Krav Maga is an art in the essence of the word, for it transmits to the practitioner ideas and feelings. It creates a competitive way of life, where the student competes with himself and reaches his own goals alone. The training stimulates the will to surpass ones self, not only physically, but in all aspects of the human being. It is an eminently practical art, which through corporal work reaches the mind, the intellect, and spirituality. It is known for reaching the mind through the work of the body. Krav Maga does not state theoretical truths, it stimulates the individual search for them. One of its main goals is the increase of self-confidence.
It is an art of self-defense. To define self-defense as a way one has to defend himself from an attack is to not give proper value to its meaning. One learns self-defense, first of all because any living being needs to know how to defend themselves from a physical aggression, and secondly, for the consciousness of the benefits that this knowledge brings. To not feel threatened (physically or otherwise), to feel capable, to believe in oneself, the fight for personal prevalence, the challenge of setting goals for yourself and transposing barriers, besides the fact that there is an improvement in physical conditioning, leads the apprentice of self-defense to a healthier life, both physically and mentally.
For those who, for whatever reason, think that self-defense is a practice not compatible with their personality, remember always that keeping a distance will not free you from violence, and we do live in a violent and hostile world. But what is violence? Violence is something that has a life of its own, different from hunger which is appeased as soon as we eat. We cant eliminate it by satiating it because it feeds itself, it is an evil that has always existed and will always exist. To live in peace and respect your fellow man does not distance one from the possibility of being assaulted, there is no vaccine for this.
Krav Maga is a modern art, created from the present reality that without a theoretical rhetoric brings to the practitioner a healthier and more complete life, forming responsible citizens that are capable to seek out for their goals. The in-class rules are of an educational scope that when incorporated, work the four basic principles of the Krav Maga way of life:
The student learns these principles through the daily routine of physical training and its difficulties, being conscious of the necessary path to acquire them. Adults, children or teenagers understand these principles with the same intensity, and they become a part of ones own nature. The will to fight for ones own goals and the persistence when encountering difficulties, the poise when facing situations, independence. All of this places one in a position of total self-control, and away from violence.
It is necessary to state that, when feeding the intellect, each ones habits bring them further away from violent situations. Training includes, most of the time, physical and psychological barriers that impose the students spiritual preparation to continue and win over the difficulties and obstacles faced during training.
To be able to defend ones self, it is necessary to unite both technical knowledge and mental capacity.