KAPAP COMBATIVE

ACADEMY

Level 1
Instructors Manual

AVI NARDIA
Revised 1009

KAPAP COMBATIVE ACADEMY All rights reserved © 2000-2009

 Table of Contents:
About the Kapap Academy……………………………………………………... Page 3
¾ Avi Nardia
The History of Kapap…………………………………………………………… Page 4
What Sets Kapap Apart………………………………………………………… Page 7
Kapap – A Self-Defence Concept First………………………………………….Page 8
¾ Training concepts
¾ Application Principles
¾ Pressure Points
¾ Balance Displacement, Throwing, Tumbling, Falling/Landing
¾ Lessons in Restraint/Immobilization - Grappling & Finishing Holds
¾ Strangulations-Chokes/Sealing the Breath
¾ Joint Manipulation, Seizing Connective Tissue & Cavity Pressing
¾ Functional Anatomy & Physiology
¾ Preparatory/Cool-Down Exercises
¾ Training with Supplementary Equipment
¾ Two-Person Checking, Trapping, & Close-Combat Drills
¾ Sticky-Hand Sensitivity Drills
¾ The Old vs. the New (The Art vs. the Sport)
¾ Training Methods
Kapap – Analyzing the Israeli Martial Arts…………………………………….Page 16
¾ Introduction to Close Quarters Battle (CQB)
¾ Violent Confrontation
¾ The SOP 9 Study
¾ Psychological Aspects
¾ Physiological Aspects
¾ The Chemical Cocktail
¾ The Breakdown of the Mind:
¾ The Optimum Combat Mindset:
¾ Developing a Combat Mindset:
¾ Kapap Academy “Swords of Wisdom “
Kapap – Tracking the Way of Combat Martial Arts…………………………. Page 23
The Kapap Triangle as the Base/Model of the Combat Doctrine…………......Page 25
Kapap - Level One ……………………………………………………………….Page 27
¾ Posture, Stance and Break Falls
¾ Body Movement
¾ Vital Point and Pressure Points
¾ Joint Locking
¾ Counter Techniques
¾ Self-Defence: Counters, Escapes, Avoidance
¾ Conditioning the Body!!!
The “Nailing” Technique…………………………………………………………Page 30
The Seven Points of Gun Disarming & Deadly Mistakes……………………… Page 31
Conditioning for Combat and Martial Arts……………………………………. Page 33

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 About the Kapap Combative Academy
Krav Panim El Panim – Kapap, is the Hebrew acronym for “Face To Face Combat.”
It is the original Israeli combat system for defensive tactics, hand-to-hand combat and
self-defence, and is employed by the Israeli Defence and Security Forces, the Israeli
National Police, and its Special Operations and Anti-Terrorist units.

Its roots originated in the 1940's fight tactics used by the Pal mach (Jewish Strike
Brigades) who were fighting for Israel’s independence, and would later become the
structure and main force to form Israel's specialized units in the conventional military
(IDF) for years to come.

The renewed Kapap combat system is headed by Lt. Colonel Chaim Peer who served in
one of Israel's most elite units – the Matkal, and who later trained other specialized units
in guerrilla warfare and hand-to-hand combat tactics. The Kapap system has continued to
be upgraded from its basic forms of combat by operators of specialized units and other
official instructors who served and/or still serve in Israel's security branches. Although
the Kapap Federation is based in Israel, the Kapap Academy has been designated as its
sole representative in the USA and was formed by one of Israel’s Military, Police and
Counter Terror (Lotar) instructors – Avi Nardia

The Kapap Combative Academy is an academy of knowledge and EXPERIENCE,

working to bring you the next step in real self-defence using realistic scenarios based on
real experience and an understanding of today's threats – without consideration of the
experience, strength, and power of the practitioner.

Kapap Academy™ courses are designed for security companies, security departments,
Law Enforcement, Military, and individuals who value knowledge and want to learn
more operational capabilities. Our training system includes a well established curriculum
and it is mainly based on hand-on exercises and scenarios. We believe that only a wise
combination of strategy and tactical learning - with extensive and realistic training, can
offer professional and practical solutions to high stress and deadly combat situations.

Avi Nardia
Avi Nardia (Reserve) served in a specialized Israeli Police unit – the
YAMAM, where he was an Intelligence Team member and a
Defensive Tactics/CQB instructor. He also taught defensive tactics
and operational behaviour at the Operational Police Academy, which
is responsible for training the entire Israeli police force. In addition,
he also served in the Israeli Army (IDF) and fought in the Lebanese
War (1982) where he earned the rank of Major. In his 24 years of
experience as a defensive tactics and CQB instructor he has had the
opportunity to train various military and police forces from all over
the world, including Special Forces units, counter-terror units, Army and Marine units,
SWAT, SRT, SERT teams, and Corrections officers. To this day he is a CQB trainer in
the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) Reserves, as well as a Reserve Police Sniper.

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 The History of Kapap
Prior to 1948 the modern state of Israel did not exist. The last time the world heard
anything about Israel was in 70 A.D. when Roman legions under General Titus brutally
squashed a Jewish revolt, dispersed the majority of the population throughout the Roman
Empire, and vengefully renamed the nation to Palestine (the Latin word for Israel’s
ancient enemy Philistine), which is today the Gaza strip and Tel-Aviv area.

Although there has always been a remnant of Jews living in the Holy Land, for the past
1,932 years they have been under constant subjugation by foreign powers such as the
Byzantines, the Arabs, the Crusaders, again the Arabs, and the Ottomans (also known as
the Turks). The Ottoman Empire (1300–1918)
ruled over both the indigenous Jews and Arabs
in the region until their defeat in World War I
(1914–1918) and the implementation of the
British Mandate of 1919. In this same year the
Jews formed an underground army, known as
the Haganah ‫( הגנה‬the Hebrew word for
defence), to deal with the ongoing conflict with
Arab gangs and in anticipation of the creation of
a Jewish state promised to them by the British in
the Balfour Declaration.

Yet, despite the popularity of the Zionist movement and increased Jewish immigration,
Statehood was slow in the making. Instead, the colonial powers allowed the local police
to form an elite unit called the Notrim (guards) to defend isolated Jewish agricultural
settlements against marauding Arabs, and to quell ongoing racial riots steadily growing in
the urban centres.

Although the Notrim was successful at

protecting the small outposts, they were not
as effective in handling the deadly riots or
pursuing the enemy back behind his own
lines. It was a Haganah officer named
Yitzhak Sadeh (considered the father of the
Israeli Special Forces) that understood these
shortcomings and formed a new army unit
called the Nodedot (wanderers).

When World War II (1939–1945) brought British forces once again into global conflict
against the axis powers of Germany, Japan, and Italy, the need for oil was paramount.
However, this rare commodity was threatened by German troops advancing eastward into
North Africa and many Arab tribes openly siding with the Nazis. Reluctant at first, the
British turned once again to Jewish fighters and formed the first official Israeli Special
Forces unit on May 14, 1941, known as the Pal’ mach ‫( פלמ"ח‬a Hebrew acronym for
Plugot Machatz, ‫ פלוגות מחץ‬which means strike platoon).

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Although the original numbers of personnel sanctioned for Pal’ mach training under
British supervision was only suppose to be 1,000 fighters, the Haganah decided to
overstep their bounds and trained roughly 3000 men in preparation for a future Jewish
army to be used after the war.

The training that the Pal’ mach commandos received was called Kapap ‫( קפ"פ‬the Hebrew
acronym for Krav Panim El’Panim, ‫ קרב פנים אל פנים‬which means “face-to-face
combat”). The word “Krav” ‫ קרב‬is also translated commonly as “fight.” However,
Kapap was not just one system, but a mixture of rigorous physical conditioning, firearms,
explosives training, radio communications, wilderness survival training, combat first aid
and foreign language courses (which also included the enemy languages of German and
Arabic).

This style of empty hand combat training was a

combination of Western fighting systems such as
boxing (London Prize Ring Rules), Greco-Roman
wrestling, and standard British military knife and
baton training. At this time, since there was no one
single vocabulary word or term used to identify
these types of self-defence techniques; Kapap was
used as an all inclusive term.

