Whats wrong with Krav Maga Worldwide...

 

Krav Maga (“Contact Combat” in Hebrew) was developed by Imi Litchenfield in the 1930’s in what is now Slovakia as a means for Jewish partisans to defend themselves against fascists many of whom supported the Nazis. Later, Krav Maga became the standard hand-to-hand combat system for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Krav Maga as a martial art system began its migration to the United States in the early 1980s.

Unfortunately, since its arrival Krav Maga has devolved for many into a money-making operation with little regard for the traditional roots of Krav Maga and its significant evolutionary improvements. In my humble opinion, the main group responsible for the devolution of American Krav Maga into an out-dated, bastardized system is Krav Maga Worldwide (KMW) based in Los Angeles.

Krav Maga Worldwide, Inc. was founded by Darren Levine. Mr. Levine is not a lifelong devotee of Krav Maga but rather a prosecutor in the Los Angeles courts for more than two (2) decades. As an example of Mr. Levine’s economic motivations, KMW once tried (and FAILED) to obtain a trademark on the phrase “Krav Maga.” This is akin to trying to be the exclusive owner and user of the words Karate, Boxing, or Kungfu.

While it has never been my desire to denigrate other Krav Maga systems – everything has its good parts and everything has its not so good parts – and while KMW has brought great exposure to Krav Maga in the United States, it is the purely economic motivations, in my opinion, that causes me great dismay. KMW licenses its name and training program to nearly anyone who can afford to buy the license. For example, in Maryland, KMW licensed the name and KMW program to David Buscher, a wealthy entrepreneur with little or no Krav Maga training. 

Formerly, I worked for Krav Maga Maryland. I was the General Manager and Chief Instructor of Krav Maga Maryland in Owings Mills. As part of my employment, I signed a “Personal Services Contract” with Krav Maga Maryland that contained a “Non-Compete Clause” (NCC). When I left KMW and founded what later became Masada Tactical, KMW sued me for violating the NCC. We eventually reached a settlement in which neither party “won”. 

KMW is an economic powerhouse that dedicates its extensive financial resources NOT to advancing the development of Krav Maga in the United States and sending its instructors to Israel to learn the extensive improvements to the Krav Maga system that have occurred since KMW was founded, BUT rather took a system originally developed to allow Jews and others to protect themselves from slaughter by pro-Nazi sympathizers and used it to attack an individual who believes that Krav Maga and the independent Israeli Combat System (that I developed) should be used for civilians, law enforcement and the military alike to defend themselves from criminals and terrorists.

In 2007, I founded Masada Tactical, LLC whose goal is to bring the most up-to-date, practical, and professional training to civilians and our contracting law-enforcement and military agencies. The Israeli Combat System taught at Masada Tactical was developed by incorporating only the best techniques and tactics from military, law-enforcement, and security tactics and operations worldwide.  The Civilian, as opposed to the Tactical Division of Masada Tactical, is designed to bring the most current and comprehensive system of self-defense (and defense of others) to the public. I developed the Israeli Combat System, not based upon the outdated and limited techniques of KMW, but by drawing upon decades of techniques proven to be most effective in defending against criminal attackers.  My system is largely influenced by ongoing training I am given and provide in Israel to this day.

Last year, I co-authored a book, Survival Training for Law-Enforcement: The Israeli Combat System for the Urban Warrior, not for financial gain but in order to provide an effective manual for our dedicated law-enforcement officers to protect themselves and others in life-or-death situations.

Krav Maga Worldwide, with its immense financial resources, has taken exception to my book. Just last week, my publisher received from Darren Levine correspondence that, if properly drafted by a man claiming more than twenty-five (25) years experience in practicing law, could be deemed a “Cease and Desist” letter. Amongst the bluster of Mr. Levine’s letter, he threatens legal action if we go forward with publication of the book. In the letter he implies that I am making use of copyrighted material owned by KMW.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Frankly, there is nothing copyrighted by KMW or written by Mr. Levine himself that I would feel comfortable using. The system of Krav Maga taught by KMW was developed in the 1980’s in order to promote aggression in young, new, IDF recruits. It was never intended to be a comprehensive system for use by civilians, law-enforcement, and the military alike to defend against threats of all types.  

Furthermore, the book was co-authored by a law-enforcement professional and writer who has no former experience in Krav Maga.  I was the technical consultant, but the text, and what is believed to be a copyright infringement, was written by a person who had no prior knowledge of KMW texts and materials.

Mr. Levine’s threats beg two (2) questions. First, what exactly is KMW afraid of? Are they afraid that my Israeli Combat System will expose the glaring failures of KMW’s system? Second, why, if not for economic reasons entirely, would Mr. Levine not want law-enforcement officers to learn a system that could protect both them and the public from harm?

Another question comes to mind. If Mr. Levine and KMW are only interested in promoting and teaching the premier Krav Maga system in the United States, why don’t they send their instructors to Israel to become acquainted with the most recent developments in the dynamic evolution of the world’s most effective fighting system?

