Eyal Yanilov Seminar Thoughts

Tuesday I was happy to attend another Krav Maga Global seminar by KMG lead instructor Eyal Yanilov. Master Eyal was visiting my hometown KMG school First Defense, which hosted him for their grand opening at their beautiful new location.

I first trained with Eyal at the Martial Arts Supershow in 2016. Eyal was my instructor for the Combat Mindset and Mental Conditioning Class later that year. I also trained with him at the fall 2016 KMG camp and in the spring of 2017. When I heard Eyal was going to teach a three hour seminar on countering active shooters, I knew it was a must-attend event.

Eyal started the seminar with his perspective on KMG and active shooters. He talked about the inherent conflict between the three KMG missions -- self defense, protecting others, and combat fighting. In self defense, running away may be the best option. When protecting others, sacrificing yourself may be necessary. When fighting in combat, your goal may be to kill the enemy. Knowing the mission and acting appropriately are critical. This discussion grounded KMG in its history as a system used by the Israeli Defense Force when countering terrorists or enemy forces.

After the discussion we did a warmup. Eyal included exercises from Ground Force Method and yoga, many of which were challenging. I was able to do some of them. I think I've developed a better sense of coordination and balance over the last few years, now that I incorporate Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and yoga in my practice.

Eyal reviewed the three main tactics for countering an active shooter: run, hide and barricade, and fight. We worked on the first and third tactics. Eyal ran us through some drills designed to make us move as soon as a presumed shooter appeared. We tried to minimize our silhouette and move efficiently, using available objects to change direction.

To fight, we concentrated on approaching the shooter from behind. Eyal favors elbows to the back of the neck, driving the shooter to the ground, and then seizing his weapon. We also tried double-leg takedowns from the rear. Eyal added a hostage scenario to the training, where a shooter uses a hostage as a human shield while pointing a firearm. In that case, the human shield takes control of the gun arm and attacks the attacker.

The seminar lasted over three hours. It was a great combination of exercise, training, discussion, and Eyal's expertise. Thank you Master Eyal for flying all the way from Israel to visit us in northern Virginia!

Have you attended an Eyal Yanilov seminar? Stay informed of new blog posts by following me on Twitter @martialvitality.