Eventually, the Pal’ mach’s three combat brigades that were trained in Kapap went onto
assist the British in a variety of victorious campaigns such as the invasions of Vichy (the
French pro-Nazi government), Lebanon, and Syria; espionage missions in Jordan and
fighting along side the British SAS (Special Air Service) in the Balkans.

When the war ended, so did the Jewish-British

cooperation. The Jews expected the Brits to
hold up their end of the bargain for a
homeland. When it was apparent that the deal
would not go through the Pal’ mach used
guerrilla tactics against the British military
and police installations. Terrorist attacks were
also carried out by the Jewish Stern Group
and Irgun, but they were strongly condemned
by the Haganah.

With the newly formed United Nations in 1945 the Jews knew that it was only a matter of
time before an all out war between the Jews and Arabs would break out. In an attempt to
intervene, prior to their departure, the British tried to partition the region into two parts –
a Jewish state on the west side of the Jordan River and an Arab state on the east side of
the river (today’s Jordan).

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 Finally, when the British lowered the Union Jack and left the
region, the Jews declared their Independence on May 14, 1948.
Hours later the forces of Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Syria,
and the Palestinians attacked the newborn nation of Israel.
Eventually, the unofficial-turned-legitimate Haganah would
face its greatest challenge yet in the War of Independence, and
was officially renamed the Tzava Haganah Le’Yisrael ‫צבא‬
‫( הגנה לישראל‬translated as the Army Defence to Israel and also
the Israeli Defence Forces or IDF ‫)צה"ל‬.
The IDF Insignia

It was during the War of Independence that the Israelis managed to not only survive,
though greatly outnumbered and poorly equipped, but went on to form one of the most
respected Militaries in the world.

In 1957, the ultra-secret unit named Sayeret

Mat’kal (Unit 216) was formed by
intelligence officer Avraham Aran who
closely modelled it after the British SAS. In
the 1970’s this unit gained worldwide fame
after a series of spectacular counterterrorist
operations- the most famous of which was
Operation Thunderbolt on July 3-4, 1976
(also known in the U.S. as the Raid on
Entebbe), where operators flew into the
hostile African nation of Uganda and rescued 103 hostages who had been hijacked by
German and Palestinian terrorists.

In the 1970’s, as it pertained to the IDF, the Special Forces units had a monopoly on
martial arts training and, once again, Kapap became the training of choice, which was
also known as Lochama Zehira ‫“( לוחמה זעירה‬micro fighting” or “micro combat”). The
system included a variety of military skills in addition to hand-to-hand combat. However,
with Israel being at war with one or more Arab neighbours, and facing unrelenting cross-
border terrorist attacks, it was obvious that regular IDF units needed some sort of hand-
to-hand fighting system. As a result, what they got was a basic, no-nonsense, system
called Kapap or Krav Panim el Panim.

A Special Thank You:

Hagana Museum and Dr. Haruvi in Israel for providing us the pictures and
assisting our efforts to promote the combat system that contributed in the
fight for the state of Israel. The Kapap Academy™ and the IKF
(International Kapap Federation - ISRAEL) are working together to promote
the heritage and history of the Jewish and Israeli fighters, and the combat
systems they developed -Kapap.

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 What Sets Kapap Apart?
How is Kapap different from other forms of martial arts?
Today the Kapap is a dynamic and developing and fast growing system where we see the
student as the centre of our focus.

Many styles like the traditional have their barriers set with rules and regulations
sometimes adapting many unnecessary typologies and doctrines which are hard or to
complicate to follow, sometimes too demanding for the student. Other styles that preach
about one way, or a single man that is on the top of the system, they are leaving the most
important factor out of the equation- The student.

We have witnessed many fancy looking titles and self proclaimed masters that reinvented
themselves with illusions and so-called “scientific” researches to back their theory.
Problem is that NO ONE ASKS QUESTIONS any more and they all fall into the sheep
category that follows one Sheppard.

At the Kapap Academy™ we encourage the student to ask all the possible questions he
might have from the first moment he comes into the class. It is our way to do things and
to show that every question has a logical answer, it might not be the same answer for
everyone in the class, but this is how we start to explore and understand what works and
what doesn’t in reality with the bottom line which is - Kapap adapts only what works.

The main feature you encounter when you come to learn Kapap is that we are basing our
practices on principles and not techniques like all the rest of the systems. We believe that
the techniques are endless and you can invent them yourself once you understand the
principles you need to follow.

How would you expect to remember lets say technique number 58 out of your manual
book if the attacker is random? Or better yet he didn’t read your book of defences and he
doesn’t know how to really attack you to make your technique work against him. But if
you will follow few simple principles that are also logical (when you have common sense)
you will see that there is nothing to it and you don’t even need a manual book.

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 KAPAP Martial Art: A Self-Defence Concept First
Built upon timeless principles, Kapap can also be an effective way to condition the body,
cultivate the mind, and nurture the spirit. Through diligent training you can improve
health - its holistic purpose; be better prepared to protect yourself - its defensive
application; build moral character - its social aim; discover and overcome the source of
human weakness - its philosophical nature; and finally, to know inner peace - its spiritual
essence. Supporting every facet of this practice is a message that is far greater than the
physical conduit through which it is delivered.

In addition, Kapap can also be learned or taught as a provocative alternative to

conventional methods of physical fitness (combat fitness) and stress management.
Learning how to respond dispassionately to unwarranted aggression requires self-
empowerment. Such training promotes an inner-calm and, where conflict exists, helps
restore balance to personal and professional relationships. Kapap is a non-competitive,
totally application-based defensive practice, punctuated with moral philosophy and
highlighted by introspective teaching as a comprehensive single study.

Application Principles
Address the anatomical attack structure, which are the parts of the body used to transfer
energy (fist, foot, elbow, weapon different extension, etc), as well as the angle to the
structure, its direction, and the required power.

Pressure Points
The body of knowledge presented in this type of training addresses the following:

1. Location: The precise anatomical structure to be attacked.

2. Tool: Which part of the body (fist, foot, elbow, knee, fingertips, etc.) is utilized.

3. Angle: The angle of energy transfer.

4. Direction: The direction of energy transfers (back to front, perpendicular to the

location, etc).

5. Intensity: The amount of energy transfer necessary to achieve the desired outcome.

The detailed presentations in this kind of training will not only improve your fundamental
knowledge of anatomical structures, but it will also deepen and widen your
understanding of pain withdrawal reflex (PWR) and pre-determined response (PDR) -
two valuable components behind mechanical exploitation supporting rationale. This
fundamental knowledge of anatomical structures, and their basic function, allows you to
better understand the rationale behind its tactical strategies.

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 Kapap Vital Points

The detailed presentations in this kind of training will not only improve your fundamental
knowledge of anatomical structures, but it will also deepen and widen your
understanding of pain withdrawal reflex (PWR) and pre-determined response (PDR) -
two valuable components behind mechanical exploitation supporting rationale. This
fundamental knowledge of anatomical structures, and their basic function, allows you to
better understand the rationale behind its tactical strategies.

9
Balance Displacement, Throwing, Tumbling, and Falling/Landing
It seems axiomatic that you cannot learn the art of self-defence without ever learning how
to protect yourself from falling, being knocked down, or even being thrown to the
ground. Unfortunately, ending up on the ground, irrespective of how unwelcome the
thought may be, is something that is more than likely to happen in an actual physical
confrontation.

Ukemi-waza is the Japanese term that identifies those skills associated with learning to
protect you from the dangers associated with hitting the ground under such
circumstances. As a prelude to learning how to displace your balance for the purpose of
throwing, an introduction to ukemi-waza is necessary and a mandatory practice for any
and all martial arts. This kind of training is not only fun, and highly informative, but it
adds a vital component to an otherwise ignored discipline.

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Lessons in Restraint/Immobilization - Grappling and Finishing Holds
The reason Katame-waza has continued to set precedence over so many generations of
self-defence is because it is such an effective tool in controlling aggressive/violent
behaviour. Look at any military force, law-enforcement agency, private/professional and
or diplomatic security, as well as officers at correctional facilities. They are all schooled
in the arts of restraint and immobilization because it’s simply the easiest and most
effective way to gain control without mortal injury to an opponent. Collectively, these
practices are paramount to learning self-defence.