Masada Tactical is dedicated to providing the highest level training available to military operatives, law-enforcement personnel, and civilians alike. We are an open system – open to suggestions and improvements from all martial art systems. We are a small but ever-growing organization. We do not try to stifle others that seek only to profit from what is near and dear to our hearts.

As for Mr. Levine, he should keep in mind that our legal representatives will defend Masada Tactical from all comers with the same ferocity of its namesake – those that valiantly died defending themselves against the invading Romans at Masada – and that often “the best defense is a good offense.” Masada Tactical will not be bullied or intimidated by anyone and Masada Tactical is here to stay.

Tzviel 'BK' Blankchtein

via David Palinsky, Esq.

www.MasadaTactical.com

Civilian Instructors Training

This is going to be a short one.  For the first time, Masada Tactical will be offering an Instructors Certification course in Israeli Combat System for civilians.

The five day class will certify individuals who pass the rigorous training and testing to teach beginner level ICS.

The class will be offered next Fall.  For more information or to register please contact me directly.

Tzviel 'BK' Blankchtein
http://www.masadatactical.com/

The biggest threat.

At Masada Tactical we spend all our time developing skills and lesson plans to make sure our members and other contracting agencies are safe.  Whatever your occupation, physical abilities and/or your goals, we make sure that the skills we teach you, in some shape or form, make you safer, healthier, and better prepared for any unforeseen circumstances.

Our curriculum includes skills that have been proven to work, and are further enhanced by skills we develop in-house to meet the specific needs and questions of various individuals.  For example, about a year ago a correctional officer from Western MD asked us how to address a specific hostage situation that cost the life of another officer.  It is a high risk situation, but one our staff of instructors was able to come up with a solution for.  This technique is now taught to SWAT and SOG groups around the country.

Often times, the skills we develop are the natural evolution of previous skills.  The instructor meet, evaluate the curriculum, identify weak parts, and work to make it better, more effective, and yet retain the basic ideologies of our system in terms of ease of use and retention of skills.  But, at the end of the day, the skills we develop are based off of what we think is needed, and not always what our members need.  So, I would like to take this opportunity to ask you: What do you want to see? learn? master?  Are there any threats you foresee as being the most critical for you and therefore would like to know how to address?

Let us know so we can address that, because ultimately, if your needs are not addressed, it really doesn't matter what skills we develop, if you as the potential end user do not see the value in them.

Tzviel 'BK' Blankchtein
http://www.masadatactical.com/

Gun laws...who needs them?

Touchy subject, isn't it?  But in today's day and age, it is one that is on many people's mind.  Most importantly, it is on the mind of our members who continuously ask me about my stand.

I own guns.  I also have a carry permit.  I carry whenever and wherever I am legally allowed.  I would hate to see that right taken away from me.

I understand why people are afraid of it.  I do not agree, but I understand.  People fear what they do not know, or what they are not educated about.  It's natural.  If people are fed their information from movies, or only read the sad headlines in the media, there is no surprise why they fear people carrying firearms.

But firearms in general, and handguns in particular are tools.  Just like the pocket knives most people carry around.  It is meant to do a very specific job, and thank god for that.  Take for example the police officer who carried his handgun off duty with him always, until one day he decided nothing happened before and it won't happen today.  This officer went to church that morning and witness as a shooter entered the building and began firing at people.  Among the six casualties was the officer's son.  This officer, who could legally carry a handgun and could have stopped the threat, lost a son that day.

Now, I am sure some of you will read this and point out to the fact that the suspect had a handgun.  Furthermore, you would assume that if the laws were stricter this incident could have been avoided all together.  WRONG.  Any law, by definition, will be followed by law-abiding citizens.  Do you honestly think that the criminal element will be at all restricted by any type of gun-related regulation?

If these laws are put into effect then the shooting at the Trolly Square Mall in Salt-Lake City, Utah would have ended with many more dead then it did.  Thanks to another off-duty officer who was having a Valentine's Day dinner that February 13, 2007 day, the suspects were shot and killed.  If it wasn't for him the carnage would have been much worse since the suspects were heavily armed.

Would you like to be that person witnessing your son/daughter/wife/husband/loved one get killed because you were too dumb to realize that if you had a gun you could have saved them?  Could you live with yourself after that?  It is amazing to me how all these pro-gun-restriction people never had a family member or loved one be a victim of a violent crime.  As soon as something bad happen they change their minds.  Do you really want to wait that long?

And let me point one more piece of information: do a search and see what country has the highest percentage of crime (terrorism aside, just civic crime, like robberies, murder, rape, etc.)?  Now compare that to the gun laws in that country.  Let me tell you what you will find, statistically speaking, the stricter the gun laws the higher the crime.  After all, why would I worry about robbing you when I know you are unarmed?!?  And true, correlation does not prove causation, and we must not interpret that the gun laws are the true cause for the crime, but we can not ignore this fact.

