specific in its
application it is still flexible enough to be used in any arena to meet
liability concerns.
Today, CQB is a modern martial art while traditional
martial arts are considered older styles. It is when these two are combined,
the old with the new, that they can then be effective. In essence, modern
martial arts can't live without the traditional martial arts nor can the
traditional martial arts live without the modern martial arts. The bottom
line is, when some one is going to kick you your life is not at risk, only
your ego. However, when someone pulls a knife or points a gun at you, you
need to know how, when and if you should act. If someone says, “Give me your
money” the best defence is to give him your money. If the encounter becomes
more life threatening then you must also defend yourself. The question is -
do you have the tools to know what to do and how to do it? The Israeli
martial art of KAPAP is the self-defence system that can provide you with
these tools when your life, not your ego, is on the line.
Introduction to Close Quarters Battle (CQB) CQB can be
described as combat taking place within buildings, cars, hallways,
stairwells, rooms, enclosures, and other constricted spaces. Although CQB
training first started with military and law enforcement personnel, it is
now being taught to security unit personnel and civilians. CQB is important
to security forces because the techniques associated with CQB serve as the
foundation for recapture tactics. As a result, security units and their
personnel must have the ability to respond to a “worst case scenario” by
recapturing the asset that it is protecting. CQB can involve - individually
or collectively, hand-to-hand combat, weapons, and more. As a result, we
need to be proficient with every move. For instance, with hand-to-hand
combat we cannot assume that the enemy will freeze up when we engage him. We
need to think that he will counter our moves so we need to consider this and
be ready for it in the fight – whether it is with a firearm or with a knife.
That is why in KAPAP we include these elements as a part of the hand-to-hand
combat program.
Violent Confrontation: this term is used to describe a
meeting of two or more combatants (even if one or more is passive) where
there is the potential for or actual use of extreme destructive force. This
type of confrontation usually occurs at close range in a short amount of
time.
The SOP 9 Study: this study was conducted in New York and
examined every shot fired in the line of duty by law enforcement officials
during the course of one year. Out of a total of 2,047 shots fired that year
only 217 actually hit their intended targets and only 10 percent of these
shots hit vital organs. During interviews with the officers involved in
these shootings the majority of them commented that they never even acquired
their front sights when they engaged their target. Additionally, these
officers also experienced some or all of the following: The confrontations
took place at the range of ten feet or less with duration of less than four
seconds. During this time, fewer than five rounds were fired. * The
typical response was from the holster. * A sudden feeling of shock and
surprise overwhelmed the officers. The end result of this study showed that
the police officers were NOT trained properly enough to handle these of life
and death situations.
Now, can you imagine what it would be like for a civilian
who has even less training than these officers? That is why, for civilians,
realistic training is needed and should be conducted by experienced firearms
instructors.
Things to consider;
Psychological Aspects: Under severe stress, the normal
mental processes become extremely difficult and the mind resorts to its most
basic processes. The following are examples of psychological effects you may
experience during a combat situation or any other high stress situation:
1. Tunnel vision: Under extreme stress your attention
will primarily be focused on the greatest threat and, as a result, you will
have a temporary loss of peripheral vision.
2. Auditory Exclusion: As with tunnel vision, you will
focus on the greatest threat and will have the inability to hear for a
period of time. For instance, you will probably not hear anyone shouting at
you.
3. Electro Dermal Stimulation: A reaction of the skin
that makes the hair stand up on the arms and the back of neck.
4. Time/Space Compression: There will be a slow down in
the perceived passage of time and a shift in perceived spatial relationship
in times of high stress. This is caused by the inability to judge speed and
distance and accurately balance the two. Also, you may experience a slowing
down of time. In other words, everybody will seem to move in slow motion.
5. Mental Track: In most high stress situations, to
include life and death situations, a person’s ability to keep track of the
details of the situation taking place around him becomes nearly impossible.
In most police shootings, a police officer being debriefed after an
engagement does not usually remember how many rounds that he fired. This can
happen even in training. Therefore, as a shooter, you must learn to beware
of the number of rounds you fired so the weapon does not run completely dry
in the middle of a fire fight. This concept of awareness not only applies to
a shooting situation, but also applies to hand-to-hand combat and edged
weapons.
Physiological Aspects: Regardless of how much training an
individual has certain studies, along with the SOP 9 study; show that during
a combat situation, one or more physical changes take place in an
individual’s body. That is why proper training is necessary to help minimize
certain aspects.
The following are examples of physiological effects you
may experience during a combat situation or any other high stress situation:
1. Pulse and Breathing: In any excitable situation, pulse
and breathing will always be affected. Your heart rate increases and your
breathing becomes rapid and shallow.
2. Adrenaline: This is nothing more than a hormone that
stimulates involuntary nerve action. The amount of stress you are placed
under will depend on the amount of adrenaline released into the system. When
adrenaline is released into the body, it stimulates the muscles. This causes
them to tighten. Depending on the individual and the situation, this is more
than adequate to affect an individual’s shooting position or fighting
position.
