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Krav Maga: Real World Solutions to Real World Violence - Disrupt - Damage - Destroy - Disengage
Krav Maga: Real World Solutions to Real World Violence presents a no-nonsense approach to neutralizing attackers in close quarters. Author Gershon Ben Keren explains the philosophy behind the Krav Maga method, which is the basis of the Israel Defense Force's (IDF) devastating close combat system. This book lays out a systematic approach to self-defense and provides illustrated confrontation scenarios paired with tailored practical responses.
Accompanied by clear, easy-to-follow photographs, practical combat skills are described in step-by-step detail, along with the movement patterns needed to make them effective in real-life settings. All of the photos in the book were shot in real-time, demonstrating what realistic movements—both from the attacker's and defender's perspective—look like. Where applicable, techniques have been shot in the scenarios in which they occur such as bars, restrooms, ATMs, etc. The situational components of such violent incidents are explained, so the reader can learn to identify, predict, and avoid violence before it occurs.
Contents include: What is Krav Maga? Krav Maga Yashir Introduction to author Gershon Ben Keren Basic Skills (Stances, Movement, Blocking and Striking)—The Timeline of Violence; Controlling Range; Relative Body Positioning; Groin Kick; Driving Knee Self-Defense Scenarios—Knife Disarming; Gun to Front of Body; Abductions and Hostage Taking; Knife Shank; Improvised Weapons Unarmed Assaults and Dynamic Components of Violence—Preventing a Front Headlock; Applying an Effective Guillotine; Defending Knees in a Clinch and more!
Accompanied by clear, easy-to-follow photographs, practical combat skills are described in step-by-step detail, along with the movement patterns needed to make them effective in real-life settings. All of the photos in the book were shot in real-time, demonstrating what realistic movements—both from the attacker's and defender's perspective—look like. Where applicable, techniques have been shot in the scenarios in which they occur such as bars, restrooms, ATMs, etc. The situational components of such violent incidents are explained, so the reader can learn to identify, predict, and avoid violence before it occurs.
Contents include: What is Krav Maga? Krav Maga Yashir Introduction to author Gershon Ben Keren Basic Skills (Stances, Movement, Blocking and Striking)—The Timeline of Violence; Controlling Range; Relative Body Positioning; Groin Kick; Driving Knee Self-Defense Scenarios—Knife Disarming; Gun to Front of Body; Abductions and Hostage Taking; Knife Shank; Improvised Weapons Unarmed Assaults and Dynamic Components of Violence—Preventing a Front Headlock; Applying an Effective Guillotine; Defending Knees in a Clinch and more!
- GenresMartial Arts
194 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 23, 2014
53 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
Gershon Ben Keren
3 books10 followersGershon Ben Keren (Born 1972), is a Krav Maga Instructor & Self Protection Specialist, who teaches Krav Maga in Boston, Massachusetts. He currently holds a 5th Degree Black Belt,and received both his Black Belts, and teaching certifications in Israel. In 2010 He was inducted into the Museum of Israeli Martial Arts, in Herzilya, Israel. He has trained under some of the IDF's most highest ranked trainers and instructors (including Dennis Hanover, Miki Assulin, Guy Hanover and Eyal Yanilov etc), and continues to return to Israel to train.
He currently runs a Krav Maga school in Boston, Massachusetts, teaching Krav Maga to civilians, law enforcement, private security and military personnel, as well as personal security, self-protection, risk managment and travel security to corporate and private clients.
He is the author of the weekly "Krav Maga Blog" (www.kravmagablog.com), and is often sought out by media and news agencies for commentary and analysis on violent crimes and criminal activity. His school website is www.bostonkravmaga.com
He currently runs a Krav Maga school in Boston, Massachusetts, teaching Krav Maga to civilians, law enforcement, private security and military personnel, as well as personal security, self-protection, risk managment and travel security to corporate and private clients.
