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Depending on who you ask, you’ll get several different answers to the question “What is Krav Maga?” some will say “it’s a defensive tactics system”, some will say “it’s an Israeli Martial Art” , and maybe some will say “it’s a self defence system”.
Of course they are all correct, Krav Maga can be defined in a number of different ways.
“As soon as you put gloves on it’s no longer Krav Maga”, a statement I have heard many times from a variety of sources including senior Israeli instructors. I assume what they mean is that Krav Maga is fundamentally a reality based system, and training with gloves on contradicts the basic premise of the system. I can see their point. However, the bread and butter’ of the system is undoubtedly striking.
Punching, kicking, elbow strikes, hammer fists, knees etc. are the building blocks of the system.
Logic dictates that to improve in the system, you have to improve striking skills, which obviously means training!
Long established striking based arts such as Muay Thai or Boxing have honed training methods to perfection to allow participants to reach there full potential as effective strikers, and all of them involve training with some kind of strike shield, pad or punch bag. Why should Krav Maga be any different?
It isn’t. Striking practice is an integral part of Krav Maga training and we should, and do look to other striking based styles for our striking techniques and training methods. Muay Thai and Western Boxing are good examples. Both these arts rely heavily on the use of gloves for training and the reason is simple. To protect the hands. Hand injuries would occur very quickly if you attempted to hit pads or a bag at full power.
Basic striking technique can, and is usually learned without gloves in Krav Maga, but, to develop punching speed and power we need to train with gloves.
In the next blog we will look at the different types and styles of gloves currently available on the market and review a few of the most popular brands.
(Written by John Miller, Krav Maga Instructor, The Institute of Krav Maga Scotland