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THE GIDEON TEST
By Albert Timem
KAPAP ACADEMY
In our last Kapap Instructors course training in Italy, Mr. Albert Timen, Kapap Academy President, told the students while in the middle of knife fighting training, to stop and do push ups. Then he told them about “Gideon’s Test”. One of our instructors named Massimo smiled and asked, “So we failed?”
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Judges, Ch. 7
In the morning, Gideon by God's command called his ten thousand men out, and made them march down the hill, just as though they were going to attack the enemy. And when they were beside the water, he noticed how they drank; and set them apart in two companies, according to the way they were drinking.
As they came to the water, most of the men threw aside their shields and spears, and knelt down, scooped up a drink of the water with both hands together like a cup. These men Gideon commanded, to stand in one company.
There were a few men who did not stop to take a large drink of water. Holding a spear and a shield in the right hand, they were ready for the enemy, if one should suddenly appear. They merely cupped up a handful of the water in passing and marched on, lapping up the water from one hand.
God said to Gideon:” Set by them these men who lapped up each a handful of water. These are the men whom I have chosen to set Israel free."
Gideon counted these men, and found that there were only three hundred of them; while all the rest bowed down their faces to drink. The difference between them was that these three hundred were earnest men, of one purpose; not turning aside from their aim, even to drink, as the others did.
Then, too, they were watchful men, always ready to meet their enemies. Suppose that the Midianites had rushed out on the army, while nearly all of them had their faces towards the water drinking, their arms thrown to one side - how helpless they would have been! But no enemy could have surprised the three hundred, who held their spears and shields ready, even while they were taking a drink.
Some have thought that this test also showed who the worshippers of idols were and who truly worshipped God. Perhaps this act showed that most of the army were used to kneeling down to worship before idols, and that only a few were accustomed to stand up before the Lord in their worship; but of this we are not certain. It did show that here were three hundred brave, watchful men, obedient to orders, and ready for the battle.
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You might be wondering what a man who lived a few thousand years ago has to do with the future of the Kapap system. When you hear our message today you'll have that question answered.
As we wrote before about finding the right teacher/Instructor, we at the Kapap Academy think that it is also about finding the right students.
A few years ago, we opened our door for the first time to the civilian market; previously, the Kapap system was taught only to select military and police personnel in Israel.
As the first step, we opened the Kapap Level 1 Instructor® Course, a full 5 days of basic training. We emphasized that this is more like an “interview” phase for the students, because as we read a student’s credentials (CV’s) it may have said that they had 20 years of experience. Although many were ranked as “Experts “, that was far from reality when it came to fighting on the mat.
What we usually saw were very poor Martial Arts skills, which were exaggerated by titles on certificates and ranks from Martial Arts “Federations”. Many based their fighting skills on three basic moves accompanied by lots of impressive exhaling sounds (fu, fu, fu…) and choreography.
But at the end, none of them could fight. Most did not even know how to put on a basic choke, let alone kicks, punches and so on. These are basic skills learned in almost every traditional martial art after four months of study (with a good teacher). How could it be that those “Experts” hold certificates from a particular non-traditional martial art that claims to be a “no-nonsense martial art”? We must say that they are full of nonsense and nothing more.
As we near the end of 2006, we at Kapap Academy, backed by the International Kapap Federation, decided to close the doors we have opened, so we can choose our Gideon Fighters/Instructors. We will find the right ones to keep going with this system and not let in those with an ego who only chase papers and titles but are unwilling to behave like real fighters.
We are going to cut out 95% of the Kapap Level one Instructors who have not made it to the teaching license qualification. For the ones that did pass Gideon’s test… we can truly call them Kapap Level One Instructors© and they have the proper teaching license to prove it.
If we look back at history and try to learn the lessons, we can all be better students of reality. As we know, the Titanic was built by “experts” that based their “undefeated theory” on the enormous size of the ship (and their egos) … we all know what the sad truth was.
We are sorry to disappoint some people but Kapap Academy is a leader and a firm believer in the quality of the Kapap combat system, and in NOT being a quantity McKrav system that certifies the masses.
The Kapap Academy and Federation are run like a family, and as such, we will make sure that only the highest quality members will be accepted into the family in the future.
On a final note, we have to mention how funny it is to see new grand masters popping up from the Israeli Martial Arts in the last year after taking our Instructors courses or watching our DVD’s. Suddenly, techniques that were first introduced in Kapap courses and DVD’s are now part of the “New official curriculum” in their systems.
As we start Kapap in Europe, one of our instructors told me “. Even if I have to drive a truck to pay the bills, I will teach Kapap…” That’s the attitude we want – to put your soul into what you do, not to try to fill your pocket using the marketing names you know nothing about, and celebrities like Jennifer Lopez (I wonder if she’s keep studying if the Nazi days came back). that’s Israeli Martial Art. Kapap is not done to be cool; it is done in a fight for life.
For an updated list of our Gideon Instructors that are licensed and authorized to teach Kapap, go to our website at: www.kapapacademy.com
If you are interested in becoming a Gideon Instructor, prepare for the journey.
Article Written by Kapap Academy President Mr. Albert Timen and UK based Instructors:
Craig and Deborah Welsh
07732 744188
www.kapapsheffield.co.uk
Info@kapapsheffield.co.uk
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