PeaceWalker Blog

Craig Gray, Fred Heins & Tim Hillis are promoted to Black Belt Phase Two Instructors. Day six began with krav maga ground fighting with weapons. Unlike sports such as MMA or events like UFC, in reality there are no rules at all. It is very likely that in a ground fight someone might pull out a knife or a gun; in IKI Krav Maga we prepare for such an eventuality. Moshe Katz demonstrates ground knife defense, controlling the knife hand and striking pressure points BACK TO THE CARS Next we addressed the issue of the passenger in the back trying to strangle the driver with a rope. Self defense outside the car, someone attacks you as you attempt to unlock your car. As Friday is a short day we took no breaks. The kids arrived for their class at 1:30 and our international guests worked with the local Israeli kids, many of whom spoke two or three languages. Our Krav Maga guests with kids of the Mitzpe Nevo dojo Graduation Our seven guests recieve their diplomas for completing the intensive ...

Day five begins with coffee, some Hebrew, discussions about Israeli history and culture and how all this comes together in terms of how Krav Maga is practiced today. I feel the guys are really getting the picture, they are getting the feel of the country. The previous day some of the guys tried to visit a certain historic military site and found themselves being targeted by sinpers and shown the door, in Israel security always comes first. We begin our training with Seated self defense What to do if you are attacked while seated, not a typical dojo situation but whent that can happen in real life. We move on to Krav Maga Ground Defense. The difference between this and MMA type grappling is we keep it street practical; simple, good for all sizes, we do not look for locks or submissions, just get out of harms way. On the way to lunch we spot a heard of sheep and goats Greg enjoys a plate of Shakshuka while Justin has the humous. Tim Hillis from Arizona finally gets to taste "Botz...

Day Four begins again with coffee, discussions about the previous day's visit to the Holocaust Memorial, and some basic Hebrew. We continue with defense against various types of kicks. Today we are joined by two instructors from Rehovot, Israel, Jill Shames and Naomi Milano Yitzhak. Naomi takes a much needed water break After a morning of training we head out to our favorite lunch spot, now this is how humous should be! After lunch we view historic footage and documentation about the "Forgotten Refugees", the 750,000 Jews of Arab lands who were expelled by our Middle Eastern nieghbors and absorbed into Israel. We learn of their difficult history and brutal expulsion. We go outside for "Self Defense in a Car", a topic often neglected in martial arts training but an important part of our program. Naomi defends against a gun threat. In Israel the modern the and ancient live side by side. As we are training for defense inside a car a local nomad rides by on his donk...

Day Three begins with a walk from the center of Jerusalem to the Old City. * * * Our expert tour guide, Josh Even Chen, points out sites of historical, cultural and religious significance. * * * * Beduin woman tends her flock, as people in this region have done for thousands of years. * * * * * * * This olive tree in the garden of Gethsemane is about 2,000 years old. * * * * Outside of the many churches we saw. Some of the participants are devout Christians, others are just interested in the history. * * * * * * * * * * * * A few of the many soldiers we ran into during the day. * * * * * Heading up to Lions Gate * * * * * * * Hanging out with the Border Police, Old City, Jerusalem Hey, one of these guys is not like the others! Stephan blends in with the locals The Cardo dates back to Roman times, 1800 years ago. After many hours of walking the gang enjoyed a good meal of shwarma, humous, and pita. In the Jewish quarter. As we approach the area where the Holy Temple once stood (Cu...