As a rule there are three general classifications of restraint/immobilization:

1. Restraining/Immobilizing an opponent through choking/strangling.

2. Restraining/Immobilizing an opponent with bone/joint manipulation, enhanced by
pressing cavities & seizing connective tissue.
3. Restraining/Immobilizing an opponent through ground control.

Chokes/Sealing the Breath

One of the easiest to learn aspects of application practices is the art of rendering an
opponent unconscious, through either sealing the air or restricting blood flow learning
how to choke an opponent to unconsciousness is a valuable skill in the overall art of self-
defence.

Joint Manipulation - Seizing Connective Tissue and Cavity Pressing

How to twist bones, lock joints, seize weak parts of the human body and dig into those
cavities unprotected by the skeletal structure. Not only are these practices brutally
effective as tools of self-defence they are, in fact, what separates those who know from
those who know nothing.

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 APPLIED SCIENCE

Functional Anatomy & Physiology

Introducing the knowledge and application of simple physics, even though at first glance
it appears there is no correlation is, nonetheless, an integral element of effective
defensive application. With knowledge of our common anatomical structures and
knowledge of simple physics, it becomes possible to employ simple defensive concepts,
based on simple machines, to the limbs, neck and torso - with brutal effectiveness.

Preparatory/Cool-down Exercises
Probably one of the most neglected areas of training is proper warm-up and cool-down
exercises. These exercises are vitally important in preparing the body for optimum
performance, protecting it against potential injury, and restoring energy. The training in
this area deals with a balanced program fusing together gentle joint movement, dynamic
and static stretching, plyo-metrics, and Isokinetic tension (without Valsalva breath
holding) practices.

Training with Supplementary Equipment

Supplementary training exercises can (and do) improve any individual skill as well as
have a noticeable influence on one’s strength, power, and overall physical prowess. Pre-
dating the development of modern weights and exercise equipment, these unique
apparatuses have been used for generations in conditioning.

Training of this nature introduces the participant to the history and fundamental practices
of Makiwara (impact post/board), Nigiri-game (gripping jars), Chi-ishi (stone weights
attached to a handle) including the Ishi/tetsu-sashi (stone/iron padlock - which are used
like dumb bells), Makiage (a wrist roller), Tan (resembling a barbell), Jari bako (vessel
of small pebbles/beans), Ishi/tetsu-geta (stone/iron clogs), Tou (bamboo bundle - also
referred to as také), Kongoken (a very heavy iron rectangular hoop), Tetsuarei (iron
dumb bells), floor-to-ceiling ball, speed bags, heavy bags, medicine ball, and focus mitts.

Two-Person Checking, Trapping, and Close-Combat Drills

Classical Tegumi represents the plebeian-style grappling techniques, which include many
two-person drills. These practices help develop timing, awareness and sensitivity -
especially at close range, using the hands, elbows, knees and head.

Historically, these checking and trapping drills were developed into a graduated system
of learning when a learner comprehended the brutal mentality commonly associated with
unwarranted physical violence. The only practical way through which these functional
defensive response capabilities were learned and mastered (by the average person), was
when each act of physical violence was recreated in a controlled environment. Through
trial & error, and with an experienced mentor to reduce the risk of serious injury, learners
were afforded the opportunity of testing and exploring which defensive principles were
most effective for their body type and personalities. Simply put, two-person drill theory
allows each learner to progress exponentially until the process achieved its outcome.

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Sticky-Hand Sensitivity Drills
Based upon the concept of trapping an opponent’s hands/arms after an unsuccessful
attempt at seizing or impacting a victim, Muchimi-di develops the skill of controlling an
attacker by continually pressing, trapping, and/or hooking.

Recognizing what value biomechanics and physics play in self-defence, it is not much of
a stretch to conclude that learning how the human body is constructed and understanding
its basic functions can enhance one’s overall application of the art. Understanding
anatomical structures and functions reveal specific vulnerabilities and provide learners
with valuable insights into physical exploitation.

Five issues central to the application process:

1. Anatomical location: The precise area to be attacked.

2. Tool for energy transfer: Fist, foot, elbow, knee, etc.

3. Angle: The angle of energy transfer; i.e. 45°, 90° etc.

4. Direction: The direction of energy transfers; i.e. back to front, perpendicular to

location, etc.

5. Intensity of energy transfer: How much force required during energy transfer.

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 USING SAFE LEARNING

The Old vs. the New (The Art vs. the Sport)
This controversy between sporting authorities and advocates of the art continues on
purely because of misunderstanding and inflexible mindsets. Simply put, failure to
recognize the difference between original defensive intentions and modern day training
methods (developed by and for rule-bound based/reverse punch/front kick tournaments)
is one of the biggest conundrums in self-defence today. While we are certainly discussing
two sides of the same coin, what separates these two schools of thought is not nearly as
important as what could bring them together. Unfortunately, pride, insecurity, and
protectionism remain at the forefront of such resistance.

Neither side denies the fact that most competitively trained athletes could probably
handle them adequately in a potentially dangerous street confrontation. Competitively
trained athletes are in great physical condition, possess an impressive arsenal of impact
tools (kicking, striking & punching) and can quickly muster up an aggressive behaviour.
That they are no strangers to mutual confrontation means they are better prepared than
the average person to meet an attacker head-on in the street. However, being seized or
tackled (an issue which happens during street encounters, especially if one decides to
resist) requires a completely different set of application principles and defensive
strategies.

Effectively defending oneself against the habitual acts of physical violence (HAPV), such
as a clinch, tackle and/or a grappling situation that has gone to the ground, demands
completely different training methods than are found or used in rule-bound training.

Ask yourself this question, “Does my style include effective defences against being
seized in a bear-hug, put in a head-lock or being choked to death? Moreover, what the
heck do I do when I am thrown to the ground?”

The truth is that no one in a real-life confrontation is going to attack you with a well-
controlled reverse punch, nor are they about to stand still while you perform your secret
*pressure-point* knock-out defence. Someone trying to cause grievous bodily harm is
more likely to provide little or no warning before attacking you, and they will be brutally
relentless in his or her assault. Believing that the old “one-punch-one-kill theory” (which
is held to be gospel in some traditional karate circles) is an effective deterrent is as naïve
as believing in the Easter Bunny or that those “chi-based” remote knockouts actually
work.

Training Methods
Training methods must always reflect its corresponding outcomes or an imbalance is
bound to materialize. Aims and objectives must be supported by corresponding training
methods.

The training methods used should focus upon application principles and link fundamental
technique directly to their corresponding defensive themes.

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“Acknowledging Its Parts Helps Better Understand the Whole”
KAPAP can be many different things to many different people but its must keep the self
defence idea, and embraced in many different ways. Kapap can be:

1. An interesting alternative to conventional Western physical fitness;

2. A challenging rule-bound sport;

3. A form of self-defence limited only by one understands of its defensive themes

and application principles;

4. A way of improving daily life (i.e. a ritualized empowering, defensive, holistic and
therapeutic tradition punctuated with moral philosophy, and highlighted by
introspective practices as a single study);

5. A rewarding and meaningful occupation.

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 KAPAP - Analyzing the Israeli Martial Art of CQB
To understand Israeli martial arts you need to understand the history of how it began,
how it continues to exist, and what has been accomplished. You cannot sit in Los Angles
and teach celebrities Israeli martial arts and claim it is an official system of the Israeli
Army, especially if you have never served a day in the Israeli Army.

The Israeli martial art and CQB (Close Quarters Battle) was developed around the late
1940s when the Jewish people were under attack and had to fight back, not so much for
their culture or a lifestyle, but for survival. Historically speaking, there are many famous
names associated with the Israeli martial art. Names such as Slomon Aruch, whose life
story was made into a movie called “Triumph of the Spirit,” which depicts Slomon Aruch
fighting in arranged boxing matches on daily basis at the Nazi camps to survive. There is
Hana Senseh, a woman paratrooper who fought against the Nazi’s during the war. And
Oli Giveon, who was the commander of the Revengers Unit that fought against the
Nazi’s and was responsible for hunting down Nazi war criminals and bringing them to
justice. Even today, there are many legendary fighters who are still alive such as Mehir
Har Tzion and others like him. Israeli KAPAP/CQB training owes its development to
individuals like these.

