Real Life Violence is Not a Game

 

I practice Krav Maga, both for exercise and so I can handle myself in bad situations.

To give you an idea of the Krav Maga mindset, it was first developed in the 1930s by Jewish boxer and wrestler Imre “Imi” Lichtenfeld in what was then Czechoslovakia to fight Nazi supporters who were targeting Jews. Imi quickly figured out that anti Semites are not good sports. He developed a system that anyone can use and that was designed to maim and cripple an opponent fighting to kill. The Israeli Defense Force later adopted it when Israel was founded in 1948. Today, it is a system used by bodyguards, law enforcement, and everyday people looking to walk in peace.

Ironically, my training in a martial art specifically designed for street fighting and permanently damaging the human body has proven most useful in helping me to navigate crowds and developing situational awareness.

Many of the warm-up exercises in my classes start with the class navigating a simulated crowd, with the crowd being my classmates.

But the biggest lesson from my Krav Maga training has been that violence has devastating consequences, both for the attacker and the victim.

Some Distinctions

Kids, especially boys, roughhouse. Sometimes even adults in immature moments do as well.

However, most of the time when someone is seriously hurt, people stop what they are doing, even if only out of self-interest.

For example, an entire football game ground to a halt when it appeared that a player was on death’s door. Even in combat sports like boxing and MMA, referees are there to make sure things don’t get too out of hand and there are usually medics to treat serious injuries.

The kind of violence I am talking about has the objective of explicitly and permanently injuring or killing people as either a means or a goal, where the violence is unrestricted.

The violence of a gangster who is prepared to maim and kill for money. Someone on a power trip. The spouse who is prepared to leave their partner black and blue or attack them with a knife. A dispute between two young people over something stupid that escalates into one wanting the other dead. The terrorist who kills because they believe in their demented mind they are doing something righteous. Or, angered that he was rejected by women, a man who decides to lethally lash out over a false sense of entitlement.

Where violence with the intent to injure or kill is either the secondary or primary goal.

Keep in mind that these motives for violence can and frequently do overlap.

Consequences

For the victims, if they manage to survive, violence frequently leaves them traumatized and heavily injured, sometimes crippled. Those who survive are left feeling chronically unsafe, always feeling like they are in danger no matter where they go. Nightmares, panic attacks, depression, and constant fear await them.

Classic symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder for a reason.

Violence frequently damages the bodies of those who survive. Limbs can be damaged or even lost, and often are. Teeth are frequently lost, and for those who get struck in the head, they sometimes can’t see straight or lose fine motor skills. The chances of permanent physical damage and even death is greatly increased if weapons are introduced into the equation, especially guns.

One of my instructors works at the Hennepin County Medical Center. He told an anecdote of a young man who survived being shot in the stomach seven times, but he will never be able to eat solid food again.

Sometimes I wonder if in his case death would have been a kinder fate.

There are serious consequences for perpetrators of violence as well.

Assuming that they are not psychopathic, too deep in a destructive ideology, or otherwise psychologically unhealthy, those who carry out violence against others frequently suffer from something called moral injury.

Many of the symptoms of moral injury are similar to post-traumatic stress disorder but instead come from carrying out actions that they feel are against their values or are otherwise reprehensible.

Quite a few medical practitioners of all kinds suffer from moral injury from the terrible choices thrust upon them at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But it must be emphasized that those who live a life of violence tend to die early and horrifically. A violent lifestyle is also one of high stress. Just ask anyone how paranoid they have to be to be a big player in the drug trade. Or take into consideration that the life expectancy of your average terrorist is not very long.

Those who live violent lives tend to die violent deaths.

Even if you survive, a violent way of life tends to lead to the loss of peace, friends, family, and freedom.

That is not counting that carrying out violence will often damage your body because you will end up a victim of someone who is either fighting back or another predator.

The Point

The first step we are taught in Krav Maga when it comes to dangerous situations is avoidance. This means that if you are in a dangerous situation and there is an exit, you take it immediately.

Unlike what many people may say, street fights are scary and incredibly dangerous. Even with my training, I dread the very idea of having to actually fight in a real situation.

Violence is like fire in that it is very easy to lose control of, and yet you must exercise extreme control when using violence.

For those of you who have served in the armed forces, I suspect this knowledge informs much of basic training and military discipline.

But at the same time, sometimes you find yourself in a situation where you have no choice but to fight. So in that situation, do whatever you must to keep yourself safe.

If it’s at all possible, STAY OFF THE GROUND. Ground fighting is exceptionally dangerous, even compared with already deadly serious street fighting on your feet.

If you find yourself having to fight anywhere outside the ring, there is no such thing as a dirty move.

But the best fights are ones where you get to safety without having to throw a single blow.I will end with this quote from a Krav Maga instructor in Israel from the Netflix series FightWorld (a fascinating series itself): “Real fighting is knowing maybe it’s time to close your windows in the car and lock the door.”