And lastly, the second amendment.  It defines a militia.  It has been around since the wild wild west days (and before).  And it has one very specific purpose: to protect citizens from its own government.  I will not dwell into the whole small government versus big government issue, but the bottom line is that when other rights will start being taken away, and they will, just look at what is going  on around the globe these days, do you want to be a slave or fight for your freedom?  And if fighting is your choice, how will you do it if the government restricted your right to own or carry a gun?

So, I am all about my right to own and carry my handgun.  That said, and this is important, personally I have no problem with making a safety course and mandating minimal qualification standards.  If safety is what people worry about, let's address that by educating and training.  Treat the problem, not the symptoms.

Stay safe!

Tzviel 'BK' Blankchtein
Chief Instructor
Masada Tactical, LLC
http://www.masadatactical.com/

GTOA

Masada Tactical instructors just returned from the Georgia Tactical Officers Association yearly conference, held in Macon, GA.

I became affiliated with GTOA through my affiliation with NTOA (National Tactical Officers Association).  The two organizations are private entities that promote training and education to tactical officers (SWAT). 

For example, the conference this year had classes in tactical handgun, carbine, tactical medicine, assaulting a Semi-Trailer, and integrating K-9 into SWAT.

Masada Tactical taught two classes during this conference: High Risk Handgun Defenses and Ground Fighting Tactics for SWAT.  The two classes were very well received and feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

In addition to the classes we had the opportunity to meet many of the 150 SWAT operators that came to this conference.  Many of which expressed the need for dedicated training for SWAT.  Many stated that although they train pretty extensively with their weapon systems they receive very little training in hand-to-hand combat, and even less in skills that are applicable to their mission and account to the gear they carry.

I have been back in MD for 3 days now and we have already been contacted by several agencies regarding training.  Some want to host instructor courses, some want to have us come in and train them, and yet others want our advice on several tactical approaches that we developed in-house.

So GA was good.  And it appears as though it'll be getting better.  From Northeast GA to mid-state, officers now know of Masada Tactical, LLC and are eager to have us teach them more. 

Coming up in the next few months are law-enforcement ICS training programs in TN, GA, AL, and MD!

Stay tuned for more information.

Tzviel 'BK' Blankchtein
Masada Tactical, LLC
http://www.masadatactical.com/

Train as you fight...or do you?

I got a call the other day from someone at the academy level asking me why I took the recruits for a run wearing boots.  Really?  You don't know why?  When was the last time you saw a police officer?  was he wearing tennis shoes, shorts, and an athletic performance shirt?  I don't think so!

The title phrase above gets thrown around a lot: "Train as you fight, Fight as you train".  Makes sense, right?  If we want to be fully prepared for the fight, we should duplicate as many of the variables as possible, from the environment, to the clothes we may wear during the encounter, to the physical and mental/emotional stress we will face.

I always lived by that motto.  At Masada Tactical we'll train in street or tactical attire, we'll take classes to the street and pavement, and we'll run so many drills to stress you out that you'll truly think you are in a fight for your life.

So I truly get annoyed when "educated and experienced" men, who oversee the police training academy question the reasoning behind running in boots.  Seriously!  And don't try to tell me it is a health risk, because everything is.  You run the recruits through emergency vehicle operation classes which include high speed pursuits and other dangerous maneuvers, you teach them how to use firearms, and defensive tactics, and you whine about a 2 mile run in boots.  For god's sake!

There is a liability issue to consider when training recruits.  No doubt.  An injury, especially an avoidable stupid one, is unacceptable, but do you truly think I am not aware of that?  And for the record, the liability due to "Failure to Train" is the one that concerns me more.  The fact that one of my recruits may get seriously injured or even die on the street because I did a lousy job in providing him with the best tools and training protocols....and all because we didn't run them in boots.

So, I will continue to run them in boots.  I will also run them in full gear.  That's what they will wear on patrol and that's how they'll train.

For more realistic and true training check out our classes at Masada Tactical.
http://www.masadatactical.com/

Tzviel 'BK' Blankchtein
http://www.masadatactical.com/

Workplace Safety

Active Shooters seem to get all the attention these days.  Further more, schools seem to be the ones that are highlighted as the main targets.

Reality is that active shooters have been around for ages (and before firearms, active threats were around using edged weapons and alike).  And although schools get our attention in terms of "emotional" targets, they are not the main areas of operations for these criminals by a long shot.

Think of recent months and you will recall events such as the Discovery Channel in DC, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and other workplaces like fertility clinics, churches, and office buildings, even police departments, had their share of gunmen running rampage through their hallways.

This blog is not meant to be an informative one as previous posts.  It is more to get people to share their thoughts about how safe (or not) is their workplace.  Do you have security present?  Do you have policies in place to deal with disgruntled employees?  Follow up on terminations of employment?  Are weapons banned at your workplace?  Are there background checks done to employees?  Is the area in which you work safe?  If you walk to your car, is it a safe process or do you need escort?

Let us know!  I will follow up on this post with some ideas on how to enhance your workplace safety next week.

Tzviel 'BK' Blankchtein
Masada Tactical, LLC
http://www.masadatactical.com/