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Krav Maga combines the most useful elements taught to one of the toughest militaries in the world, the Israeli Special Forces, with the no holds barred octagon environment (like the UFC), and Olympic level martial arts and mental training. The goal of Krav Maga is to teach anyone how to survive and be a winner on the street and in life. Until very recently Krav Maga had been taught exclusively to military groups around the world. However, on account of a growing demand from civilian groups, many instructors agreed to start teaching civilians. Now finally anyone can learn the most effective Israeli hand to hand combat techniques for armed and unarmed combat.
The system is based on simple and reflexive moves that will save your life! The effectiveness of the techniques has been battle tested time and time again. Remember, Krav Maga is taught to the elite commando units and SWAT forces in Israel and around the world. most importantly, you’ll also be training your mind to be a winner as you will be able to confidently handle any of life’s innumerable challenges. Krav Maga techniques are simple yet highly effective!
Despite the no nonsense reputation of Krav Maga, the system helps deal with the many challenges one can encounter in the day to day. Fundamental to this idea is the awareness of one’s limitations and strengths. It is the consciousness of those limitations that makes us humble as individuals, another major value inherent to the system, but it is the overcoming of those limitations that give confidence and an indomitable spirit when facing future obstacles. The constant emphasis on pushing forward no matter the odds reflects a can do attitude, and one of continuous improvement.
The training for Krav Maga places particular emphasis on a positive state of mind as an approach to everything. It is this philosophy that helps develop survivors on the battlefield, champions in the ring, and winners in life. In order to be a winner, you have to think like a winner. You have to have a positive outlook, and never, ever give up. And, irrespective of the outcome of life’s challenges, it is from this constant struggle of facing obstacles that character and confidence is developed. Not a shell that exists to impress others, but true inner strength that comes from a well defined and well developed sense of self. The formalities of traditional defense systems were abandoned, in favor of methodologies that valued rapid and instinctive learning. These philosophies helped Israel and its citizens to survive in the face of constant aggression and to form one of the most respected armies in the world. The Philosophy of Krav Maga can be broken down into three main dimensions. Pragmatic: 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 Krav Maga Solution: 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. .
1. Ethical
2. Pragmatic
3. Dynamic
Ethical:
In Krav Maga, the intention in any conflict situation is to find a honorable path towards a peaceful resolution. Krav Maga abhors fighting. Violence is the absolute last resort. Krav Maga 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. Krav Maga knows that fighting is mostly avoidable and as such its practitioners do best to deescalate any situation that could turn violent.
Krav Maga insists that its practitioners respect every other human being, regardless of race, religion or gender. Therefore, the fundamental Krav Maga principle is this: No first use of force.
The second principle of Krav Maga is this: While negotiating for peace, prepare for war.
Krav Maga evolved in the hostile environment of the Middle East. So, Krav Maga intrinsically is a mature and pragmatic body of knowledge. Though every Krav Maga practitioner does his best to deescalate the conflict, Krav Maga 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 Krav Maga tries to negotiate a honorable peace with the aggressor, the Krav Maga practitioner instantly begins to prepare for combat. The Krav Maga 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 Krav Maga practitioner knows. This allows the student to launch the most devastating counter attacks from what looks like an innocuous position.
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 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.
In the street there are no rules. Train real.
"so one may walk in peace"---- Imi
The Founder
With his father's encouragement, Imi became active in a wide range of sports. He first excelled in swimming, and subsequently in gymnastics, wrestling, and boxing. In 1928 Imi won the Slovakian Youth Wrestling Championship, and in 1929 the adult champion- ship (in the light and middle weight division). That year he also won the national boxing championship and an international gymnastics championship. During the ensuing decade, Imi's athletic activities focused mainly on wrestling, both as a contestant and a trainer.
In the mid thirties, conditions began to change in
In 1940, having become a thorn in the side of the anti-Semitic inclined local authorities as a result of his activities, Imi left his home, family, and friends and boarded the last immigrant ship that succeeded in escaping the Nazis' clutches. The vessel was an old riverboat named Pentcho, that had been converted to carry hundreds of refugees from Central Europe to the
In 1944 Imi began training fighters in his areas of expertise: physical fitness, swimming, wrestling, use of the knife, and defenses against knife attacks. During this period, Imi trained several elite units of the Hagana and Palmach (striking force of the Hagana and forerunner of the special units of the IDF), including the Pal-Yam, as well as groups of police officers. In 1948, when the State of Israel was founded and the IDF was formed, Imi became Chief Instructor for Physical Fitness and Krav-Maga at the IDF School of Combat Fitness. He served in the IDF for about 20 years, during which time he developed and refined his unique method for self-defense and hand-to-hand combat.
After he finished his active duty, Imi began adapting and modifying Krav-Maga to civilian needs. The method was formulated to suit everyone - man and woman, boy or girl, who might need it to save his or her life or survive an attack while sustaining minimal harm, whatever the background of the attack - criminal, nationalistic, or other. To disseminate his method, Imi established two training centers, one in Tel Aviv and the other in Natanya.
Even during his last years, Imi continues to personally supervise the training of those who have attained high ranks in Krav-Maga, and to spend time with the instructors in
The above (about 20% of the chapter's draft) was taken from the book: How to Defend Yourself Against Armed Assaults By Imi Sde-Or (Lichtenfeld) & Eyal Yanilov
