I’ve just finished reading a disturbing article about a young woman who was faced with an armed carjacking this past weekend.
As she was getting into her car, a man appeared, directly next to the driver’s side door, with a gun in hand. He demands the keys to the car, but the young Krav Maga student does not comply. He then proceeds to pistol whip and subsequently shoot her in the face. Miraculously, she survives.
This is a tragic event, to be sure, but what I find most upsetting is the accolades she is receiving for using Krav Maga to save her life. In the described event, the young woman had every disadvantage; she was seated, he was standing, he was armed, she was not, he was already within striking range when she became aware of him.
Krav Maga does teach technical solutions to armed attackers, but under no circumstance, would Krav Maga teach anything other than giving up the car given the situation as outlined above.
Self defense is about creating safe exit from a dangerous situation, with as little damage to yourself as possible. When Krav Maga instructors start to teach ideas that all situations require physical engagement, they’ve lost the entire concept of self defense in lieu of more romantic ideas of bravery in battle.
There is a time and place for going hands on. When no other choice is available, then Krav Maga teaches fighting with tenacity and ferocity.
One should not, however, ever think that just because you learned a technique in class, it is the only option available or acceptable. As Shakespeare once wrote, “Discretion is the better part of valor.”
In other words, better to avoid violence and stay safe then charge ahead into a battle that was preventable.