This is the real history of the Israeli martial art and CQB training. In Israeli martial art
there is no belt system and no bowing. These are better left for other “traditional” martial
arts. The Israeli martial art is about concepts first, martial art second. It has no single
owner or creator. Today, even though there are some non-Israeli, non-Israeli military or
non-Israeli police, defensive tactics instructors that claim to teach and market the
“original Israeli self-defines system” simply to make money, official Israeli military and
Israeli police defensive tactics instructors understand that the Israeli martial art was
developed at the expense of human life. As such, “creators” of Israeli martial arts will
continue to emerge as will other concepts and techniques. For real Israeli instructors,
Israeli martial arts are a shared “ownership” that will continue to change from generation
to generation. Although most of their names are missing from any list you will find,
they have all contributed to the art and that is why no one individual can claim sole
ownership of having developed it.

Unfortunately, Israel is the most experienced nation in the world when it comes to
terrorism. That is why it has developed one of the most valued self-defence training
systems in the world - the Israeli martial art of KAPAP/CQB, which has been written in
special ink called blood. The knowledge gained in developing the martial art of
KAPAP/CQB came from not only the experience of successful operations against
terrorist attacks, but many times it came by making tragic mistakes. It was after these
mistakes occurred that better techniques were developed to avoid making the same tragic
mistakes again. For this reason, the Israeli martial art of KAPAP/CQB is about
evaluation and evolution.

16
Even today, the weapons of warfare and self-defence have evolved from earlier strategies
and techniques. For example, a few hundred years ago the bow and arrow was a combat
tool while today we have guns - the bow and arrow of modern times and of modern
martial arts. Just as the arrow was once the edged weapon projected towards a target, it is
now the bullet that is the edged weapon. And instead of the bow as the force behind the
delivering of the arrow, gunpowder now takes on the same role to deliver the bullet. That
is why today, in the evolution of Israeli martial arts such as Kapap, we see guns being
used as an integral part of the training, especially when it comes to gun disarming and
gun retention. Not only is it important to know how to disarm a gun, but you must also
know how to retain and, if necessary, use it. As such, the use of firearms is a valid part of
KAPAP/CQB training.
The idea is to fight with what you have available in your hand – regardless of the object
or weapon. For instance, when people argue about what gun is the best gun to have or
what knife is the best knife to have the answer is obvious – the best gun or knife, or any
weapon for that matter, is the one you have in your hand when you need it. This is also
the main idea behind Israeli KAPAP/CQB. It was not developed to create a new Ryu and
lots of ¨new¨ 10th Dan grandmasters so that Israel could have a place in the international
arena of martial arts. This is why there are no uniforms or belts or ranks or even bowing
to an opponent when sparring or training. All are considered useless because they serve
no purpose in an encounter involving a real, life-threatening situation.
An example of what occurs during a real, life-threatening, encounter occurred last year
with a martial artist who was shot to death during a fight in parking lot. Although he was
a kickboxing champion he lost his life to his assailant who shot him after he tried to grab
the assailant’s gun. Certainly, if it were a fight in the ring the martial artist probably
would have won the fight, however, the fight was for his life and not for prize money.
This is not to say that every encounter will end successfully, but how you respond to a
situation will depend on whether or not you have the ability to effectively defend yourself
or the mentality to accept the fact that it is okay to run away from a situation in order to
stay alive.
As mentioned earlier, Israeli KAPAP is based on evaluation and evolution, which must
be done for every technique in order to examine if it accomplishes what it is designed to
accomplish. In KAPAP, techniques are also evaluated to determine whether any soldier
or police officer can do it and, for civilians, whether they can be done by the weakest
man or woman. The techniques must also be easy to teach. If the individual or group has
very limited time to train, easier and simpler techniques can be implemented to
accommodate these training needs. However, if there is time to train, better and more
specific techniques are also taught.

Another important consideration for teaching KAPAP is liability. When teaching military
personnel, you teach soldiers to stay in the killing zone and continue the assault on the
enemy. For a civilian, just the opposite applies. If after disarming a knife an individual
decides to stay in the fight and attempts to kill the attacker there is a good chance that
individual will be spending time in jail. Also, when teaching police officers, there are
other things to consider since just about every law enforcement agency has a defensive
tactics program that must not only be politically correct, but must also meet any legal and
medical requirements before being implemented. So, although KAPAP is specific in its

17
application, it is still flexible enough to be used in any arena to meet liability concerns.

Today, CQB is a modern martial art while traditional martial arts are considered older
styles. It is when these two are combined, the old with the new, that they can then be
effective. In essence, modern martial arts can't live without the traditional martial arts
nor can the traditional martial arts live without the modern martial arts. The bottom line
is, when some one is going to kick you your life is not at risk, only your ego. However,
when someone pulls a knife or points a gun at you, you need to know how, when and if
you should act. If someone says, “Give me your money” the best defence is to give him
your money. If the encounter becomes more life threatening then you must also defend
yourself. The question is - do you have the tools to know what to do and how to do it?
The Israeli martial art of KAPAP is the self-defence system that can provide you with
these tools when your life, not your ego, is on the line.

Introduction to Close Quarters Battle

CQB can best be described as combat taking place within buildings, cars, hallways,
stairwells, rooms, enclosures, and other constricted spaces. Although CQB training first
started with military and law enforcement personnel, it is now being taught to security
unit personnel and civilians. CQB is important to security forces because the techniques
associated with CQB serve as the foundation for recapture tactics. As a result, security
units and their personnel must have the ability to respond to a “worst case scenario” by
recapturing the asset that it is protecting.

CQB can involve - individually or collectively, hand-to-hand combat, weapons, and more.
As a result, we need to be proficient with every move. For instance, with hand-to-hand
combat we cannot assume that the enemy will freeze up when we engage him. We need
to think that he will counter our moves so we need to consider this and be ready for it in
the fight – whether it is with a firearm or with a knife. That is why in Kapap we include
these elements as a part of the hand-to-hand combat program.

Violent Confrontation
This term is used to describe a meeting of two or more combatants (even if one or more is
passive) where there is the potential for or actual use of extreme destructive force. This
type of confrontation usually occurs at close range in a short amount of time.

The SOP 9 Study

This study was conducted in New York and examined every shot fired in the line of duty
by law enforcement officials during the course of one year. Out of a total of 2,047 shots
fired that year only 217 actually hit their intended targets and only 10 percent of these
shots hit vital organs. During interviews with the officers involved in these shootings the
majority of them commented that they never even acquired their front sights when they
engaged their target. Additionally, these officers also experienced some or all of the
following: the confrontations took place at the range of ten feet or less with duration of
less than four seconds; during this time, fewer than five rounds were fired; the typical
response was from the holster, a sudden feeling of shock and surprise overwhelmed the
officers.

18
The end result of this study showed that the police officers were NOT trained properly
enough to handle these of life and death situations. Now, can you imagine what it would
be like for a civilian who has even less training than these officers? That is why, for
civilians, realistic training is needed and should be conducted by experienced firearms
instructors

THINGS TO CONSIDER:
Psychological Aspects: Under severe stress normal mental processes become extremely
difficult and the mind resorts to its most basic processes. The following are examples of
psychological effects you may experience during a combat situation or any other high
stress situation:

1. Tunnel Vision
Under extreme stress your attention will primarily be focused on the greatest
threat and, as a result, you will have a temporary loss of peripheral vision.

2. Auditory Exclusion
As with tunnel vision, you will focus on the greatest threat and will have the
inability to hear for a period of time. For instance, you will probably not hear
anyone shouting at you.

3. Electro Dermal Stimulation

A reaction of the skin that makes the hair stands up on the arms and the back of
neck.

4. Time/Space Compression
There will be a slow down in the perceived passage of time and a shift in
perceived spatial relationship in times of high stress. This is caused by the
inability to judge speed and distance and accurately balance the two. Also, you
may experience a slowing down of time. In other words, everybody will seem to
move in slow motion.