He is the author of the weekly "Krav Maga Blog" (www.kravmagablog.com), and is often sought out by media and news agencies for commentary and analysis on violent crimes and criminal activity. His school website is www.bostonkravmaga.com
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 31, 2019
I had heard of this particular Israeli martial arts, in which all recruits to the Israeli Defense Force are trained, but I had never read it in any depth until looking at this profile. I have to say, though, that this particular martial arts definitely appeals to me. There is no question that this particular martial arts appeals to real-world issues, and in a particularly relevant way. When you think of the sort of martial arts that gives practical tips in how an unarmed person can use one of multiple thugs as a human shield or shank an attacker with his own knife, this is definitely the sort of martial arts that is appealing to me, and would also be appealing to those who watch movies like John Wick where people improvise weapons and use the weapons of others against them. Israel is in a dangerous part of the world, and this book has no illusions about people minding their own business but finding others targeting them anyway and seeking ways to use alertness and courage in order to overcome aggressors and enemies, advice that others would do well to learn from.
This book is almost 200 pages long and is divided into three parts of unequal size. The book begins with a preface and introduction that discuss Krav Maga, then discuss Krav Maga Yashir in particular, and then discuss Gershon Ben Karen a bit more in detail. After that the first part of the book looks at basic skills (stances, movement, blocking, and striking) that make up the martial art, including things like groin kicks, rear elbows, and 360 blocks that serve to inflict pain even as they block attacks. The second part of the book is made up of a wide variety of self-defense scenarios that have an unarmed person in a variety of different scenarios including knives and guns being pointed at various arts of the body or attempts at shanking or even rear hostage situations, some of which include the advice of using improvised weapons and many of which involve techniques which would allow the defender to utilize the weapons of the aggressor against him/her. Finally, the third part of the book looks at unarmed assaults and the dynamic components of violence, including dealing with chokes and preventing headlocks, after which the book closes with a conclusion and acknowledgements.
There are definitely some people who won't like this book and what it represents. But for me, at least, this book represents the sort of mentality that Israel has about the world and it is an entirely sensible sort of approach to a nation that desires peace but has to prepare for war. Just because you want peace doesn't mean that others want to let you live in peace, and though there are ways to demonstrate that one is not an aggressive threat and seek to defuse tensions before they reach violence, sometimes other people simply do not want to let one remain at peace, and this book does a good job at providing scenarios where one can disrupt the aggression of others, damage those who would attack, destroy them and leave them incapable of aggression, whether with one's fists, improvised weapons, or the weapons of one's aggressors being used against them, and then disengaging to live another day peacefully. Not only is this an immensely appealing mindset, but it is one that I can wholeheartedly endorse on a geopolitical as well as a personal level. I suppose it is only a matter of time before this particular martial art gets the credit and respect around the world that it deserves.
This book is almost 200 pages long and is divided into three parts of unequal size. The book begins with a preface and introduction that discuss Krav Maga, then discuss Krav Maga Yashir in particular, and then discuss Gershon Ben Karen a bit more in detail. After that the first part of the book looks at basic skills (stances, movement, blocking, and striking) that make up the martial art, including things like groin kicks, rear elbows, and 360 blocks that serve to inflict pain even as they block attacks. The second part of the book is made up of a wide variety of self-defense scenarios that have an unarmed person in a variety of different scenarios including knives and guns being pointed at various arts of the body or attempts at shanking or even rear hostage situations, some of which include the advice of using improvised weapons and many of which involve techniques which would allow the defender to utilize the weapons of the aggressor against him/her. Finally, the third part of the book looks at unarmed assaults and the dynamic components of violence, including dealing with chokes and preventing headlocks, after which the book closes with a conclusion and acknowledgements.
There are definitely some people who won't like this book and what it represents. But for me, at least, this book represents the sort of mentality that Israel has about the world and it is an entirely sensible sort of approach to a nation that desires peace but has to prepare for war. Just because you want peace doesn't mean that others want to let you live in peace, and though there are ways to demonstrate that one is not an aggressive threat and seek to defuse tensions before they reach violence, sometimes other people simply do not want to let one remain at peace, and this book does a good job at providing scenarios where one can disrupt the aggression of others, damage those who would attack, destroy them and leave them incapable of aggression, whether with one's fists, improvised weapons, or the weapons of one's aggressors being used against them, and then disengaging to live another day peacefully. Not only is this an immensely appealing mindset, but it is one that I can wholeheartedly endorse on a geopolitical as well as a personal level. I suppose it is only a matter of time before this particular martial art gets the credit and respect around the world that it deserves.
