Krav Maga Keeps PayPal CEO ‘Cool, Calm And Collected’
Dan Schulman Image by Getty Images
Listed among PayPal CEO Dan Schulman’s extensive resume is his affinity for Krav Maga, a military self-defense and fighting system developed for the Israel Defense Forces.
Schulman said in an interview with the New York Times, that when he spent time in Israel as a teenager, he took Youth Military Training.
“I’ve been doing Krav since then,” he explained.
He has the scars to prove it.
“I’m always black or blue or I have some scar on my face,” Schulman told the Times. “I’ve dislocated my shoulder. I’ve had stitches. If you look carefully on my face, stitches here, stitches here. Smacked into a mat here, here.”
It’s proved to be a useful skill.
“That’s how you learn how to be cool, calm and collected in very stressful situations,” he said. “But the overrunning philosophy of Krav is that the best way to win a fight is to not get into a fight. It’s very Zen in that way. How do you de-escalate situations? We spend a lot of time thinking about that. It’s translated into the way that I think about business as well.”
Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
That’s why I’m paying it Forward, by matching $36,000 of reader gifts. It’s an investment in the Forward’s newsroom, to continue telling the American Jewish story with truth and independence.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