5. Mental Track
In most high stress situations, to include life and death situations, a person’s
ability to keep track of the details of the situation taking place around him
becomes nearly impossible. In most police shootings, a police officer being
debriefed after an engagement does not usually remember how many rounds that
he fired. This can happen even in training. Therefore, as a shooter, you must
learn to beware of the number of rounds you fired so the weapon does not run
completely dry in the middle of a fire-fight. This concept of awareness not only
applies to a shooting situation, but also applies to hand-to-hand combat and edged
weapons.

19
Physiological Aspects: Regardless of how much training an individual has, certain
studies (along with the SOP 9 study) show that during a combat situation one or more
physical changes take place in an individual’s body. That is why proper training is
necessary to help minimize these changes. The following are examples of physiological
effects you may experience during a combat situation or any other high stress situation:

1. Pulse and Breathing

In any excitable situation pulse and breathing will always be affected. Your heart
rate increases and your breathing become rapid and shallow.

2. Adrenaline
This is nothing more than a hormone that stimulates involuntary nerve action. The
amount of stress you are placed under will depend on the amount of adrenaline
released into the system. When adrenaline is released into the body, it stimulates
the muscles. This causes them to tighten. Depending on the individual and the
situation, this is more than adequate to affect an individual’s shooting position or
fighting position.

3. Coordination and Reflexes

Under any type of stress hand and eye coordination degrades severely, especially
the coordination of the hand and fingers.

The Chemical Cocktail

The reactions just discussed are the result of the body’s survival response to a potentially
lethal situation. When suddenly placed in a life-threatening situation, the body will dump
the below listed chemicals into the bloodstream and mix them with sodium. This
“chemical cocktail” creates an imbalance characterized by general muscle tightening and
loss of fine motor skills. This chemical cocktail includes:

1. Epinephrine
An adrenal hormone that stimulates automatic nerve action (fight)
2. Nor – Epinephrine
A hormone that is formed naturally in the body’s nerve endings during times of
fear (flight).

3. Cortazol
A crystalline hormone released to the body’s nerve endings during times of fear (fight).

The Body Reactions

The body’s response to this imbalance is to release potassium to counteract the effects of
the sodium. However, this process takes time and slows our ability to react. As a result,
we must always seek to minimize the impact that this chemical cocktail has on us in order
to improve our reaction times. We do this by training to maintain the proper “mindset”.

Mindset is a term used to describe an individual’s state of mental readiness to act or react
to a stimulus in our environment that ensures survival. This proper combat mindset is
neither learned nor can it be taught, it must be developed from within. The tools you
need for proper combat mindset can only be exposed in a schoolhouse environment to
help you to develop yourself.
20
The Breakdown of the Mind

Conscious Mind
The conscious mind is the thinking part of the mind. It takes seconds to make decisions
when using this part of the brain. In any type of combat situation the conscious mind’s
decision making process is too slow to keep you alive. The conscious mind is a
hindrance causing you to have to react to every situation instead of acting.

Sub-Conscious Mind
React to situations; this part of the mind works in quarter seconds, which is much faster
than the conscious mind? It has to be trained in order for it to work properly. When
training, the skills being learned need not only to be simple, but sound and effective. The
sub-conscious mind is only developed through proper repetition (muscle memory) in
training. You must strive for perfection each and every repetition. If you train poorly, or
if the training is too complicated or too detailed, when the sub-conscious mind takes over
it will not be able to respond properly to the situation. What occurs is the conscious mind
identifies the situation, realizes it cannot handle it, and then turns it over to the sub-
conscious mind to react. That is why we say that in any type of combat situation a person
must rely on his training in order to survive.

The Optimum Combat Mindset

Optimum combat mindset is the state of mind where you have prepared yourself mentally
(both consciously and sub consciously), physically, emotionally, tactically, and
technically to endure the rigors of combat for prolonged periods of time and under
extremely adverse conditions, and still remain effective.

Developing a Combat Mindset

Like the body, the mind needs to be conditioned to respond or function properly in
combat. When faced with a combat situation you want your mind to be free of
distractions so that all of your focus is on the mission at hand – such as getting out of a
situation and if it’s at the killing zone, killing the enemy and surviving the encounter.
You need to be mentally prepared for death and injury and you need to go into the fight
prepared for the worst. For instance, if you find yourself in a knife fight you should
expect to get cut or if you go into a shooting you should expect to get shot.

Remember, response time is a critical factor in surviving a violent confrontation in a

CQB environment. Do not waste time analyzing and second-guessing in an attempt to
make the best possible decision. The time that is saved in the thought process will in turn
save your life as you fight to end the fight.

One of the most important things to remember is to not forget the “One-Plus rule” – if
you get into a hand-to-hand fight believe that your opponent could have a knife. If he has
a knife then he could also have another knife or even a gun. Keep alert at all times and
remain one step ahead. Make the Kapap Academy rules and “Swords of Wisdom” a way

of life. The first rule is… There are NO RULES...

21
 Kapap Academy “Swords of Wisdom”

¾ “KAPAP - an Israeli Martial art that is traditional, cultural, contemporary,

researched, explored, and tested.”

¾ “Actions speak louder than words”

¾ “Fearlessness and determination is the key win the fight.”

¾ “KAPAP the Israeli CQB is a concept before it’s a martial art.”

¾ “Always a student, sometimes a teacher.”

¾ “Better become a student of reality than a master of illusion.”

¾ “Any weapon – one mind. “

¾ “Edged weapons do not run out of ammunition and they never jam.”

¾ “If you fight against an edged weapon assume that you may get cut.”

¾ “There are two kinds of fights: one is for your ego and one is for your life -
KAPAP is to fight for your life.”

¾ “We seek the quality not the quantity.”

¾ “Don’t fight without experience - find a good teacher.”

¾ “Everyone has a plan until they get hi

22
 KAPAP COMBATIVE ACADEMY
“Where Experience Counts”

Tracking the “Way” in Budo and Combat Martial Arts

By Avi Nardia
(Published in Budo Magazine 2006)

Finding the Right Teacher: “Without the right teacher, its not considered learning. “

It is said in Budo that it is better to spend 15 years looking for a good teacher than not to
do so and to start training 15 years too soon.

Dogen, a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher and founder of the Soto school of Zen in Japan
said, “Without the right teacher, it cannot be called learning. “

The departure point for Budo begins with finding a good teacher, for if not, the exponent
is likely to fall into the trap of doing Budo the wrong way.

A good teacher will impart the principles (called in Japanese - RI) of Budo to the student,
and they will then be able to learn Budo the way it is meant to be. In other words, Budo
becomes the instructor.

The instructor teaches the student how to learn the techniques. Even if the way this is
presented is easy to follow, it is based on a series of profound principles. It must be
remembered, however, that although the techniques used by the instructor are based on
RI, they will be imbued with that individual’s personality, like adding flesh to a skeleton.

The famous Buddhist priest Kobo Daishi (774-835) said, “Don’t look at what your
predecessors left behind, and look for what they were looking for.” The student or
disciple must avoid duplicating their teacher. On the contrary, the student must look
at the “way” their teacher is looking at, and how they have travelled that way so far. The
techniques that the teacher has are his or her own answers to the question faced along the
“way. “ They have been developed through the teacher’s personal experiences, trials, and
tribulations. The student must look to the teacher for clues on how to proceed. This is
what walking the same “way” means not simply replicating the teacher.

The teacher instructs the student on how to master the techniques. The student uses this
to find his or her own answers. I heard an old Escrima (Philippines Martial art) teacher
named Ramiro Estalilla say something similar, “ I direct my students to find the
techniques by teaching principals, body movement, and sensitivity that give clues and
directions to find the answers.”

23
The Right Attitude
Budo cannot be learned for you. You have to make great efforts and learn it for yourself.
In order to do this the right attitude is required. This entails your instructor providing you
with problems to work on. The student must listen well and take his or her ego out!

The traditional and modern martial arts and combat systems are all the same. We have
only changed the tools used in the battlefield, but at all times, we preserve the principle of
“any weapon, one mind.”

