[YorickPeterse]

This might differ between countries and schools. I practised it for several years, and we had many classes that involved techniques useful for avoiding conflict (some as simple as just running away), keeping people at distance, and so on.

[rusk]

Well, yeah that was the fundamental principle alright. This even, isn't always the best approach in day-to-day life ... but even then once you go beyond that it's "smash their face til it's bloody". It's the space between this, and the nuance that Aikido explores that I found very beneficial.

[mathw]

Just like aikido, the teaching of other arts also varies... and yet those who like to badmouth us at every opportunity will assume the worst aikido school in the world is exactly representative of all of us.

And there is some utter nonsense out there, definitely. But we're hardly unique in that.

[rusk]

I'd never call Krav Maga an "art" though .. it's solely about brutal pragmatics.

[mmirate]

(a) Then how should Sun Tzu have entitled his famous work, if not "The Art of War"?

(b) Krav Maga is clearly a highly time- and energy-efficient tool for hand-to-hand combat; why should any martial art strive for any different metrics? (other than coping with exceptional circumstances via malicious compliance, such as that old French martial-art that focuses entirely on kicks not fists)

[rusk]

I have no response for (a) except to say that there’s an exception to every rule.

(b) has been treated extensively in many discussions. These usually are usually oriented around the role of conflict in daily life and the suitability of these arts as a way of dealing with them, for instance.

[mmirate]

> conflict in daily life and the suitability of these arts as a way of dealing with them

Good grief! I can't imagine the amount of paperwork that would accumulate if fighting was a day-to-day occurrence in my life (except in Army during wartime, where assault is the job instead of a crime).