Ultimate Krav Maga Advanced Series – Part 1: Striking, Fighting Tactics & Drills

After enjoying the high quality production and wealth of information in the Ultimate Krav Maga 5 DVD box set, I was looking forward to watching and learning from this Ultimate Krav Maga Advanced Series – Part 1: Striking, Fighting Tactics & Drills. I was not disappointed. This two disc set contains the same high production values and provides instruction that builds on that taught in the first series to take the viewer to the next level.

The first nineteen minutes of the program consist of an introduction and a review of some of the basic techniques. I’m not sure if these were needed, because you can get the instruction in the first five disc set. However, the time goes quick and Duncan Pattle does a good job of reviewing the techniques and pointing out some important considerations.

The first advanced technique taught is the spinning hammerfist. I liked that the instructor, Pattle, pointed out the danger of turning your back toward the opponent and mentioned telegraphing. There is a review section that shows Pattle doing the techniques with subtitles reminding of the important parts. Next comes a section on inward and outward chops taught by Rune Lind. Lind is not as dynamic a speaker/instructor as Pattle, but he still conveys the lesson very well. The same kind of review with subtitles is included after his instruction.

The next section features Pattle again and he instructs on how to use various headbutts effectively. Good instruction, good safety tips for training, and the same review with subtitles. Lind is back again for the next section, and he covers what he calls an offensive back kick. The way he teaches is different from the way we kick in Hapkido, but I liked seeing a different perspective and I’m always up for expanding my skills and ways of doing things. Review with subtitles.

Pattle is back again for the next section, and he covers spinning and jumping back kicks. Decent section with some cautions and tips on using these kicks. After the review, a section on inside and outside slap kicks is presented by Lind. These are like the crescent and reverse crescent kicks in many martial arts. Short section with review.

The heel kick and spinning heel kick are taught next by Pattle. One thing Pattle does state is that learning the harder kicks such as spinning and jumping is more for learning how to defend against them than using them in actual encounters. Again, the kicking instruction is a bit different from Hapkido, but it was a good section and it contained useful tips in the review.

The final section on the first disc covered fighting tactics. Topics include simultaneous strikes against 1 attacker, simultaneous strikes against 2 attackers, escaping multiple attackers, attacking the hands (with instructor Dana Ben Kaplan), and overwhelming the attacker (with Lind again). The first disc is 82 minutes long. This disc also contains an extra ten and a half minute warm up with all of the instructors demonstrating.

The second disc contains 40 minutes of instruction on various drills after the short introduction. These include: Target Acquisition Drill, Gauntlet Drill, Fight to Your Feet Drill, Zero to 60 Drill, Low Light Drill, Advanced Zombie Drill, Distractor/Obstructor Drill, Staying in the Fight Drill, and the Simulated Knockout Drill. I think these drills will give you ideas to ramp up your own training. You can do like they do on the DVD, or use them as examples to make up or modify your own. This disc also has a couple of special features which include a short 6 minute demonstration of basic kettlebell exercises, and short interviews with instructors Duncan Pattle, Rune Lind, Dana Ben Kaplan and Renee Nolte.

Overall, this is an excellent addition to anyone’s Krav Maga or self-defense resources. It is very well produced and contains a wealth of information presented by a number of good instructors. While I don’t agree with everything here, and I teach some things differently, I still believe this is a great resource for anyone who wants to increase their knowledge and skills in Krav Maga and being able to defend themselves. It is a good follow up to the first 5 disc set, and I’m looking forward to volume two witch was mentioned as coming soon at the end of the program.