Interview with Jarrett Arthur - Krav Maga Expert

Krav Maga

Jarrett Arthur, an expert in Krav Maga and self defense,  is the founder and owner of M.A.M.A. Self-Defense. She has been featured on national TV for her experience and expertise and teaches all over the country. 

BKO Kung Fu: How does one become certified as a Krav Maga instructor? Which organizations are worldly accepted as authentic?

Jarrett: How does one become certified as a Krav Maga instructor? The short answer: blood, sweat, and tears. I can only speak to the certification process of Krav Maga Worldwide, the organization I’m certified through. After attaining a high level of proficiency, and under the tutelage and recommendation from an already certified instructor, you can apply to take your first 7 day certification course. You train about 8 hours each day, and what makes these certification courses unique, apart from the fact a large number of participants don’t pass, is that the focus is split between the physical performance of the techniques, and your ability to transfer knowledge to students…to teach in an effective way. Just because you can doesn’t mean you can teach, and that’s an important distinction. You get certified by level in Krav Maga, so as you progress through the system as a practitioner, you can train for higher and higher levels of instructor certifications. Each course is nothing short of brutal, physically and mentally. But it should be. It’s Krav Maga after all, not Yoga. 

The question of worldly accepted organizations is one rife with conflict. Certainly the two most most well known organizations at the moment are Krav Maga Worldwide and Krav Maga Global. Just as in any system there are plenty of hybrids and smaller organizations, but what makes Krav Maga unique is the system allows for slight variations in technique because it’s based on what will work for students, and students aren’t all the same. So you might have one instructor that teaches slightly different techniques than another instructor, and both versions are Krav Maga, and both versions are acceptable based on effectiveness on the street. That being said, there are certainly less reputable organizations and instructors out there. I try not to get caught up in the political b.s. of the whole thing, but instead focus on what is supposed to be the common goal of all Krav Maga organizations and all instructors: to equip students with life saving techniques that will effectively help them survive a violent attack on the street, or in the words of founder Imi Lichtenfeld… “So that one may walk in peace…”

BKO: What are the 3 most common myths about Krav Maga? Can you set the record straight.

Jarrett: I’m not sure I can come up with 3 common myths about Krav Maga. For the most part people who have heard of the system tend to have a good understanding of what it is, although most butcher the pronunciation of the name. I think the single most common myth is that Krav Maga is a martial art. I’m sure some instructors and practitioners will want to argue with me that it is, in fact, a martial art, but I think it’s incredibly important to make a distinction between martial arts, and what I consider Krav Maga to be: a reality-based tactical system. While people learn martial arts for many different reasons (beauty, balance, focus, competition, coordination, discipline, etc.), people learn Krav Maga essentially for one reason, and that is to learn how to effectively survive modern-day threats and attacks. Our philosophies are different, our training styles are different, our training modalities and drills are different, our mindset is different. Krav Maga is not a martial art.

The only other common myth I can think of is that Krav Maga is about hurting, maiming, or killing your attacker. Yes, Krav Maga is an aggressive system and we train aggressively. But not only would those mythical goals be unethical and legally irresponsible, there needs to be the understanding that the longer you remain in the fight, the worse your chances of survival. Our main goal is escape, so when we strike we do so to buy opportunities for escape.

BKO: Why should people join your classes versus other self defense system schools?

Jarrett: There are fantastic schools and truly excellent self-defense instructors out there. To be perfectly honest, my main goal is to get people into reputable self-defense classes, whether my classes or someone else’s. That being said, I think that there is something very special about female students having the opportunity to learn from female instructors. Despite the fact Krav Maga, at its core, is about techniques that will be effective regardless of size, strength, and weight, even the most empathetic, sensitive male instructor will never fully be able to understand the unique set of emotional, psychological, and physical characteristics a female self-defense students possess. This, I think, is my unique selling point, and that of other elite female self-defense instructors. In my opinion, both personally and professionally, self-defense taught to women by a woman can be a very powerful, and empowering experience.

BKO: What are the 3 most common things you see women do to put themselves in danger? What do you suggest to avoid them?

Jarrett: 1) Talk, text, or otherwise use phones and other devices while out in public. If I had a quarter for every time I saw a woman walking from Point A to Point B with her eyes down and attention completely on the screen between her two hands I’d be a very rich woman. No matter how important you think your text, call, or email is I can assure you it’s not worth your life. Put the devices down. Look up. Look around. Pay attention. Be aware.

