Martial Edge talk to Mike Diamant of Krav Maga St Louis whose career as a professional fitness coach and trainer has spanned over thirty years. The foundation of Mikes teaching as a martial artist and fitness expert is in his belief that the human body will perform beyond limits you never thought possible to achieve.
The rise of violent street crime on our streets is raising the profile of the martial arts to new levels of popularity. But is it really the case that the average individual who spends two hours a week at a martial arts class could defend him/herself appropriately if the situation arose? -whether it be a traditional style or the more modern system of Krav Maga Mike gives us the low down of what the business of self protection is really about.
Martial Edge: Mike thanks for taking time out of your schedule. You have had a long career in the fitness industry, when and where did you become in involved in the system of Krav Maga and what was the appeal over a more traditional system?
it's better to know it and not need it, then to need it and not know it - Mike Diamant
Mike Diamant: In 2001, I was living in Los Angeles operating my own private fitness studio. I was training 50 to 60 private sessions a week and running an outdoor boot camp 5 days a week. One day, one of my clients showed up with several large bruises on his body. I asked him what happened to him and he proudly stated that he was taking Krav Maga classes at the National Training Center in Los Angeles. He explained to me that km was the fighting and self defense system of the Israel Special Forces. Being Jewish, a system that was developed in Israel and used by their military interested me. I was always looking for new ideas and technologies to help me in training my clients and to keep my own training fresh and exciting. I went down to the school, tried a class and got hooked. What appealed to me in KM was that there were no fancy katas or rituals. You didn't need to wear uniforms or belts. KM dealt with common attacks you would encounter in the street in a modern world. Defense against various chokes, bear hugs and head locks. They also trained against weapons. Gun takeaways, knife attacks, knife threats, sticks, bats and multiple attackers situations. The techniques were based on your natural instinct and reactions which made them quick to learn and under stress easy to remember. Krav Maga kept it simple.
Martial Edge: Your credentials as an instructor are quite impressive, having trained members of different Law enforcement agencies in the US from the Los Angeles Police department (LAPD) to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). However how do you a train a civilian who may never have encountered a dangerous situation to be able to deal with one if one day it does?
Mike Diamant: First let me clear up that I am not a certified Krav Maga Force training instructor. We do have a Law Enforcement instructor at our school though I have trained many Law Enforcement, FBI, Department of Defense and military personnel in my regular classes. In Krav Maga, we're not training the average person to be "ring fighters". However, we want to train them to be aggressive and to be able to go from 0 to 100 very quickly if needed. We do this with various drills and exercises that we've created. We train using realistic scenarios and work and drill from positions of disadvantage. We often take the training out of the gym setting into parking lots, stairwells, elevators, etc. The training is very aggressive but very controlled. We give the students tools to deal with the situation if and when it arises. Hopefully they will never have to use the tools we give them, but we always say "it's better to know it and not need it, then to need it and not know it". We know that no matter how realistic you set up the training, it can never match the fear and adrenaline that one might feel in a real life encounter, though constant repetition in your training, your body will remember these movements (muscle memory) and will instinctively react when called upon to use them. Compare it to a fire drill when we were in school. If you have a plan in case of emergency, and you drill, rehearse and prepare on your actions, if an actual emergency happens, of course you'll have an element of fear but your drilling and preparation will help you get out of the situation safely.
Martial Edge: There are a lot of self styled instructors out there who believe the traditional systems are superior to the system of Krav Maga or other self defense systems such as the Keysi fighting method. As a Krav Maga instructor how would you counter this widespread misconception?
The Chin Jab
Unfortunately there are many unpleasant things one thinks of when one thinks of RBSD and its practitioners. I mean look at the guy who coined the term “RBSD” in all its blatant redundancy (Reality Based Self Defence? what else should self defence be based in? what does this “reality” distinction really mean in reality anyway???)
Mike Diamant: I think it is a mistake to be so closed minded and am always amazed when someone makes claims that their system or techniques are the "best" and the "only" ones that you need and should study. That's like saying you must "eat this", it is the best food and the only one you need. What is it? Is it chicken, steak, fish etc. They're all good, but not for everyone at every meal and situation. I also believe that systems don't necessarily win fights. It's the person, the individual. I know people that have had little or no self defense training but if they were attacked on the street, you'd have to kill them to win because they have the "heart of a lion". Don't get me wrong, training is most important, but there are other variables as well. I've trained in other systems and techniques and I never say anything negative about these systems. I think there are positives to be found in all kinds of training. What I like to say about Krav Maga, is that we're the best to bring the average person to a high level of proficiency the fastest. You don't have to train for years to be able to use what we are teaching you. You are going to walk out of every class learning something new that you can use on the street tomorrow. Of course the more you train, the more skilled and confident you will be using these techniques. I believe the more tools you have in your tool box the more rounded you'll be.
Martial Edge: What concepts from the science of health and fitness have you used to incorporate into the teaching of Krav Maga?
Mike Diamant: It is very important to have a well rounded fitness and conditioning program to enhance our fighting and self defense training. When you get tired and are fatigued, your physical and mental skills suffer. On the street if you get tired, if you quit, if you give up, it's over. That is why cross training is essential to developing our total fitness. Fitness isn't just about how strong you are or how fast and far you can run. It's about balance, flexibility, agility, coordination and endurance. We incorporate all of these technologies into our program through various training drills and exercises. We use partner drills, obstacle courses, medicine ball training, speed drills etc. to help us develop the skills we will use in an encounter. We also do plyometric training that helps us to create explosiveness in all of our movements especially for striking. The conditioning also makes us mentally tough, pushing us to go on when we sometimes feel that we have nothing left. Remember, it's not a fight until you want to quit and you have to continue.
Martial Edge: To any of the Martialedge readers who are interested in developing there own understanding of self defense, what advice would you give?
Mike Diamant: T hat a big part of your personal safety is about developing your awareness in situations and learning to trust your instincts. Self-Defense is "not a fight". A fight is two or more people fighting, exchanging back and forth. Self-Defense is for whatever reason you let your "awareness" down and were attacked from a position of disadvantage. Perhaps you're at the ATM and someone comes up behind you and puts a gun on your back or a knife on your throat. Maybe you're walking in a parking lot and someone grabs you in a choke or a bear hug. You must remember that in a self defense situation there are "no rules". Anything goes. There is no such thing as a fair fight. The only fair fight is a fight we are winning, and you must do anything that you can to win and use any means necessary to achieve that goal. Which means hair grabs, biting, scratching, headbutts, kicking, eye gouging. Learn to use your environment. Pick up a stick, chair, bottle and beat them with it. Do whatever you need to "win". We teach that on the street bad guys don't have any rules, so we don't have any rules. We want to turn the attacker into the victim and go home safe.
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