The River and The Dam
Joel Brown
Greetings all!
My youngest son Patryk sent me this quote “A river is never built near the dam, but the dam is always built by the river, Think for a moment.”
It really struck me, and I wanted to share my thoughts with all my community, my students and prospective students. I’ve been training, fighting, and teaching Krav Maga for over 45 years along with my combat training in the USAF, and here’s something I’ve learned the hard way: life doesn’t move in straight lines. It moves like a river. Constant. Unpredictable. Calm one moment, violent the next.
You don’t get to control the current or flow of any given situation, but you do get to control how you move inside it.
That’s Retzev.
Wait, Sensei what is this Retzev you speak of???
Retzev is Hebrew and translated means “continuous motion”, but as with all things, head knowledge is not the same as operational knowledge. It’s in this seemingly small difference that major misconceptions emerge. Retzev is most commonly referred to incorrectly as a combative theory or directive. The truth is, Retzev is a concept that urges the Krav Maga practitioner to utilize and harness the natural power in movement throughout both defensive and offensive initiatives within a self-defense technique(s).
So, to put it simply; Continuous motion. Continuous intent. No freezing. No hesitation.
You either fight the flow and burn yourself out, OR…you learn how to ride it, redirect it, and stay present inside the chaos. That’s awareness. That’s control.
The Power of the Dam
People misunderstand strength. They think it’s about resisting everything.
It’s not. A dam doesn’t resist the river. It masters it. It takes all that raw, unpredictable force and turns it into power with direction. That’s discipline. That’s training. That’s years of showing up even when you don’t feel like it.
Your habits, your mindset, your skillset, that’s your dam.
It holds the line when life surges or throws you curveballs. It stores energy when you need patience. When the moment demands action, it releases that power with purpose, not panic.
Without structure, your energy floods everywhere. No results. No control.
With structure, you can become unstoppable.
Readiness Is Control
Being ready isn’t about walking around rigid or tense or walking around in a fighting stance. It’s about staying prepared mentally sharp, physically capable, emotionally grounded.
After spending four decades in this system, the pattern is obvious: You need to know when to pause, when to strike, and when to flow straight through the obstacle.
That’s Retzev.
That’s our Krav Maga.
Train your body. Sharpen your mind. Build that dam so when life hits …and it will…you don’t break. You channel.
Train for Life, Live with Confidence.
At Combat Krav Maga SF, we don’t just teach self-defense. We teach control. We teach flow with intent. We teach power that knows where it’s going and why.
Be the dam. Flow like the river and never stop moving 📍 1455 Bush St. San Francisco, CA
🌐 www.combat-krav.com
📧 Info@combat-krav.com