In the past, many “teachers” tried to market themselves by posing with Japanese swords,
but any sword man could look at the photograph and immediately discern that they
possess no knowledge. In today’s “reality-based” styles we see many instructors dressing
up in combat uniforms and gripping guns, but it’s the same wrong attitude.

There is a saying that there is no bad student only a bad teacher. But it doesn’t go far
enough. There are many bad students that later on become the bad teachers.

A true teacher is always a student and his attitude must be “always a student, sometimes a
teacher,“ and it needs to remain so. As you pick your teacher avoid anyone who
represents himself as a grand master, for in combat, no one is a grand master.

If a teacher prints on his DVD cover something to the effect of “Not a traditional martial
art - this is a no-nonsense martial art, “keep as far away as possible. Why? Because all
modern martial arts are based on traditional martial arts and no one can change that.

And, finally, remember that your ego can kill you much like the principle that even a
dead man can still kill you with his final breath.

24
 “Fighting to End the Fight “
Understanding the Mindset - Fearlessness and Determination!

Combat Condition:
In order to analyze how a person functions during combat and under stress, it is important
to understand the mental and physical states that a person may experience beforehand at
the Pre-Conflict stage. One example of such a mental state can be described as “Combat
Anxiety,” which is defined as "the anticipation of danger." This anticipation may lead to
a gradual deterioration of both mental and physical skills. This type of condition is a
typical mindset of any person that finds himself in a survival conflict situation such as a
rape, mugging, attack, war, etc.

Combat Anxiety can manifest itself in several ways:

1. During the Conflict as combat stress - objective fear perceptions including a

person having fear of death, injury, killing, incorrect decision-making, failure, or
just fear by itself.

2. Post conflict as the survival stress - deals with the post event mental &
physiological symptoms known as "backlash", which may distort the memory.

As the ability to predict fear increases, so does the pre-conflict level of arousal. Once
you feel threatened, your level of arousal is not under your voluntary control. However;
your perception of the threat level and your behaviour during levels of high arousal can
be strongly influenced by the training you received prior to the threatening situation.

Our arousal is controlled by our autonomic nervous system, which operates automatically
in the same way that we breathe and our heart beats automatically. Our autonomic
nervous system has two parts:

1. The parasympathetic part, which is operational under no threat conditions;

AND
2. The sympathetic part, which will switch on under threat conditions and cause
profound changes in our body that prepare us to do one of three survival
behaviours:

Fight - Flight - Freeze

The profound changes that take place in your body during high arousal states will not
only influence behaviour, but also you’re thinking processes during the event, including
your memory of the event. Unlike fight or flight, which is an instinctual behavior and is
designed to help you survive a conflict; freezing is extremely dangerous and must be
avoided at all costs.

25
The Backlash Effect
Also known as “vasodilatation,” this will increase normal blood flow. Therefore, it is
critical that all gunshot/knife wounds be treated as soon as possible. If a wound is
bleeding excessively during stress activation (sympathetic nervous system), it indicates
arterial bleeding and appropriate countermeasures (such as pressure point and/or
tourniquet) should be given strong consideration.

Backlash effect can also slow down the visual process. It reduces oxygen delivery to the
photoreceptors, especially to the cones. This in turn, results in a temporary loss or
distortion of a person's vision.

All perceptual senses (sight, sound, touch taste, smell and the sixth sense) provide the
brain with a constant flow of information. However, when the brain becomes focused on
an activity or a threat, the brain will "tune in" to the sensory system that provides the
most relevant information at that given second. Other sensory inputs will be "tuned out"
by the brain because they lack immediate significance for the victim at that given second.
This is a phenomenon referred to as perceptual narrowing or selective attention. As a
result, the brain stops processing information from the other senses, particularly the
auditory or hearing system. This is referred to as auditory exclusion.

Each of these physiological changes will affect combat performance as it relates to our
vision, our ability to perform basic motor skills, and our ability to cognitively process
information, accuracy skills, and will cause a significant increase in reaction time.
When stress activates the CNS arousal occurs. These negative effects upon vision cannot
be avoided, but they can be minimized through proper training. For example, training to
pivot the head rather than just darting their eyes in order to compensate for tunnel vision.
In addition, shooting programs can emphasize instinctive shooting techniques that reduce
the need to rely on the gun sights when firing at close range.

Combat fitness is also recognized as an integral component of survival and use of force
training. The combination of aerobic (cardio/respiratory) and anaerobic (strength)
conditioning not only enhances a person's ability to control a subject and survive, but
contributes to long term health.

This information is based on a research of case studies from Israel’s leading tactical unit,
the YAMAM, where the modern Kapap combat system was developed. While
examining the most common techniques and the most common types of resistance
encountered, our mission was to find the best suitable combat system based on limited
budget, time spent on training, and complexity of the training program. Addressing these
goals for both the civilian and law enforcement community, it was also vitally important
that our program be defensible in court in the post-conflict stage if need be. The training
must be based on research and focus on examining performance under stress.

Kapap practitioners discovered that when one’s fine and complex motor skills are being
trained constantly in a specific way, they immediately affect the performance of the gross
motor skills that are used naturally by our body in a combat (stressful) situation, thus,
enhancing the overall performance and ability to overcome any threat situation with an
increased probability of survival.

26
 Kapap - Level One
Course Topics
“We emphasise analyzing”
Fundamentals
9 Posture, Stance and Break Falls
9 Body Movement
9 Vital Point and Pressure Points
9 Joint Locking
9 Counter Techniques
9 Self-Defence: Counters, Escapes, Avoidance
9 Conditioning the Body!!!

Hands:
• Jab, cross, uppercut, hook
• Basic combination
• Elbow strikes (horizontal, vertical, angled)
• Hammer fist
• Spear hand
• Knife hand
• Ulna and Radial strikes (with forearms)
• Learning to strike with the entire arm as weapon up to the shoulder
• Finger jab
• Phoenix fist
• Web hand strike
• Back fist strike
• Bear paw or palm heal strike
• Block from all angles
• Bob right and left
• Weavings
• Faints or dock down
• Complicated combinations
• Kake and Tegumi (sticky hands type of training in pair)
• How to move into hand locks and head locks from trapping range
• Head butts and biting and scratching and tearing tissue digger into soft tissue and
dislocation techniques – all of these are not practiced but explained how to do for
real situations.

Legs:
• Front kick
• Sidekick
• Back kick
• Round kick
• Knee all angles
• Combination of Muay Thai head trapping, locks and knee with throws from this
position
• Head lock with knee low kick combination
27
 • Axe kick
• Spinning kicks (back kick, side kick, round kick, etc.)
• Legs as defence (blocks, counter kicks, etc)
• Flowing kicks (front, round and back as 3 set and more)
• Flowing kicks and combinations with butterfly
Chokes:
• Sleeve chokes (with clothing and with out)
• Bare choke ( hadake jime )
• Triangle chokes with one hand and one on your back neck
• Artery chokes
• Trachea chokes
• Air chokes
• Rope or cloth choke (belts, sleeves, etc.)
• Fist chokes – utilizing fist
• French choke
• Guillotine
• Neck manipulation
Basic Choke Defence and Releases:
• Release from side choke
• Release from Guillotine
• Release from Nelson
• Release from bear hugs from the front, back, side with suitcase
Locks:
• Hand locks
• Finger locks
• Headlocks
• Leg locks
• Neck locks
• Back locks
• Hip locks
Ground Exercise:
• In the guard release on the ground.
• One with kick & with neck manipulation.
• Handgun walk back and fall down with leg protect
• Leg kicks and get up
• Medicine ball work out
• Basic gun work out
• Gun disarming
• Disorientation training
• Aggressive training
• Environmental training
• Quiet work (sentry removal, knockouts, etc.)
• Arresting techniques
• Some impact and extreme impact training
28
The Concept of Three Moves
The concept of Kapap is based on three moves since everything in the Army is divided
into three. When teaching civilians we teach three basic releases from holds and then we
getting into the “relative position” practices and come up with relevant techniques that
fall into the principles.

Example: Attacker holds the neck from the front.