2) Make unnecessarily sloppy transitions into their vehicles. A large amount of violent crime against women happens in and around the transition into or out of vehicles. Carrying huge amounts of gear, many bags, digging in their purse for their keys, not paying attention to their surroundings, sitting in idle cars to organize belongings, and leaving car doors ajar while getting in and getting settled or loading/unloading the car are all ways that leave women particularly vulnerable to being targeted as a victim. Have keys out and in hand before leaving the house, building, or store. Leave one hand free of bags to fight back with, look around as you load or unload the car, check under in and around car before approaching, get in quickly, close and lock doors immediately, and don’t sit in idling cars are all ways to be safer. 

3) Run, walk, or hike alone with earbuds in or headphones on and music blasting. I know music is an important motivator during workouts, but save it for the gym. You don’t want to limit your senses when exercising outside, especially solo. Best policy is to leave the music at home, followed by the use of an external speaker, and using only one earbud at a time.

BKO: When do you advocate for a child to fight back against a bully at school? Many schools have taken on the policy to suspend anyone participating in fighting even if it's self defense? 

Jarrett: I could honestly write a book about this topic, and in fact that’s on my to do list. But to try and keep it as brief as possible I’ll just summarize my own personal beliefs, my professional experience, and my bullying philosophy. 

Bullies have been around forever. They will never cease to exist. Never. Bullies are an important part of our social fabric. Although the topic of bullying has gotten a huge amount of press lately, it’s not a new issue. What is new is (a) the incidences of significant mental health issues and suicide in young bully victims and (b) zero tolerance policies in schools. Our country has taken a huge shift towards what I call a Culture of Passivity. Don’t act, don’t do anything to change your situation, simply passively complain about it on social media, or rely on someone else to fix the problem. How did we treat bully victims in previous eras? We told them to stand up for themselves and fight back. Even if they got “beat up” by the bully, the bullying usually stopped because they refused to be a victim. Now what do we tell them? Whatever you do, don’t fight back. Instead you should ignore them, walk away, and tell an adult. How often does that work? Rarely. Bully victims are getting bombarded with the message that it is WRONG to stand up for themselves, to demand the basic human right of keeping themselves safe from harm by fighting back, that they must rely on others for savior. There is a psychological phenomenon called “Learned Helplessness” which essentially says, the perception that you don’t have control over the outcome of a harmful situation can lead to mental illness such as anxiety and depression. This is what we are doing to our kids. We are taking away their ability to feel they have control over a situation in which they are being harmed. The consequences are devastating, to say the least. 

School administrations are in a very difficult situation. They don’t want to advocate fighting back because they don’t want to advocate fighting. Of course those are two very different things: fighting back versus fighting, and martial arts instructors will tell you that training kids to fight back usually leads to fewer incidences of fighting, not more. But nevertheless, in the modern age of lawsuits, schools don’t want to run the risk. So where does that leave us? For ten years, parents have been coming to me and asking me to teach their kids how to fight back. The story is almost always the same: their child has been victimized for months or years, they are suffering from anxiety and/or depression, the principal has done nothing effective, the teachers have done nothing effective, the bully’s parents have done nothing effective, law enforcement has done nothing effective, and they are concerned for the well being, mental and physical, of their child. “We refuse to allow our child to have to subject himself to being a human punching bag. We refuse to allow our child to be terrified to go to school each day. We don’t care if he gets suspended our expelled, the overall health of our child is the top priority.” I have heard this dozens and dozens of times. We equip the child with skills, he effectively stands up for himself or fights back. And more often than not that solves the bullying problem. Sometimes the child gets in trouble at school, sometimes he doesn’t, but he gets empowered from the experience in profound ways. 

My anti-bully training focuses on prevention, avoidance, and deescalation. Through role-playing we practice using our voices and body language to stand up to bullies. Physical defensive techniques are taught as a last resort, to combat physical threats such as punches, kicks, tackling, headlocks, and chokes, but they are taught, and I have had plenty of students utilize them with success.

As parents, you must make a personal decision on where you stand on this topic. If you believe that it is unacceptable to tell a child not to defend himself in the face of physical harm, regardless of school policies, then it is your responsibility to equip your child with the necessary skills, and communicate with your child the exact course of action that is expected of him. 

