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Krav Maga

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Krav Maga
FocusHybrid
Country of originIsrael Israel
CreatorImi Lichtenfeld
ParenthoodKapap, Jujutsu, Judo, Boxing, Wrestling, Canne de combat, Street fighting
Olympic sportNo

Krav Maga (Template:Pron-en; Hebrew: קרב מגע, IPA: [ˈkʁav maˈɡa], lit. "contact combat" or "close combat") is an eclectic hand-to-hand combat system developed in Israel.[1] It was derived from street-fighting skills developed by Imi Lichtenfeld, making use of his training as a boxer and wrestler, as a means of defending the Jewish quarter during a period of anti-Semitic activity in Bratislava in the mid- to late 1930s. In the late 1940's, following his emigration to Israel, he began to provide hand-to-hand combat training to what was to become the IDF, developing the techniques that became known as Krav Maga. It has since been refined for both civilian and military applications. Unlike most martial arts, Krav Maga is essentially a tactical defense skill. Its philosophy emphasizes threat neutralization, simultaneous defensive and offensive maneuvers, and aggressive endurance in a 'him-or-me' context. Krav Maga is still used by the Israel Defense Forces and several closely related variations have been developed and adopted by law enforcement, Mossad, FBI, United States special operations forces, Irish and British Special Forces. There are several organisations teaching variations of Krav Maga internationally.[2][3][4][5]

Etymology

The name in Hebrew means "Hand-to-hand combat." Krav (קרב) meaning "combat" or "battle",and Maga (מגע) meaning "contact" or "touch". (Oxford Hebrew-English dictionary)[6] Krav Maga teaches combat involving physical body contact as opposed to combat involving projectile or distance weaponry such as guns, artillery, tanks and planes.

Basic principles

Krav Maga is not a martial art by traditional standards. There are no rules for Krav Maga fighting, and no built-in distinctions in training between men and women.[7] It has no sporting federation, and there are no official uniforms or attire, although some organizations, internally, do recognize progress through training with rank badges, different levels, and belts.

Techniques generally focus on training combatants in conditions approximating real-life scenarios. Krav Maga trains combatants for situations where losing would be potentially fatal. Its attack and defense maneuvers aim to neutralize the threat and facilitate rapid and safe escape. These include a variety of fast and fluid crippling attacks to vulnerable body parts through various efficient and often brutal strikes. The improvised use of any available aids is encouraged - maximizing personal safety in a fight is emphasized.

Krav Maga training programs involve rapid learning, with offensive and defensive techniques introduced from the first lesson and retzev (pronounced ret-zef and meaning "continuous motion or momentum") playing an important part in both training and maneuvers.[8]

While no limits are placed on techniques to be used in life-threatening situations, during training the legal need to minimize damage is generally stressed (at least in civilian contexts, and instructors are required to demonstrate how to moderate the techniques to suit the seriousness of the circumstances.

Krav Maga basic training emphasizes the following:

  • Do not get injured or injure training partners.
  • Employ pre-emptive defensive techniques
  • Change quickly from defensive into offensive techniques i.e. respond to an attack with overwhelming force, in the quickest time possible
  • Use the most natural, quickest, reflexes of the body
  • Exploit the opponent's vulnerabilities to their extreme
  • Employ the aid of any available objects[7]

Krav Maga trainees learn to deal first with the immediate threat and then prevent further attacks, if necessary by neutralizing the attacker. Training is conducted in a methodical manner whilst taking account of the practitioners strengths and weaknesses

Basic training

Krav Maga has taken many techniques from other martial arts and included elements from Boxing, Muay Thai, Aikido, Judo, and Jujutsu. However, unlike the set routines and choreographed moves in martial arts, Krav Maga teaches realistic fighting and self-defense - attacks in social settings (pubs, clubs, street etc). Typical training often includes exercises simulating fighting against one or several opponents and/or whilst protecting another. This can also involve a debilitating scenario - the use of only one arm, while dizzy and against armed opponents.

Basic training is a mixed aerobic and anaerobic workout, relying heavily on the use of protective pads. In striking this helps the trainee practice his maneuvers at full strength, whilst the holder experiences the impact they would feel when getting hit.

