The Philosophy of CKM can be broken down into three main dimensions.
1. Ethical
2. Pragmatic
3. Dynamic
Ethical:
In CKM, the intention in any conflict situation is to find a honorable path towards a peaceful resolution. CKM abhors fighting. Violence is the absolute last resort.
CKM always gives the aggressor a chance to save face, an honorable solution as a way out without ever compromising its own sense of self esteem. The body says, “I don’t want to fight”. The eyes say, “watch out”.
Many times, a fight is all about somebody’s ego, either ours or theirs. CKM knows that fighting is mostly avoidable and as such its practitioners do best to deescalate any situation that could turn violent. Every practitioner of CKM seeks to dissolve his own individual ego through intense training and introspection.
Precisely because every CKM technique is potentially lethal, CKM insists that its practitioners respect every other human being, regardless of race, religion or gender.
Therefore, the fundamental CKM principle is this: No first use of force.
Pragmatic:
The second principle of CKM is this: While negotiating for peace, prepare for war.
CKM evolved in the hostile environment of the Middle East. So, CKM intrinsically is a mature and pragmatic body of knowledge. Though every CKM practitioner does his best to deescalate the conflict, CKM is not oblivious to the fact that there are many unintelligent people out there who might mistake a desire for peace as weakness.
So, even as CKM tries to negotiate a honorable peace with the aggressor, the CKM practitioner instantly begins to prepare for combat. The CKM starting stance for instance conceals far more than it reveals. If there is going to be any kind of fighting, the opponent will know nothing about what the CKM practitioner knows. This allows CKM to launch the most devastating counter attacks from what looks like an innocuous position.
CKM practitioners are taught to loudly announcing their intentions of not wanting to fight. This further ensures that should the law enforcement authorities intervene, they will have witnesses to show that the CKM practitioner did not want to fight and that whatever happened subsequently was the result of the aggression of the aggressor. Fighting in self defense is legally OK in most countries. Aggression and the use of excessive force is not.
Dynamic:
Static systems that claim to know all the answers are obviously highly suspect. All bodies of knowledge must keep evolving to keep pace with new inputs or else they become outdated. CKM is no different. CKM knows that criminals and terrorists continuously keep changing their tactics. Therefore, CKM keeps evolving to keep pace with the new tactics and weapons of the enemy. It is totally dynamic.
Combat in the streets is totally unpredictable. There are no rules. There is no referee who will stop the fight, or throw in the towel. There is no honor code. Treacherous behavior abounds. The attacker might pull a gun, or a knife, or have friends lurking not too far away (a gang), it may be two or more than two on one. Such people are capable of stooping to any sub-human extent.
The CKM Solution: Think like a Commando. Engage and rapidly disengage. Engage the enemy only if there is no other choice, but if you must then finish him off immediately. Then, rapidly disengage before his friends come to his rescue. The goal is simple. Survival. This is the reality of the street, not of the dojo.
Because Moni and his senior instructors are actively involved with teaching the elite Special Forces, CKM keeps evolving spurred by the demands of one of the fiercest fighting environments in the world; the Middle East.
The third CKM principle is this: In the street there are no rules. Train real.