BKO: You have had many high profile guest spots on some major shows. What are a few tips you would give someone before they step in front of a real TV recording camera for the first time?

Jarrett: There’s an element of on-camera success that can’t be practiced or learned. Your dynamism in front of your students might not translate directly to the camera. To a certain extent you either have “it” or you don’t. That being said, practice certainly makes you better, and just like training you can’t only go through the paces in your head and expect a fantastic outcome, you have to physically practice as well. Have friends and family members film you. A lot. Watch the tape back and make adjustments. Film again. Watch again. Practicing your lines or your segment in your head won’t cut it. Nor will practice filming by yourself with the camera on a tripod. You need actual practice in front of actual people.

BKO: With so many fitness experts becoming a popular field of work, how have you raised yourself above the crowd?

Jarrett: I think, I’ve strived to rise above the crowd by not including myself, at least not intentionally, in the fitness expert field. I don’t consider myself a fitness expert, it’s not my primary professional goal, and I don’t think I particularly excel as a fitness coach, at least not at an elite level. What I excel at is as a self-defense instructor, and figuring out how to bring the education and skills of personal safety to as many people as possible. Krav Maga is a seriously excellent way to get in shape, so instead of focusing my work on fitness specifically, for students, followers, and readers whose main goal is fitness, I try to encourage them to include self-defense training within their fitness routines. That way they can continue to work towards their goal of fitness, well being, and physique, while at the same time learning potentially life saving skills. It’s a win-win situation. 

BKO: If you could only do 3 exercise in solitary confinement what would they be? Why these 3?

Jarrett: Push-ups, pull-ups (I’d have to chisel a ledge if I couldn’t find an overhanging bar), and burpees. Push-ups and pull-ups are two foundational exercises that people shouldn’t live without. Together, they work the entire anterior and posterior muscle groups of the upper body including the core muscle groups. They are essential to developing striking power. Burpees are a head-to-toe exercise that works explosive strength, particularly through hip extension (also essential in fighting and almost every other athletic movement known to man), and if done in high enough quantities also stresses the cardiovascular system. So between the three, you hit pretty much all of the vital functional movement needs.

BKO: If you could only eat 3 foods for the rest of your life and you could only spend $6 a day, what 3 items would you choose? Why?

Jarrett: Well, with those limits I’d grow my own vegetable garden, have chickens for eggs, and live near a river to fish. Is that answer cheating? If we’re talking about 3 foods I’d have to buy at a store for $6/day I think I’d go with eggs, a green vegetable such as broccoli (love broccoli), and however much poultry I could buy with what I had left. In my own personal diet I eat a lot of lean animal protein (egg whites, poultry, and low mercury fish) and a lot of green veggies. I know I could easily survive on those staples alone. That and my dark chocolate!

BKO: What future projects are you working on that we can look forward too?

Jarrett: We released my first DVD: Don’t Mess With M.A.M.A., which features the top strategies and techniques of my M.A.M.A. Self-Defense program. I have a ton of exciting projects in the works including ebooks and videos, almost all of which will focus on self-defense for women, parents, and kids.

BKO: Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?

Jarrett: Reality-based self-defense training is very different from traditional martial arts training. I absolutely love my traditional martial arts training, but as a woman, I can’t imagine existing in the world without my self-defense education and skills. When we’re talking about the street, techniques that might work, or could work, or sometimes work are unacceptable. I see “self-defense” techniques all the time (trips, throws, joint manipulation, pressure points, chokes, tackles, leverage techniques) that I look at as a woman and know in an instant that I would not be able to make it work in a real life setting, with real life speed, intensity, aggression, striking, size and weight differences. 

Seek realistic, applicable, effective, street-based self-defense training. Encourage family, friends, and coworkers to seek training, even if just one workshop. Do your part to keep your life and that of your loved ones sacred and safe. And of course a big thank you to BKOKungFu.com for featuring my work and my teachings!

BKO: Thank you Jarrett for taking the time to answer our questions. We wish you more success with your future projects.

Interview with Stewart McGill - Krav Maga Expert

Krav Maga

Stewart McGill is a Senior Instructor with the British Combat Association and Urban Krav Maga. Previously a 3rd Dan in Goju Ryu karate and civilian/Law Enforcement instructor with 2 separate Krav Maga organisations. He is a member of the Martial Arts Illustrated Hall of Fame.