July 14, 2016
This is a comprehensive guide to the Krav Maga Yashir style of Krav Maga. The fact that there are multiple styles of Krav Maga was news to me. Yashir means “straight” or “direct” and this system was founded by the book’s author, Gershon Ben Keren, drawing heavily upon Imi Lichtenfeld’s original program, but modified to make it relevant for a modern, civilian practitioner. (To offer an example of said modification, Lichtenfeld’s system presumed that the fighter was an infantryman with a pack on his back, and so the original Krav Maga avoided movements that would be hazardous when so loaded down, but that are feasible for the average civilian on the street.) The author has a scholarly background in the psychology of violence, and emphasis on the realities of violence is a recurring theme.
The book follows a typical format for martial arts books. The early pages discuss the philosophy and approach of the system in detail. The book then proceeds to discuss basics such as stance and the fundamentals of punching and kicking. Finally, it delves into progressively more challenging self-defense scenarios (unarmed, armed, multiple attacker, and from various directions) and the counters that the system offers.
The book succeeds in its objectives. The photographs are well-done and provide the requisite clarity. One particularly nice feature is that the scenario photographs are taken in realistic settings so as to reinforce the importance of recognizing and using one’s environment. Key concepts are reiterated throughout so as to facilitate learning. The organization is systematic and builds logically through progressively more challenging situations.
The biggest criticism is of some of the book’s repetitiveness. Repetitiveness is not necessarily a bad thing. It can be an important tool for learning, particularly with ideas that need to be thoroughly ingrained—e.g. self-defense concepts. However, some of the repetition in this book is more wasteful than beneficial. The scenario sections feature a textual description of the attack / defense event, and then there’re captioned photos that visually portray how the scenario plays out. The captions repeat much of the text, and they do it so close to the original text that it’s hard to imagine it being much more than an annoyance.
I’d recommend this book for someone who is considering whether to take Krav Maga classes, or for martial artists looking for insight in to the nature of this system. It has some sound general advice on self-defense that those interested in that topic might find useful.
The book follows a typical format for martial arts books. The early pages discuss the philosophy and approach of the system in detail. The book then proceeds to discuss basics such as stance and the fundamentals of punching and kicking. Finally, it delves into progressively more challenging self-defense scenarios (unarmed, armed, multiple attacker, and from various directions) and the counters that the system offers.
The book succeeds in its objectives. The photographs are well-done and provide the requisite clarity. One particularly nice feature is that the scenario photographs are taken in realistic settings so as to reinforce the importance of recognizing and using one’s environment. Key concepts are reiterated throughout so as to facilitate learning. The organization is systematic and builds logically through progressively more challenging situations.
The biggest criticism is of some of the book’s repetitiveness. Repetitiveness is not necessarily a bad thing. It can be an important tool for learning, particularly with ideas that need to be thoroughly ingrained—e.g. self-defense concepts. However, some of the repetition in this book is more wasteful than beneficial. The scenario sections feature a textual description of the attack / defense event, and then there’re captioned photos that visually portray how the scenario plays out. The captions repeat much of the text, and they do it so close to the original text that it’s hard to imagine it being much more than an annoyance.
I’d recommend this book for someone who is considering whether to take Krav Maga classes, or for martial artists looking for insight in to the nature of this system. It has some sound general advice on self-defense that those interested in that topic might find useful.
December 2, 2018
There is such a thing as a truly great martial arts book, but despite Keren's rock-solid technique, something about the format of how it's presented here was a little less-than. But it's still better than 90% of the martial arts books out there.
April 5, 2021
Good self defense fundamentals
Decent insights
Excellent descriptions
Decent insights
Excellent descriptions
April 3, 2015
“Krav Maga: Real World Solutions To Real World Violence” by Gershon Ben Keren is an excellent addition to one’s self-defense library when looking for a book that illustrates self-defense techniques with concepts and principles also discussed.
In close to 200 pages, Keren does a very good job of sharing some of his Krav Maga philosophy and techniques. He starts with an introduction of Krav Maga and himself before going into the three parts of this book.
Part 1: Basic Skills (Stances, Movement, Blocking, and Striking)
This portion of the book does a good job of describing basic principles and skills with photographs, that while small, are clear and illustrate well. Yes, they are basic, but basics are what one must learn and practice to actually defend oneself. These are the essential foundations of a good self-defense program and again, Keren does a good job of briefly describing these skills and illustrating them with photographs.