Various personal guards are available which protect the person whist offering a realistic level of violence may be attained without risk of injury. Some schools incorporate "Strike and Fight," which consists of full-contact sparring intended to familiarize the student with the stresses of a violent situation.

Training within extreme acoustic, visual, and verbal scenarios prepares students to ignore peripheral distractions and focus on the needs of the situation.[citation needed] Other training methods to increase realism might include blindfolding or exercising trainees to near exhaustion before dealing with a simulated attack as well as training outdoors on a variety of surfaces and restrictive situations.

Training will also cover situational awareness in order to develop an understanding of one's surroundings and potentially threatening circumstances before an attack is launched. It may also cover "Self Protection": ways to deal with potentially violent situations, and physical and verbal methods to avoid violence whenever possible.

Classes will feature a warm up to raise the heart rates, moving on to stretching. Various techniques are then shown which end in a retvez (fluid defense/attack).

History

Imi Lichtenfeld

Krav Maga was developed in Hungary and Czechoslovakia in the 1930s by Imi Lichtenfeld, also known as Imi Sde-Or. (Sde-Or - "Light Field" - a calque of his surname into Hebrew) He first taught his fighting system in Bratislava in order to help protect the local Jewish community from Nazi militia. Upon arriving in the British Mandate of Palestine, Imi began teaching Kapap to the Haganah, the Jewish underground army. With the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Imi became the Chief Instructor of Physical Fitness and Krav Maga at the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) School of Combat Fitness. He served in the IDF for 15 years, during which time he continued to develop and refine his hand-to-hand combat method.[9] In 1978, Imi founded the non-profit Israeli Krav Maga Association with several senior instructors.[10] He died in January 1998 in Netanya, Israel.[11]

Expansion to the USA

Prior to 1980, all experts in Krav Maga lived in Israel and trained under the Israeli Krav Maga Association. That year marks the beginning of contact between Israeli Krav Maga experts and interested students in the United States. In 1981, a group of six Krav Maga instructors traveled to the US to demonstrate their system, primarily to local Jewish Community Centers. The New York Field Office of the FBI and the FBI's Main Training Center at Quantico, Virginia saw it and expressed interest. The result was a visit by 22 people from the US to Israel in the summer of 1981 to attend a basic Krav Maga instructor course. The graduates from this course returned to the US and began to establish training facilities in their local areas. Additional students traveled to Israel in 1984 and again in 1986 to become instructors. At the same time, instructors from Israel continued to visit the US. Law Enforcement training in the US began in 1985.[12]

Current usage

All Israeli soldiers, including all Special Forces units[13], learn Krav Maga as part of their basic training.[14] Further, Krav Maga is the defensive tactics system used to train the Israeli Police,[15] Israeli Intelligence and all Security Divisions.[16] Krav Maga is also taught to civilians, military, law enforcement and security agencies around the world.

There have also been many spin-offs to Krav Maga, such as Tactical Krav Maga, founded by Itay Gil; Commando Krav Maga, founded by Moni Aizik; Special Forces Krav Maga, founded by Michal Cernohorsky; and Krav Maga Security, by Alain Cohen.

The Swedish Army uses Krav Maga lightly in close combat training for urban warfare.

See also

References

  1. ^ Tucker, Ken (2004-09-12). "Kick! Punch! Slap!". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  2. ^ "Complete History of Krav Maga". realitybasedtraining.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-04-09.
  3. ^ "Krav Maga USA - History". International Krav-Maga Federation. Retrieved 2009-04-09.
  4. ^ "Our History". Krav Maga Worldwide. Retrieved 2009-04-09.
  5. ^ "Krav Maga Federation". Krav Maga Federation. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
  6. ^ "Krav Maga, a Generalization!". usadojo.com. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  7. ^ a b http://www.tkmc.com.au Tactical Krav Maga Self Defense
  8. ^ Israeli Krav Maga - FAQ Page
  9. ^ History of Krav Maga
  10. ^ http://www.israelikrav.com
  11. ^ International Krav Maga Federation
  12. ^ International Krav Maga Federation
  13. ^ Duvdevan Training Documentation
  14. ^ Former Special Forces Operator Still Trains Units
  15. ^ Police Training Documentation
  16. ^ Israeli Presidential Security Staff Trains in Krav Maga - Article Bottom of Page
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