What inspired you to learn Krav Maga and why did you choose it as your main style after 20 years of prior martial arts experience?

I took an interest in Krav at the end of the '90s as I was interested in the practical, "this is the problem, what is the solution" element of the style. This remains the big selling point of Krav Maga in general to me, irrespective of one's views about the efficacy of some of the solutions. I liked the ethos and the style aspiring towards being comprehensive; covering ground work and weapons defences rather than just stand up fighting.

Tell us about your school.

The founders of Urban Krav Maga can draw on many years of experience in the following fighting systems as well as various styles of Krav Maga: Karate; Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Traditional Jiu Jitsu, Aikido, Boxing, Muay Thai, Tae Kwan Do and MMA.

We continued training in some of these systems after we became instructors in various Israeli fighting systems. This training continued to inform our teaching and this, along with our real world experience led us to adapt and modify techniques, combining the education we had gained in the Israeli systems with other systems we'd experienced - we did this which we believe is in the original and true spirit of Krav Maga (hence why we maintain the name and the "this is the problem, what is the solution?" approach). We found these modified and innovative techniques were working well for our students - this was the beginning of Urban Krav Maga.

Basically we wanted to teach a system that:

Combined the best elements of the systems referred to above with the Israeli mentality of "this is the problem - what is the solution?" as opposed to the more abstract, indirect approach of many traditional arts.

Contained a range of techniques that were not dependent on punching power and/or brute strength. All techniques need to work against stronger, heavier, taller etc opponents. We also acknowledge different students sometimes need different or modified solutions. So, there is a personal development approach for the student.

Was genuinely combine and evolve our approach. There's a very wide range of experience in the Technical Committee, everybody has a say in how techniques develop and, crucially, nobody is hidebound by ego or adherence to tradition - the one priority is to make techniques work as well as possible for as many people as possible. We also listen to students - the Genesis of the system actually lay in our observations regarding what worked for them under pressure, what didn't work and our debates regarding how we could improve.

Recognised the importance of pre-emptive strikes for self-defence - action always beats reaction.

Took a genuinely scenario-based approach. In Urban Krav Maga, the core syllabus is based around the disciplines and techniques needed to defend the 10 most common street attacks. These are listed in frequency order here: http://www.urbankravmaga.com/syllabus

The core syllabus also contains a range of techniques applicable to female self-defence, grappling (stand-up and on the ground), fighting/sparring techniques and weapons defences.

Our aim is to equip the student as soon as possible to defend themselves against the most common attacks. Once the student has mastered these techniques, more difficult scenarios are addressed to build a support system that will enable the student to deal with almost any situation. By teaching concepts through techniques students are taught how to read a situation and react/respond accordingly, even if they've not experienced the exact same thing in training. Giving students the ability to improvise is an important element of our training.

Awareness, avoidance and pre-emption are placed high in order of priority - but we recognise you can't always avoid or run away from problems. So, we teach everything that is needed for self defence when it's necessary in all environments, including highly confined, crowded spaces like chip shops. "Chip Shop Krav Maga" was our working title for the new system but we thought it may look a little odd on a t-shirt and not translate well for those countries that call a chip a crisp...

We do not make any claims that our techniques are used by any military organisation. We're happy for them to be judged on their merits, not assumed to be good because of their supposedly being taught to a regular army or Special Forces Unit. We make no apologies for this civilian approach: a knife defence based on somebody attacking like they were making a committed bayonet thrust will not be so effective as one that is based on somebody stabbing with an aggressive pumping notion with fast recoil. As stated we retain the term Krav Maga as our approach reflects that on which Krav Maga was originally founded and we are of course indebted to the experiences we have gained training with the various Israeli Fighting Systems.   

You mention the importance of making  your class enjoyable? What are some ways you do this?

To make the class enjoyable we try to incorporate some combat games, keep plenty of variety in there and get people to do stuff like making attacks with plenty of foul mouthed abuse. This is both realistic and a source of humour as people are encouraged to use their imaginations with the abuse. 

And we run the class like what is is, a place for consenting adults. We don't shout and scream at people and pretend we are in the army and if somebody gets something wrong we treat it as a mistake, not an insult to the style and all the people that have gone before.

You have a very good reputation in the martial arts community. With so many average martial arts flooding the market place claiming to be the best, how does one stand out above the others.

