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

by David Kahn (Author) "When my brother Abel was twenty-eight, he set off for a solo backpacking trip around the world..." (more)
Key Phrases: outlet stance, maga training, krav maga system, Israel Defense Forces, Grandmaster Gidon, Rick Blitstein (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"David Kahn is a wonderful teacher and I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone--male or female, big or small,_or fat." -- James Gandolfini, actor (The Sopranos)

"Get in the best shape of your life while learning the most effective self-defense technique in the world." -- David Barton, fitness expert and owner, David Barton Gyms

"Training with krav maga instructor David Kahn was an honor and privilege, and the tactics he teaches are_a valuable skill." -- Mark A. Hanafee, U. S. Coast Guard Police Training Officer

Review

"Get in the best shape of your life while learning the most effective self-defense technique in the world."
- David Barton, fitness expert and owner, David Barton Gyms

"Training with krav maga instructor David Kahn was an honor and privilege, and the tactics he teaches are a valuable skill."
- Mark A. Hanafee, U. S. Coast Guard Police Training Officer

"David Kahn is a wonderful teacher and I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone--male or female, big or small, or fat."
- James Gandolfini, actor (The Sopranos)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (August 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312331770
• ISBN-13: 978-0312331771
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #42,234 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good intro to krav maga, June 14, 2005

By	John - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

I did two plus years of krav maga pretty religiously, to green belt level. I got this book, and I would say it is very good. It is the only book out there that details basic krav maga techniques, and for that, I think we should thank the author. I was a bit surprised to hear the Israeli guy say it is not real military krav maga, because I trained several times here in the U.S. with Israeli Seals and paratroopers and I see no real difference between their system and what David teaches (plus, the krav maga I learned is the exact program designed in Israel by Imi for the IDF). Yes, there is a lot of "politics" in martial arts (!), and yes, it is very "par for the course". The author states that he travelled to Israel to learn krav maga, so I also found it odd that someone would say he doesn't know the "Israeli version of krav maga". I found this book to be a really solid intro. to krav maga. It is just, there is nothing like the intensity of a krav maga class. If you have been in a class, the intensity is just so real and important, and you can't get that from a book. I recall doing like 30 seconds of hard knees into a pad someone was holding, with 3 krav guys yelling at me to "stay in the fight". I recall being in a darkened room, with people with pads pushing in on me, with my eyes closed, and someone yells "gun !!", and you have to fight your way out past the people and find the gun guy and defeat him. I recall the adrenaline, the stress, the sweat. You of course can't get all those "military" things in a book, but you can at least see the krav maga program. I think this book is a good introduction to krav maga.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Solid Work!, September 21, 2004

By	S. A. Litt - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I typically don't get involved in writing reviews of products. But I felt it was my Amazon civic duty to inform all who are interested, that the material covered in this book is clear and thoughtfully presented. Compared to the Imi Sde-Or (Lichtenfeld) book, the author takes an approach more oriented to the civilian. The book will make an excellent addition to the library of a beginner or intermediate Kravist or for anyone interested in the system.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It works, January 30, 2007

By	J. Russell "motorpsiclist" (Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have studied various martial arts for years. I was fortunate enough to have had an instructor early on whose primary focus was practical self-defense, in other words, what would actually work in a street fight, mugging, ambush, etc. The techniques in this book are the same I have learned over the years. They are practical, and they work. The thing about this book I was happiest to see was the instructor's admission that: in a fight, you're going to get hit/hurt, possibly more than once, and that you must defend yourself to the best of your ability while striving to end the fight as quickly as you can with the appropriate amount of force (you're not going to immediately gouge the eyes out of some drunk who's a little overly friendly in a bar, but you may need to if he follows you out and tries to rape you). I also like the fact that he has included reality: it may take several blows from you before your attacker succumbs. Don't just hit a man once in the throat; hit him as many times as you safely can. Overall a good read, and if you can remember and apply these techniques in a crisis situation you're ahead of the game, but it still doesn't take the place of taking a class in a martial art and feeling what it's like, under controlled conditions, to actually block someone's strike, grapple with them, punch back, etc. But remember and apply these techniques if necessary, and this book very well could save your life.