Part 2: Self-Defense Scenarios
This section provides responses to numerous types of attacks. Some of which include: knife threat against a wall, gun to front of head, rear hostage with arm around neck, and so on. And while there are numerous scenarios, Keren shows through pictures and descriptions how simple movements can be used for different situations so one can master fewer responses to use in a variety of ways rather than something completely different for every scenario. The pictures are again, small, but clear.
I actually took the book to the gym to get with a couple of my black belt Hapkido students to try some things out. We practiced the techniques and liked a number of them. They were not that different from things we already practice. On a few of them, we modified them a bit from what the book was showing to make them fit better with what we already do and practice. This really is the only way to learn techniques from a book or video, you must actually get on the mat and try them and practice them. And it is definitely easier to learn from a book or video when you already have a solid foundation of fighting or martial arts. I found the scenarios and techniques to be very good and liked this portion of the book.
Part 3: Unarmed Assaults and Dynamic Components of Violence
It this part, the author covers topics such as applying different chokes and strangles, fighting from a clinch, and escaping headlocks. The information is presented like the scenarios with descriptions and the small, but clear, photographs. Again, to benefit from this part of the book one needs to get with a partner and try the stuff out and practice.
Conclusion
The book concludes with a very short conclusion. This obviously isn’t the entire Krav Maga curriculum or everything Keren knows. It is however, a very good book on the specific situations and scenarios Keren covers. For this type of book (technique book with pictures), it is well done and one that will compliment any self-defense training program and belongs in any self-defense resource library. With this said, I don’t agree with all of Keren’s “solutions to violence” and would opt for different solutions as times. But that doesn’t take away from the book as a good resource, as I believe you should learn different things, try them out, and find the “best” for you individually. Not everyone will fight like Keren, just like not everyone will fight like me. We must all learn and train to be the best we can be individually, and this book can help with that journey.
In close to 200 pages, Keren does a very good job of sharing some of his Krav Maga philosophy and techniques. He starts with an introduction of Krav Maga and himself before going into the three parts of this book.
Part 1: Basic Skills (Stances, Movement, Blocking, and Striking)
This portion of the book does a good job of describing basic principles and skills with photographs, that while small, are clear and illustrate well. Yes, they are basic, but basics are what one must learn and practice to actually defend oneself. These are the essential foundations of a good self-defense program and again, Keren does a good job of briefly describing these skills and illustrating them with photographs.
Part 2: Self-Defense Scenarios
This section provides responses to numerous types of attacks. Some of which include: knife threat against a wall, gun to front of head, rear hostage with arm around neck, and so on. And while there are numerous scenarios, Keren shows through pictures and descriptions how simple movements can be used for different situations so one can master fewer responses to use in a variety of ways rather than something completely different for every scenario. The pictures are again, small, but clear.
I actually took the book to the gym to get with a couple of my black belt Hapkido students to try some things out. We practiced the techniques and liked a number of them. They were not that different from things we already practice. On a few of them, we modified them a bit from what the book was showing to make them fit better with what we already do and practice. This really is the only way to learn techniques from a book or video, you must actually get on the mat and try them and practice them. And it is definitely easier to learn from a book or video when you already have a solid foundation of fighting or martial arts. I found the scenarios and techniques to be very good and liked this portion of the book.
Part 3: Unarmed Assaults and Dynamic Components of Violence
It this part, the author covers topics such as applying different chokes and strangles, fighting from a clinch, and escaping headlocks. The information is presented like the scenarios with descriptions and the small, but clear, photographs. Again, to benefit from this part of the book one needs to get with a partner and try the stuff out and practice.
Conclusion
The book concludes with a very short conclusion. This obviously isn’t the entire Krav Maga curriculum or everything Keren knows. It is however, a very good book on the specific situations and scenarios Keren covers. For this type of book (technique book with pictures), it is well done and one that will compliment any self-defense training program and belongs in any self-defense resource library. With this said, I don’t agree with all of Keren’s “solutions to violence” and would opt for different solutions as times. But that doesn’t take away from the book as a good resource, as I believe you should learn different things, try them out, and find the “best” for you individually. Not everyone will fight like Keren, just like not everyone will fight like me. We must all learn and train to be the best we can be individually, and this book can help with that journey.
July 18, 2015
Great tactical book!
As stated by others, content and photos are very good. But what sets this book apart is its information on the timeline and activities of a violent confrontation.
As stated by others, content and photos are very good. But what sets this book apart is its information on the timeline and activities of a violent confrontation.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews