Advanced Krav Maga: The Next Level of Fitness and Self-Defense

As a practitioner of the martial arts since 1970, and a sensei, I am totally impressed with David Kahn's books on Krav Maga. Although it is not his own system but a system designed by Imi Lichtenfeld for the Israeli defense forces, Kahn writes about KM with complete respect for the system, and even more for those of us who will practice it. Traditional martial arts has been slipping into sport, and the original self defense and combat techniques are often lost as a result. All of the techniques in KM are to be found in traditional martial arts, but in the martial arts, one often has to look deep and long to find them. Krav Maga - a no nonsense readily effective often deadly approach that anyone and everyone can learn without ritual - strips away the superficial and stylistic barriers and gets to the often "hidden" techniques, right to the heart of the matter. It has to because so many lives depend on it. In his books, Kahn clearly outlines this system so that KM is accessible and fully attainable to anyone who desires to become a practitioner. KM is becoming a martial art in its own right as it is flexible and therefore, incorporates techniques from other martial arts as long as they are immediately useable and effective. If not, they are disgarded, as they should be. As a student of traditional combative art (not sport,) I find David's work to be not only relevant in an unfortunately dangerous world, but "real" comprehensive guides that can immediately help assuage fear, as knowledge can lead to self confidence and self confidence leads to... less fear. These books accomplish what they set out to, and we are much better off for having them. Bravo!

I have been in the Commercial Printing business and have spent some time in the study of Martial Arts and find this book to be very professionally done and well written. This is a great book as are his other books I have bought, and highly recommend them if you are looking for the best in Krav Maga. I love the history, the diagrams, the warnings, the way in which Dave instructs and motivates. His books are extremely instructional, fun, and encouraging for all ages. I have never seen any books as good as his for Martial Arts or MA systems of instruction. You have hit home runs with all your books Dave and I would recommend them to everyone who wants to get into shape, learn Krav Maga or those who feel they cannot learn martial arts of any kind because they are too old, too out of shape, or its too hard...I would tell all people every where they need his books to feel better about themselves and become self motivated to a positive outcome, learning the best system available today for all ages or physical conditions. You owe it to yourself to read his books, watch his videos and become a better person and learn a system that will protect you from the crazies out there. No, I did not get paid to write this...I am just a guy that knows greatness when I see it and then speaks out. I give Dave 10 stars for his accomplishments and brilliance in what he has put together in his videos and books.

David Kahn is THE authority on Krav Maga in the USA. He is on the board of the Israeli Krav Maga Association (The First and only legitimate Krav Maga Association founded by the founder of Krav Maga Imi lichtenfeld). This is the real and only legitimate source on true Krav Maga in DVD and book form. If you are looking for not only the REAL Krav Maga but also the best, look no further. David Kahn is the best and his instruction is simple and anyone can learn it. I had a chance to speak with Mr. Kahn and in all my years of training in the martial arts I have never encountered a teacher with the passion and humility that Mr. Kahn has. There are many fakes and liars out there trying to pose as real krav but David Kahn under Grandmaster Haim Gidon and the IKMA is the only and true Krav Maga Authority in the US that has published in Book and DVD. If you would like to know the history of Krav Maga and who is fake/dishonest just do a search online for fake Krav Maga instructors. You can look elsewhere for Krav Maga Instruction... but i would not recommend it.

I think it is excellent.I am particularly fond of the stories in the book; about Imi, Krav Maga, and what inspired him to develop this wonderful self defense system.As far as the actual techniques, they are explained with very good detail and the illustrations are very descriptive in that they have arrows showing a rotation of the hip, movement of an elbow, shuffle of the feet, when sometimes words or a picture may not be enough.Also, the explanation of techniques is very concise and well written as are the various tips throughout. Situational awareness, tactical thinking, etc...Various topics are covered, including, but not limited to ground fighting, chokes, defense against chokes, kicks, defense against kicks, clinches, joint locks...etc....Everything cannot be covered but what is covered has been done very well.The interviews with RBlitstein, A Feldman, Imi's oldest student and others offer insight that only someone deeply entrenced in Israeli Krav Maga can offerExcellent!Enrique Prado

exciting book. Fairly basic and not worth reading because almost all drills required a training partner as well. Also the pictures are lower quality. Great for a beginner but overpriced for the content

If you have an interest in Krav Maga or have studied it at all, David Kahn's work is outstanding! This book delves further into defending against armed attackers, even if you have never studied Krav Maga you can learn from Mr. Kahn's products. The books and videos he has put together are some of the best instructional items I have ever had the pleasure of using. As a member of the military for the past twenty years, and especially with the advent of the Global War on Terror, we have come full circle back to making combatives part of our training. Mr. Kahn has instructed military personnel, though I have never had the pleasure, and the system (Krav Maga) is very intuitive. I highly recommend all of his products for anyone interested in self defense or for fellow soldiers who want to expand upon their knowledge.