Number 1:
Put both of your hands on the attacker’s hands and step back, turning your shoulders to
one side. When doing this the hold will already be broken. Then kick to the groin with
your shin or knee. If you pull back far enough you can get the knee to his solar plexus.
Number 2:
After putting both of your hands on the attacker’s hands release one of your hands and bring it
under the attacker’s arms to his face. Hit his face with an open hand or use two fingers to the
neck triangle or eyes, then step back and kick to the groin with your shin or knee.
Number 3:
Use one hand to hold one of the attacker’s hands and then move your shoulders to one
side while at the same time delivering a strike to his jaw (over the top of his arms). Then,
come back and hit his face with a back elbow.

Also practice these techniques also from the back and from the side.
• The “butterfly”
• Tegumi transfers
• Attacking vital points
• Do the same with basic throw downs (osto Geri, uchi Geri)
• Neil teachings

Locations and Environmental Practice Self-Defence

• In car
• Elevator
• Stairs
• Parking lots
• Walking
• Stressful situational practice
• Basic stances
• Body movement
• Strikes and Blocks
• Releases from any attack, chokes – bear hugs – grabs and headlocks.
• Joint-manipulation
• Defence against gun, knife and stick
• Mental preparation and physical conditioning

29
 The “Nailing” Technique
Pic.1 – Nailing Technique

Israeli counter terrorist Special Forces

unit is using a nailing technique on a
terrorist to pin him down to the ground,
controlling his movement. (Pressure is
applied when resistance is felt).

Pic. 2 – The Surprise Element

It takes about 3-5 seconds to arrest and

control when done properly.

Israeli counters terrorist Special Forces

unit operatives a second after the
“strike” controlling four captured
terrorists on the ground).

Pic. 3 – Escorting into custody.

Notice the control team (holding the

terrorist) and the Escort/Cover (with
handgun). Movement is done in hostile
environment until secured.

30
 7 Points of Gun Disarms
1. First, and foremost, is luck!
Sometimes you can do every thing right and you die. That’s because life is different than
what we think we know. In reality, anything can happen and even if you don’t make a
mistake something can surprise you. For example, in the September 11 report there was
a former Israeli Special Forces man named Daniel Levin (rest in peace) who was flying
on a business trip on one of the flights. When the terrorists acted he jumped on one of
them and started to fight with him, as most Israelis would do, since their mindset is to
fight a terrorist and not to sit back and wait. However, a second terrorist hijacker that
was sitting there, as a sleeper, stabbed him in his back. Although Daniel Levin acted
heroically and correctly, he still became a victim (and the first victim of September 11).
The point here is that even if you do everything right life can still catch you by surprise.

Another example is a friend of mine who is a Lotar instructor in the Israeli Army who
had the pleasure of jumping on a suicide bomber and arresting him - alive. When he told
me how he did it I was amazed that he didn’t die in the attempt. So many times we talk
about luck…and that’s the first point!!

2. Field of Fire
The direction and distance or point of fire of the weapon. This includes understanding
the “field of fire” in which the weapon can be fired, as well as the distance or range in
which the ammunition can cause harm.

3. Understanding the Weapon

Understanding the weapon and how it is utilized. Remember, edged weapons never run
out of ammo but guns do. Firearms can jam or malfunction. With proper instruction you
can learn techniques to effectively cause a weapon’s malfunction while disarming an
attacker. For this reason an understanding of a firearm’s operational capabilities is of
paramount importance. You should be able to understand and identify the differences
between a revolver and a semi automatic weapon and the difference between a handgun,
a shotgun, or a rifle.

4. Situation Evaluation
Evaluation is necessary in an attempt to control the psychological aspect of your situation.
Focus and stay in control of your emotions. For most, training is required to stay calm
and focused internally in spite of your outward appearance. Your body language can
easily escalate an already emotionally charged situation. The attacker’s body language
can provide clues as to his intentions.

You must train to begin an understanding of techniques in attempting to control the

situation, both verbally and physically. You must evaluate the attacker. Is he a punk kid
that is very excited and seemingly inexperienced or is he a professional criminal that is
under control? Understand that if you see the weapon, it is probable the attacker does not

31
have the intention to just shoot; rather, the attacker wants something. This behaviour on
the part of the attacker can give you the time to make a choice to defend or not to defend.

5. Timing
Understand and train in the use of timing. You must learn to utilize timing to your
advantage. If your evaluated decision or only option is to disarm an attacker you must
move quickly, decisively, and unsuspectingly to control and take the weapon away - like
a magician that is trying to make a watch disappear off of someone’s wrist.

6. Situational Awareness
Awareness of your surrounding environment is critical. You must be aware of your
surroundings at all times. An attacker seeks the unaware and unsuspecting. In every
surrounding make mental notes of potential escape routes, items that can be used as
weapons, and other people that will be placed in harms way should a threat or conflict
arise. In the case of an attacker with a firearm you must pay attention to where the bullet
will be discharged if fired. Either as a law enforcement officer with your partner or a
civilian with a bystander or family member, you must know where others are located
when moving the weapon.

7. Post Conflict Details

Be ready for the post conflict. It has been found that people who have been attacked
often do not remember the face of the attacker even though they were looking right at it.
Remain calm and remember to visualize and take mental notes of details. Try to take a
mental photograph of the attacker’s face, clothes, weapon, and any distinguishing marks
on the attacker’s body or vehicle.

And remember, as all martial arts teach, the art of war is the pre-conflict stage. If you
can, stay away from conflicts by avoiding the scene of conflict (e.g. girls, don’t go to up
to Mike Tyson’s hotel room after midnight …). The best defence is to avoid the
conflict!!!!

In conclusion we need to point out the key elements essential to these points are
awareness, timing, speed and understanding distance. You must pay very close attention
to controlling the weapon before any additional strikes or action is made. Once the
weapon is truly in your control, then you can strike to multiple targets as your style and
situation dictates. You must practice the techniques with each hand as well as under
different types of stress levels (i.e. cardio intensive workouts). Also change lighting and
environments to follow real world scenarios. Proper and continued training in these six
basic points of firearm defence may very well make the difference between life and death
when faced with real world threats. Don’t be caught unprepared - it might be the last
mistake you make!

32
 Conditioning for Combat and Martial Arts
The Physiological Characteristics of Martial Arts
Martial Arts are a sport of intermittent nature,
characterized by short duration, and high intensity
bursts of activity. It requires significant anaerobic
fitness and operates within a well-developed aerobic
system. Martial arts are estimated to be 70-80%
anaerobic and 20-30% aerobic.

The martial arts work/rest ratio is approximately 3:1.

The nature of martial arts requires sustaining power
at a high percentage, often above lactate threshold,
producing high levels of blood lactate leading to
premature fatigue. The primary aims of conditioning for martial arts are to delay the
onset of fatigue by increasing tolerance to lactic acid build-up, to increase stores of
phospho-creatine to produce ATP, to delay the pre-mature use of the lactic acid system,
to improve efficiency of oxygen use, and to improve recovery between intense bursts of
activity.

A Brief Look at Energy Systems

ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is the source of energy for all muscle contractions. When
ATP is broken down into ADP (adenosine diphosphate) energy is released. Maintaining
the availability of ATP is the limiting performance factor, as ATP is not stored in large
amounts. Exercise and sport are fuelled by three different energy systems that produce
ATP - the aerobic system, the lactic acid system (anaerobic glycolysis) and the ATP-PC
system. The aerobic pathway is a long-term energy system, while the two anaerobic
pathways (lactic acid and ATP-PC) are short term. These 3 pathways however do not act
independent of each other, as all activities lie on a spectrum with no distinct boundaries.

Aerobic System
Aerobic glycolysis occurs when oxygen is readily available to break down into ATP.
This is a complex process with three primary stages.

1. Glycolysis (lipolysis), the breakdown of glucose (or fat) takes place over 9 steps
2. The Krebs cycle
3. The Electron Transfer Chain

The aim of aerobic training is to improve the working capacity of the heart and its ability
to deliver oxygen to the muscles. There are 2 main ways to train this system:

1. Long duration interval running

2. Long distance (low intensity) steady state running

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Brooks and Fahey (1985) found continuous training as the optimal way to improve
oxygen delivery, while interval training increases oxygen utilization and lactate threshold.
With interval training there is the ability to perform large amounts of high intensity work
in shorter time. This type of training can also be manipulated to alter which metabolic
pathway is emphasized since longer intervals involve more aerobic pathways and shorter
intervals involve more anaerobic pathways.

