Kung Fu is a traditional style and Krav Maga is a Self Defense System. The focus of Self Defense systems is to address situations that truely happen daily in the street. Traditional styles usually deal with fighting in a respectable manner with honor and dignity. This type of training may prepare you for a "fair fight" but not a street attack. However, the street represents a dark world with infinite possibilities of being attacked violently with little or no warning. Street violence is very random and victims are usually unaware of when and what might happen. Unsuspecting victims are often struck violently without warning causing extreme shock and panic to settle in. Street attackers spend time assuring they have a distinct advantage over their victims because they SURELY don't want to fight. So one must first determine if the system they are training in is geared toward having a "fair fight", or surviving a random street attack. Krav Maga is directed more toward real street situations, however, sometimes KM instructors teach more fighting and less concepts to survive a street attack. Self Defense begins with awareness and a heavy concentration on avoiding dangerous encounters. When all else fails then YOU MUST ATTACK FIRST WITH DEADLY INTENT! You never want to fight your attacker! Even in Krava Maga these rules of self defense get broken by some instructors. Here's a good test to measure if your Self Defense program is taking a real approach to dealing with "the street" or a "fair fight": If some say 90% of fights go to the ground, then what does that say about Self Defense? The correct answer is Self Defense is NOT GROUND FIGHTING and should never go to the ground. (I've seen this mistake made by some Krav Maga instructors.) Yes, one may end up on the ground if things go drastically wrong. In that case, you want to be able to do something if you were put in that situation. But, although the ground maybe a good position to be in during a "fair fight", it's an extremely dangerous position to be in during a violent attack. The additional supporting attackers will have their way with you. (And yes, there will certainly be others!) (PLEASE NOTE: Untrained individuals naturally bite when grappled. Trained grapplers consider this a dishonorable practice and are conditioned not to bite) Conclusion: The information is more important than the style or the name of the system. Many Kung Fu and other traditional schools blend Self Defense concepts in their programs. Kicks, Punches, blocks etc. are common in martial arts and Self Defense Systems. When and what targets to strike to end the encounter is more important than the name of a style. Developing keen awareness to avoid dangerous situations should be paramount in the training system. Whether it be Krav Maga or anything else, should not trouble you. If you feel it's teaching you how to get home safely, enjoy it and keep training. AJSire Jeet Kune Do - Krav Maga - Kung Fu - Ju Jitsu