First off, let me say that this is not a necessarily a review of "Krav Maga" in general. People have differing opinions about the system and to each his own. This review is about his materials and David Khan specifically.David is as top notch a teacher as I have ever seen. His style is down to earth. He is extremely knowledgeable and he keeps it real. He does a wonderful job of explaining exactly what you will be doing; he leaves little for you to have to try and figure out on your own. You will not find a whole lot to complain about here. Sure, the pictures are illustrations, not photos. Big deal. A punch is a punch and a kick is a kick. It ain't rocket science and David is not really teaching anything new here. But that is the beauty of his "system"; it's instinctual. For example, when someone tries to choke you, your first reaction is is reach up and grab the attacker's hands (the plucking technique). Or, when someone is swinging a wild haymaker at the side of your head, your first instinct may be to either throw your arm up to block (360 defense) or lean back away from it (upper body retreat). For the most part, you're doing this stuff already and probably don't even know it. All David and his predecessors have done is give names to everything so when he says, "Today we're working on X," everyone will know what X is and be on the same page training-wise.To be fair, and so that you see that I am not a Khan mark, I do have a few reservations. The biggest problem I have with Krav Maga -- David's system included -- as well as any other martial art, is that specific defenses simply do not work in a real street fight. What is a "specific" defense, you ask? This is where you learn one technique for a wrist grab, another for an elbow grab, another for a shoulder grab, another for a lapel grab, another for a... well, you get the point. There is simply no way a person under stress is going to remember specific defenses for specific attacks. Action is faster than reaction and by the time you have figured out what is coming it is too late. There is just no for "forgiveness", so to speak, in that type of training. If you miscalculate the attack, or you lose it on step 3 of a 6 step technique, your brain has to disengage for a second or two and process the situation. This is a second or two you simply do not have! Moreover, it is a clear violation of Hick's Law, which states the more options you have at your disposal the longer it takes for your brain to decide which one to use. Khan limits the techniques one must learn, and that helps. And KM, or at least Khan's version of it, seems more philosophical than technique based.Having said that, however, David does offer something of a solution. It is called Retzev, a Hebrew word that means "continuous motion". Basically, the idea is that once you start defending yourself you don't stop until the threat is no longer a problem. Granted it will take some time -- a few months of dedicated training, minimum -- to develop this ability, but it does eventually negate the specific defense and Hick's Law issues for the most part. You will eventually get to the point where you don't think, you just react. I just think we can shortcut the process by not focusing on specific defenses in the first place. Give me a single, effective response whether the dirtbag has a fist, club, knife, or gun any day of the week. One solution to cover as many scenarios as possible. Kahn's close. Certainly closer than any traditional martial art, but he's not quite there yet.The most valuable section of the book is not the techniques or really even the philosophy. As mentioned, this is all pretty instinctual stuff that you do already or at least will pick up quickly. No, as important as all that is, the most valuable section is the 12-week workout in the back. It is basically a daily schedule of drills that, should you follow, will go far in helping you develop your retzev ability.For the record, I do not know David Khan, though I would like to meet him one day and would love the opportunity to train with him (and maybe a beer or three.) I do, however, own all three of his books and his first set of DVD's (He has since come out with a Vol. 2 DVD set that I have yet to review.) Now it's been said that you cannot learn a "martial art" from a book. For the most part this is true. I shudder at the thought of someone trying to learn, say Aikido, from a book or even a DVD. Such arts are like a Swiss watch: fine tuned and intricate. You need an instructor there, watching over your shoulder, making sure you're doing everything exactly as required. Not so with Khan's material. It's simple, effective, down and dirty street fighting. So I respectfully disagree. If one were to invest in Khan's books and DVD's, pick up some minimal equipment (e.g., a Century BOB dummy), and follow his 12-week schedule, one very much could learn to defend oneself in the comfort of home. There is nothing fancy here, and that is what makes it brutally effective. The challenge will be in maintaining the intensity you will experience in a real fight. You must work out hard. Maybe harder than you have ever done before, to create the kind of stress you will be under in a true attack. It is safe to say most people are not that prepared (set a timer and run a full-force, three minute drill on a heavy bag or BOB dummy... it's a LOT longer than you think!). But if you have the will power and determination to do it, you don't need a school or dojo. The question is, do you have what it takes?Stay Safe.

I would have to agree with the information in this book. The self defense moves and fitness guide are awesome. I really love the interviews of the people who trained with the original grandmaster and founder of Krav Maga Imi Lichtenfield. I have trained with the one of the black belts in the book Alan Feldman and he always speaks of Imi. All the moves and conditioning we do in class are in line and right on with the book. This is probably one of the best Krav Maga books out there. If you want to learn, buy this book it is very informative and explains all the moves in the book in detail and have pictures to show toy how the moves go in progress.

Corrisponde alle aspettative di un Kraver. Ottimo supporto didattico, da cui trarre nuovi spunti. Si cosiglia agli appassionati. Da acquistare.

producto muy bueno

Good read

This book is for beginner who doesn't have prior basic martial arts training.

les écrits n'apportent rien aux images mais certaines techniques sont intéressantes.ça reste globalement un livre pour débutant.il éxiste d'autres livres de krav maga plus intéressants.