With long distance training the aim is to run longer than the event lasts in an attempt to
overload the system.

General methods of developing aerobic endurance:

1. Steady-state continuous runs: 5-10km (about 70-80% V02 max)

2. Long duration interval training: 4-6 sets of 2-5 minute intervals

(work/rest ratio of 1:1 or 1:2)

3. Short duration interval training: 10 sets of 400m

(work/rest ratio of 1:1 or 1:2)

4. Shorter duration interval training: 20 sets of 200m

(work/rest ratio of 1:1 or 1:2)

At high levels of activity, the aerobic system cannot supply enough oxygen to fuel the
exercise, forcing the athlete to work in oxygen debt. When activity is performed without
the use of oxygen, it is fuelled by the anaerobic pathways.

Lactic Acid System:

This is defined as "the incomplete breakdown of glycogen in the absence of oxygen."

This occurs during periods of activity lasting approximately 90 seconds, but ranges from
15 seconds to 2 minutes. This pathway begins the same as the aerobic pathway, except
the breakdown of glucose into pyruvic acid occurs in the absence of oxygen and is
converted to lactic acid.

Lactate is produced and transforms to lactic acid from pyruvate. This dissociates into
lactate and hydrogen ions, causing an increase in muscle acidity leading to muscular
fatigue. The removal of this lactic acid is slow and requires nearly "15-20 minutes to
remove half of the concentration formed."

ATP-PC System:

This system uses creatine phosphate to generate intense bursts of activity lasting 10-15
seconds in duration. This system has the ability to completely replenish stores after
depletion (within a period of 2-3 minutes rest). A drop in ATP promotes a reaction
between phospho-creatine molecules and ADP, resulting in the immediate production of
ATP without the use of oxygen or production of lactic acid. During recovery, when
sufficient amounts of ATP can be produced aerobically, excess ATP is converted back to
phospho-creatine.
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The aim of this type of training is to develop the athlete’s tolerance to muscular fatigue
(due to increases in metabolic buffers and larger stores of phospho-creatine). Training
the lactic acid system involves a special form of interval training that maximally stresses
the metabolic pathway at intensities of 85-100% V02 max. It is performed with intervals
of 15-40 seconds as well as intervals of 40-90 seconds. Recovery periods are long, as the
lactic acid formed leads to fatigue. This training is physically hard and can drastically
reduce glycogen stores.

1. 5-8 sets of 300m (work/rest ratio of 1:10)

2. 10-15 sets of 150m (work/rest ratio of 1:10)
3. 6-8 sets of 45 -120 second intervals.

To improve the ATP-PC system you must train with high intensity short-term efforts at
100+%. Intense intervals often range from 5 -10 seconds. Reps and sets depend on the
athlete’s fitness. Lactic acid production is minimal which allows for brief recovery
periods.

1. 3 sets of 10x30m sprints (work/rest ratio of 1:4, plus 5 minutes recovery per set)
2. 15 sets of 60m sprints (work/rest ratio of 1:4)
3. 20 sets of 20m sprints (work/rest ratio of 1:4)

Specific Conditioning:

A martial art training program should place great emphasis

on the anaerobic pathways. The most specific way to
condition for martial arts (as mentioned by Ross Enamait) is
a form of interval running that mimics the work/rest ratios
involved or intervals matching the duration of a round (2 or 3 minutes) with a 1 minute
rest period. Intervals of this nature train the anaerobic lactic acid system while also
providing aerobic benefits.

Another effective way to train the lactic acid system for martial arts is to perform
situational exercises lasting 30-60 seconds for 6-8 sets, while sparring. For example, one
could constantly attack for 60 seconds while the other defends, or alternatively, if training
alone, you could throw continuous combinations against a bag. By training the lactic acid
system, the athlete delays the onset of fatigue by increasing tolerance to lactic acid build-
up.
While the lactic acid system is most important to martial arts, training the ATP-PC
system also has benefits, such as increasing the body’s stores of phospho-creatine and
delaying the pre-mature use of the lactic acid system. Training this system requires
shorter interval periods. To increase the specificity to martial arts, you could again use
situational drills. A sample routine could consist of 10-15 sets lasting 6-10 seconds.
Although the emphasis of training should be on developing the anaerobic energy systems,
it is important recognize the importance of steady state running, and longer interval
training. The aim of endurance training is to improve the efficiency of oxygen use and
aid the recovery between intense bursts of anaerobic activity. The main application for
martial arts is to permit greater recovery from anaerobic work (via lactate metabolism

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and removal of waste products), which is crucial at the rest time between fights.
Additional Benefits of Aerobic Training Include:
1. Sustained activities lasting over 2 minutes have a higher aerobic content. Although
Primarily anaerobic, a 3-minute round still requires contribution from the aerobic
System.

2. Activities lie on a spectrum with no distinct boundaries. Even in short term activities,
of 20 seconds or less, there is a contribution from the aerobic system.

3. Fat can only be utilized by the use of oxygen, so when making weight, aerobic
Training is an important tool.
4. A sound aerobic base is essential to develop an anaerobic fitness.
5. An aerobic fitness base aids recovery between intense bursts of activity.
6. Aerobic training leads to improvements in lactate threshold (point at which lactate
Production exceeds lactate removal - Astrand and Rodahl 1986).
In addition to general endurance training, sport specific aerobic training could involve
performing longer rounds of fights (5-6 minutes) at reduced intensities using the rest
period of 1:2.
Considering the importance of all 3 pathways to martial arts, how do you train them all?
Despite the crossover between aerobic and anaerobic training, it is recommended that full
anaerobic training does not take place along with full aerobic training; one or the other
must be prioritized.
A proper strength-training program for martial art involves much more than simply
walking into the gym and grabbing a pair of dumbbells. Martial art is a complex
sport/activity. To be successful your training must be equally complex. So, how do we
maximize each component of strength? The answer lies in a cycled training approach,
also known as “periodization." The same can also be said for endurance training, it is
more complex than just going out and running until you are tired. Much like strength
training, the endurance training can also be cycled.
A “periodized” endurance program can be split into 3 phases - Preparation, Pre-
Competition, and Competition.
During the preparation period the goal is to develop your aerobic base by performing
general non-specific aerobic training at lower intensities and by the use of steady state
running and long intervals. In addition to endurance training, training the aerobic system
for martial arts specificity should be conducted.
During the pre-competition phase, the goal is to begin building anaerobic endurance
(developing the lactic acid system), by the use of lactic acid training and martial arts
specific interval running.

During the competition phase, the anaerobic training should shift to emphasize the ATP-
PC system while continuing with martial arts specific intervals.
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The time frames for each period are determined by fight schedules and the fitness levels
of each athlete. For example, considering that the primary energy system for martial arts
is the lactic acid system, it would make little sense to devote most of your attention
towards training the ATP-PC system. Also, if you have a fighter who is already
aerobically fit, there is no need to spend excess time training their aerobic base before
proceeding to anaerobic training.

The general time frames for each cycle are:

Preparation period: 6-8 weeks
Pre-competition period: 8-12 weeks
Competition period: 2-4 weeks
When developing a conditioning program it is important to remember that the same
training techniques do not work the same on each athlete. The program should be
individually tailored to your needs. It is also important that athletes develop a sound
aerobic base before attempting a periodized training program.
All the information presented in this article is for educational and resource purposes only.
It is there to help people make informed decisions about fitness training for sport. It is
NOT a substitute for, or an addition to, any advice given to you by your physician.
Before adhering to any training program you should consult your physician. Please
understand that individuals are solely responsible for the way information from this
article is perceived and utilized, and should be done so at their own risk. In no way will
the author be held responsible for any injuries or problems that may occur due to the use
of the advice contained within.

Disclaimer: The material which appears in this notebook is used for academic research
and studies. The Kapap Combative Academy is not responsible for any misinterpretation
of this material from its original context as written above and will not be held liable for
any issue concerning this Notebook.

For questions or information please contact:

Avi Nardia
Kapap Combative Academy

Email: avi@avinardia.com
www.avinardia.com

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