All you can do regarding "standing out" is to maintain your own standards, continually update the way you teach and, where appropriate, adapt and upgrade your techniques to suit people. Some stuff that will work for a fit 15 stone young guy will not do so well for a middle-aged 8 stone lady so do not expect her to do the same. 

And work continually to improve your knowledge. 

And remember at all times that martial arts and self defence are all about leverage, always assume the other guy is bigger and stronger.

We saw an advertisement online which states you have "spent 30 years in Martial arts - the last 10 studying all the different types of Krav Maga." We were unaware there was different types of Krav Maga. Can you expand on the different types?

There are a lot of organisations now, Krav Maga Global which emerged from the International Krav Maga Federation (IKMF) , the Federation itself emerged from the Israeli Krav Maga Association (IKMA) which sees it self as the original organisation of the founder, Imi Lichtenfeld. There are also organisations such as Commando Krav Maga, that have some good techniques but the main guy is a fraud, see here:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/22/asa_krav_maga/

Many of the mainstream organisations teach the same stuff, having trained with the IKMF and IKMA I can say the differences were those of degree. I thought the IKMA had a more developed ground game. Commando Krav Maga is based around the fraudulent Chief Instructor's judo style, most other Krav styles are stand-up, Muay Thai based 

The add also states, people can learn your techniques from home? How realistic is it to become an expert at home by yourself?

You can't become an expert at home, you can practice but I would never suggest you can just do this at home.

How much ground fighting is taught in Krav Maga? How close does it resemble BJJ?

My co-Chief instructor in Urbhan Krav Maga is Leo Negao, a former Vale Tudo fighter and 4-time world BJJ champion. So, we have an extensive ground game. But it's not BJJ, we use BJJ and wrestling discipline and skills but the emphasis is on getting up and avoiding somebody sticking a grappling hold onto you. So students are taught how to apply arm bars, chokes, americanas etc on the floor but as amens of learning how to counter them. Anybody who says you can survive on the floor just by being able to bite, gouge, squeeze the nuts etc has not spent enough time working with an experienced grappler, they will forestall all that and break you, so you need some techniques.

You need to maintain focus on getting up quickly however, sometimes in my class I will have to shout out "this is not ju jitsu" and anybody staying on the ground will get some gentle kick reminders that it's a good idea to get up. Conversely, in Leo's class, he has to remind people that it's not Urban Krav Maga; least they try to take out their opponent's eye.

If Krav Maga is such an effective fighting style, why don't we see more practitioners in places like the UFC?

Regarding the UFC, the vast majority of Krav Maga people do not have a good enough ground game to compete to be honest but that's fair enough, priorities are different. Regarding the stand up game, a lot of Krav is base around kicks and knees to the groin that are of course banned in the UFC. And there is a specific craft to fighting in the ring or the cage that Krav people are just not taught, and why would they be.

Having said that some of our guys have been very successful in MMA, particularly in Northern Ireland. But we do have a very good ground fighting game.

Critics claim there is no true hands on training for Krav Maga. So, there is no way to truly know if someone can use it in a real situation? Can you respond to these claims?

We have a very "hands on" approach to training, as much as you can be whilst being consistent with student safety.  I'm glad to say that plenty of our guys have used the stuff to defend themselves when called upon, a few examples here:

http://www.urbankravmaga.com/student-experiences/

Just recently a guy was confronted by a bunch of youths, one of whom had a knife; he took that guy out very aggressively and fronted up the rest who ran away. This guy was a very senior Civil Servant who had previously never had a real fight in his life; he had only done about 10 classes with us before this happened. He said that what helped him was the aggressive intensity of our classes, this helped him cope mentally as well as physically within the situation.         

Most people think Krav Maga is some secret martial art for Israeli secret service . How does someone know if an instructor is a true master of Krav Maga.

I don't go much on the whole military gig when selling Krav or any other system; having seen some supposed "Special Forces" stuff that is really not very good. Look for an instructor who has a good background in a couple of other martial arts, keeps his style open to outside influences rather than makes a virtue of some mythical purity, understands the ground game and is able to teach as well as do the stuff. Ask him or her who gave them their first teaching qualification and who gave them their most recent.

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. Would you like to do any shameless self promotion? We highly encourage it. 

Yes, I would like to suggest your readers visit the following links to see what DVDs we have to offer?