Page 22 - Complete Krav maga : the ultimate guide to over 250 self-defense and combative techniques

more, and even if you do have time to train, you will still benefit from a refined,
efficient system.

Our system is built to reduce your options so that you do not hesitate under
stress. When presented with a life-threatening situation, you should react
decisively and aggressively, determined to neutralize the threat so that you and

your loved ones are safe.

Even if you train enough to overcome the hesitation-due-to-options issue, there
is another reason to simplify your choices: stress. Simply put, stress reduces
performance. Increased training can reduce the impact of stress, but rarely does
that impact fall to zero.

Here is a simple example of the impact stress has on your performance. Imagine
that we laid a long piece of wood, a 2×4, on the ground in front of you, then
asked you to walk across it without touching the ground. Could you do it? Of
course you could!

Next, we lay the same wooden plank across the gap between two tall buildings.

Could you walk across it then? Why not? The wooden plank is strong enough to
support you. Gravity is always constant, so you are not being pulled down any
harder. Why can’t you do it?

The answer is simple: stress. The consequences of falling are now much greater.
Your heart rate goes up, adrenaline floods your body, you begin to perspire, your
muscles tighten. These and other physical and mental responses combine to

impair your performance.

Again, training time reduces the impact of stress, but rarely brings it to zero.
And since you will only need self-defense techniques when you are under stress,
an effective self-defense system seeks to simplify the physical movements and
the decision making so that you can perform as well as possible.