In the Mastering Krav Maga (Volume I) series, Israeli Krav Maga Association U.S. Chief Instructor David Kahn teaches essential techniques to defend against all manners of unarmed attack from the yellow, orange, and green belt levels of the Israeli krav maga curriculum (beginner to advanced). The DVDs are companions to David’s two books (St. Martins Press), Krav Maga and Advanced Krav Maga. The DVD series was originally conceived and filmed for “in-house” student and instructor de
$ 99.99
Literally A Ton of Quality Information From A Reputable Source,
Well I feel that I should start off this review by stating that I literally have dozens of DVD’s and books on Krav Maga and various self-defense systems, etc., and I have found some to contain a lot of great information, while others contain very little quality information. However, I have learned something valuable from every book and DVD I own, although admittedly a lot more from some than from others. However, after viewing this six-disc DVD set released by David Kahn I have absolutely no reservation at all at placing his latest work at the top of the DVD heap in terms of quality of content. After watching all six-discs I realized that David and I are right at about 95{660353129f8d892044c993645a1c75194301fec6786a7f617c15adde0b0011e9} on our mutual philosophies concerning self-defense and the techniques that we teach. The 5{660353129f8d892044c993645a1c75194301fec6786a7f617c15adde0b0011e9} that wasn’t the same was merely small differences in both philosophy and the execution of certain techniques where I may teach them slightly differently, but with the same basic principles in mind. So to put it more bluntly or succinctly, David says “Tomato” and I say “Tomatoe.” That is really how relevant our differences our concerning Krav Maga, virtually non-existent.
So how is the quality and content of this six-disc DVD set? Well let’s start out with the packaging and work our way through the entire six-disc set.
PACKAGING:
This is a very attractive cover with David executing a technique against an attacker dressed in camouflage with the covers of his first two books; Krav Maga: An Essential Guide to the Renowned Method–for Fitness and Self-Defense and Advanced Krav Maga: The Next Level of Fitness and Self-Defense on the cover in the lower left hand corner. I thought this was a nice touch especially since I would highly recommend that you purchase both books to go along with this DVD set, especially if you are just beginning in Krav Maga or even if you have been in it for awhile, but aren’t yet that familiar with the various techniques. Why might you ask, well I will get into that more in detail a little later in the review, but suffice to say that the DVD’s may be a bit overwhelming to someone who is just starting out and is not that familiar with the techniques demonstrated in the DVD’s. Having the books will supplement the DVD’s nicely and will help immensely with getting the techniques down correctly.
Each individual DVD fit snugly inside the case and I had absolutely no issues with loose or damaged discs because they weren’t secure in the case. This normally isn’t much of an issue when you already have them home and they are stored on a shelf, but this is a major issue before you receive it in the mail. In this case, each individual disc was very secure and did not become loose during shipping. This is primarily due to the very well designed case in which they are contained.
DVD CONTENT:
Now I am not going to go into great detail about the contents of each individual disc as that would become quite redundant since the focus of this review is on the quality of the instruction provided not the individual technique. Now one thing that I must caution the viewer on is the fact that the information contained on each one of these discs was initially intended to be used solely for “in-house” training of students and instructors who have been already training with David in person. Therefore, most of the techniques demonstrated are not taught from square one (so to speak), but rather from the perspective of being a brief overview and refresher for those that had already learned each particular technique from the very beginning. That is why I stated earlier that I would highly recommend getting both of David’s previous two books on Krav Maga and using them in conjunction with this six-disc DVD set in order to get the most out of it. Another added bonus was all that great little nuggets of self-defense and personal protection information that is found throughout the entire six-disc series, although you really have to be paying attention at all times in order to pick up all of it as it is often included during the discussions on the execution of the various techniques demonstrated.
Each disc covers a wide variety of techniques ranging from your basic combatives such as; punches, strikes, knees and kicks, to defenses against those very same attacks, as well as, defenses against a variety of grabs, chokes, and take downs. I thoroughly enjoyed the material on every disc, but especially liked some of the defenses against chokes including ones you can use if someone attempts to garrote you. Very solid information.
So is there any negative aspects of this six-disc DVD…
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|Best DVDs on Self Defense Ever!,
I have studied and trained in a multitude of martial arts and reality based defense systems over the last 30 years (including several different evolutions of Krav Maga).
I also own a considerable amount of book and video based material on the subject.
The Mastering Krav Maga DVD set by Mr. Kahn is the best instructional material on unarmed personal protection that I have ever owned.
The video quality is easily on par with the best production videos on the market with clear sharp picture and sound. Unlike other instructional DVDs, you won’t see the same technique repeated 12 times in slow motion. Each technique is explained and demonstrated only a few times allowing you to get more techniques per disc than in other KM DVDs. Mr. Kahn’s teaching style is very dynamic and he provides detailed explanations for techniques presented. His movements are explosive and fluid and he provides a great visual example of how each movement should be executed.
I really ought to add that Mr. Kahn’s books are a great way to supplement your DVD training as they provide additional insights into technique utilization and application. The books also provide a solid training progression to develop your ability to seamlessly integrate your body’s combat tools into your defensive response to aggression.
Most importantly, the technique content was exceptional. You may find a few techniques reminiscent of older Krav Maga, but much of this material will be new to those who are studying earlier evolutions of the system. Where this material really shines is that key biomechanical issues present in earlier evolutions of Krav Maga now appear to be recognized and fixed, providing the student with a higher probability of success in application.
I am anxious to see Mr. Kahns new book on weapon defenses and truly hope he decides to release a companion DVD set. It would be great to see the entire Gidon system committed to training DVD for those of us not fortunate enough to be near a qualified instructor.
Anyone interested in Krav Maga, personal protection, or self defense should pick this DVD set up today. You’ll be glad you did!
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|The REAL Krav Maga,
I am a 20 year veteran of the martial arts and a 6 year practitioner of Krav Maga.
The video that David Kahn has created demonstrates the highly effective and elegantly simple
system of Krav Maga. In an era when the name Krav Maga has been diluted by many pretenders and
so-called authorities, David Kahn teaches the Krav Maga as Israel deploys it today.
His videos are well conceived, logically structured and a major aid to anyone wanting to learn
the authentic style.
Other DVDs on the market that are labeled as Definitive, Ultimate, or Black Belt, are an interesting composite
of techniques where the attacks are half speed and the techniques more remedial or focus more on total aggression of defense
rather than perfecting the technique needed to be executed. David Kahn’s video take into account real time fighting scenarios,
at full speed and with a higher measure of urgency. Simply put, if David’s techniques is off, he would be at risk of serious injury.
This is more realistic and more in keeping with what a Krav practitioner will need to learn. Self defense with the speed and aggression
of attack being met with brutal yet simply elegant counters.
There is even footage of David showing these same techniques to the military…what more would you need to see? If the US military
is trusting our soldiers with his knowledge, why wouldn’t we?
I highly recommend it!
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