The wrong solution can kill you. An unsuitable response can cause you great harm. Students – are you receiving the best knowledge possible? Do you know how to evaluate for yourself? Instructors – are you giving the best knowledge available? Look at the following clip of correct and incorrect gun defenses. Some teach you the correct technique while others teach you the wrong one. Are you equipped to evaluate? Without being taught, have the facts analyzed or shown the right way, most people cannot evaluate for themselves.

It goes without saying that in matters of life and death, in order to protect your family or friends and survive a violent conflict, one should train with the best instructor, be part of the most proficient system, have the best partners to train with and have the most superior infrastructure from which to obtain knowledge and acquire experience.

Imi (KM founder) was sure he had the best “product”, he totally believed that what he gave his students was the best he could give and the best there was available. Whenever there was a dispute about one of his techniques that he believed in, whether it was with a fellow martial artist or a military officer, he fought for his point of view, like a lion fighting for his territory. On occasion, by trial and error, by logic or science, Imi improved his techniques.

Later when your humble servant was deeply involved in the development and improvement of the system and it’s new curriculum, I saw how Imi abandoned certain “old” techniques for the benefits of the modified “new” ones. As far as I know, he never considered in retrospect that what he had taught before was not good enough or that he had taught his students mistakes. He just focused on progression and on what would be taught from that moment on.

Do all self-defense instructors around the world take the same approach of responsibility? They should. At KMG-HQ we do.

When I look at the teaching of different instructors of martial arts, fighting methods and reality based self-defense systems, I wonder where their knowledge base comes from and more seriously, where is their integrity and responsibility. We deal with potentially life and death situations, and these instructors teach techniques that by inherited nature are dangerous. It is by mere chance that one won’t get hurt.

In order to demonstrate this point, I have shown here a technique of how two common and similar defenses against pistol threats are extremely different. Many who do not know enough about firearms at close range perform different solutions and without realizing may learn and believe in the wrong defense.

Here in segment 1 you can see the KMG way. A gun defense from the front should be done by grabbing the barrel; simultaneously we perform a body defense. The hand defense is converted into a strong grip of the barrel. The counterattack is done as soon as possible. Segments 2a and 2b show what happens when this defense is made on the wrist and forearm. Many instructors from different martial arts show this or similar solution. Here you can see why it is dangerous. How a gun held with regular strength (2a) or even in a very strong grip (2b) does a whip-lash motion when the deflection is on the arm, and it is redirected towards the body of the defender.

With certain mini pistols it may be impossible to grab the barrel (in this case whip-lash almost never happens). With other modern pistols it may be dangerous due to the compensator (hole at the upper front part of the barrel). Still in most cases it is much safer to deflect and grab the barrel and not the wrist.

Please remember, most of those who teach this technique wrongly, do so without a malicious intent. But this is neither justified nor excused. They do not take responsibility nor do they search for the best solution, they do not experiment nor do they train to find if the solutions they teach works properly against a realistic attack. There is no middle way here; it is black or white, life and death, even when confronting a shirt grab. If you do too little you may get hurt or worse still – killed. If you do too much you may go to jail. The right solution should always be performed. But the right solution should be corrected, checked and rechecked. This is what we do. Everyone should do the same. Your responsibility is to find the right source of knowledge to take you to the heights you wish to go, whether it is in your job, your academic studies, Krav Maga practice, or in relations with others.