3. Coordination and Reflexes: Under any type of stress
hand and eye coordination degrade severely, especially the coordination of
the hand and fingers.
The Chemical Cocktail reactions just discussed are the
result of the body’s survival response to a potentially lethal situation.
When suddenly placed in a life-threatening situation, the body will dump the
below listed chemicals into the bloodstream and mix with sodium. This
“chemical cocktail” creates an imbalance characterized by general muscle
tightening and loss of fine motor skills.
This chemical cocktail includes:
1. Epinephrine: An adrenal hormone that stimulates
automatic nerve action (fight).
2. Nor – Epinephrine: A hormone that is formed naturally
in the body’s nerve endings during times of fear (flight).
3. Cortazol: A crystalline hormone released to the body’s
nerve endings during times of fear (fight).
The body’s reaction: The body’s response to this
imbalance by releasing potassium to counteract the effects of the sodium.
However, this process takes time and slows our ability to react. As a
result, we must always seek to minimize the impact that this chemical
cocktail has on us in order to improve our reaction times. We can do this by
training to maintain the proper “mindset”.
Mindset is a term used to describe an individual’s state
of mental readiness to act or react to a stimulus in our environment that
ensures survival. This proper combat mindset is neither learned nor can it
be taught, it must be developed from within. The tools you need for proper
combat mindset can only be exposed in a schoolhouse environment to help you
to develop yourself.
The breakdown of the
mind:
Conscious Mind: The conscious mind is the thinking part
of the mind. It takes seconds to make decisions when using this part of the
brain. In any type of combat situation the conscious mind’s decision making
process is too slow to keep you alive. The conscious mind is a hindrance
causing you to have to react to every situation instead of acting.
Sub-Conscious Mind: Reacts to situations. This part of
the mind works in quarter seconds, which is much faster than the conscious
mind. It has to be trained in order for it to work properly.
When training, the skills being learned need not only to
be simple, but sound and effective. The sub-conscious mind is only developed
through proper repetition (muscle memory) in training. You must strive for
perfection each and every repetition. If you train poorly, or if the
training is too complicated or too detailed, when the sub-conscious mind
takes over it will not be able to respond properly to the situation. What
occurs is the conscious mind identifies the situation, realizes it cannot
handle it, and then turns it over to the sub-conscious mind to react. That
is why we say that in any type of combat situation a person must rely on his
training in order to survive.
The Optimum Combat Mindset: Optimum combat mindset is the
state of mind where you have prepared yourself mentally (both consciously
and sub consciously), physically, emotionally, tactically, and technically
to endure the rigors of combat for prolonged periods of time and under
extremely adverse conditions, and still remain effective.
Developing a Combat Mindset: Like the body, the mind
needs to be conditioned to respond or function properly in combat. When
faced with a combat situation you want your mind to be free of distractions
so that all of your focus is on the mission at hand – such as getting out of
a situation and if it’s at the killing zone, killing the enemy and surviving
the encounter). You need to be mentally prepared for death and injury and
you need to go into the fight prepared for the worst. For instance, if you
find yourself in a knife fight you should expect to get cut or if you go
into a shooting you should expect to get shot. Remember, response time is a
critical factor in surviving a violent confrontation in a CQB environment.
Do not waste time analyzing and second-guessing in an attempt to make the
best possible decision. The time that is saved in the thought process will
in turn save your life as you fight to end the fight. One of the most
important things to remember is do not forget the One Plus Rule – if you get
into a fight hand to hand, think he could have a knife, if he has a knife,
he could have another one or a gun. All the time keep alert and one step
ahead!
Make Kapap Academy rules and Swords of Wisdom as a way of
life.
The first rule is that there are no rules....
Kapap Academy "Swords Of Wisdom".
Kapap instructors don’t like to be called experts -
Remember Noah's ark was built by "amateur’s" whilst Titanic was build by
"experts".
Keep it simple.
KAPAP - Martial arts that teach Traditional - Cultural -
Contemporary Research and Explore!
Personal - teaching evaluation of techniques with no
conflicts.
Most People talk, we like to do!
Fearlessness and Determination are the key to the
fighting Spirit, the key to winning the fight!
Israeli martial arts and CQB, a concept before it was a
martial art.
Always a student, sometimes a teacher.
Better a student of reality than a master of illusion.
Any weapon – one mind.
Edged weapons do not run out of ammunition and they never
jam.
If you fight an edged weapon assume that you may get cut.
There are two kinds of fights: for your ego or for your
life. Kapap is for the fight for your life.
KAPAP agenda - we look for quality not quantity!
Because of the experience - no one can fight with
experience. Find a good teacher!
Everyone has a plan until they get hit.
Kapap-Krav Panim El Panim - The next step in Israeli
martial arts. |
