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This form of combat includes methods of defense against one or several attackers, in response to a wide and varied range of aggressions. It includes both attacks without weapons (hitting, kicking, grabbing and strangulation) and with knives (knives, knives, machetes, axes) and blunt force (batons, police batons, sticks, baseball bats, bottles, stones). It also includes disarmament and defense techniques against firearms carriers of various types (short, long, military and civil).
In krav magá all kinds of techniques are used empty handed (punching, open hand beating, elbowing, kneeing, stomping, low and high kicks, bites, headbutts, dislocations, sweeps, throws and strangulations), as well as advanced techniques with simple weapons.
Originally developed in Israel in the 1940s by Imi Lichtenfeld2 who after arriving at the British Mandate of Palestine before the creation of the State of Israel, began teaching hand-to-hand combat to the Haganah, the Jewish underground army.
After the creation of the State of Israel, in 1951, krav magá was adopted as a combat system, defense tactics, hand-to-hand combat and self-defense by the Israel Defense and Security Forces, the National Police of Israel, as well as as its different anti-terrorist units and special forces. Therefore, krav magá became a combat training system of basically military application.
When Lichtenfeld retired after a long career as a combat instructor in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), he began teaching krav magá to the population. In this way, the Krav Magá returned to its historical origins as a civil personal defense discipline that has had a great expansion in recent years. Its dissemination by the United States and Europe has contributed to emphasize its aspect of personal defense system suitable for any adult without distinction of gender, age or physical condition.
Imi Lichtenfeld was born in Budapest, Hungary, on May 26, 1910, and grew up in Bratislava, in the former Czechoslovakia.3 His father was a chief detective and part of his job was to teach the police under his orders some basic movements of personal defense, these aroused their interest in personal defense; leading to Imi later creating the Krav Magá system.
From a very young age, he became involved in the intensive practice of a wide range of sports including: Olympic gymnastics, Olympic wrestling and boxing. Even in 1928 Lichtenfeld won the national youth wrestling championship and in 1929 the middleweight adult championship. During that same period, he also won the national boxing championship and an international Olympic gymnastics championship. From 1930 Lichtenfeld not only competed, but he became a great coach.
In 1935 economic and social conditions began to change in Bratislava, Imi Lichtenfeld organized the Jewish resistance in his city, and taught them how to defend themselves against the growing anti-Semitic and fascist groups, discovering that the actual combat was quite different from the sporting combat, re-evaluating their ideas and training. After his entire family was murdered by the Nazis, he left Czechoslovakia in 1940 aboard a refugee ship.
Later it was united to the British army. There he continued after fighting against the Nazis. Near the end of the war in 1944, he went to Palestine. Initially in the British mandate, to later join the organization in favor of the Israeli state, the "Hagana". Where he began to teach physical conditioning, swimming, fighting and developing self-defense techniques, modified for the army (including the first defenses against various types of firearms, and assault, in addition to training in different scenarios and situations). Imi, he also taught the Palmach group and police groups.
During the years 1948-1967 Lichtenfeld became the chief instructor of self-defense in the Israeli army, within the IDF.
In 1967, Lichtenfeld left the army and opened two private schools, beginning to teach civilians and young people "self-defense" with the idea of teaching each one how to defend themselves. He began to teach a group of ten students.
In the year 1978, Lichtenfeld unveiled his system under the name of Krav Magá (martial art of self-defense and hand-to-hand combat), which quickly became known in Israel, and later throughout the world. The first course was taught at the largest military academy in Israel, the Wingate Institute.
The krav magá is a combat system that requires a lot of will and discipline, allowing the individual to defend himself quickly and effectively against armed attackers or not, in situations that are unfamiliar and in which they limit movement. It is a simple and effective self-defense system based on fundamental principles, natural and instinctive movements and practical techniques.
This form of close combat includes methods of defense against one or several attackers, in response to a wide and varied range of aggressions. It includes both attacks without weapons (hitting, kicking, grabbing and strangulation) and with knives (knives, knives, machetes, axes) and blunt force (batons, police batons, sticks, baseball bats, bottles, stones). It also includes disarmament and defense techniques against firearms carriers of various types (short, long, military and civil).
In krav magá all kinds of techniques are used empty handed (punching, open hand beating, elbowing, kneeing, stomping, low and high kicks, bites, headbutts, dislocations, sweeps, throws and strangulations), as well as advanced techniques with simple weapons.
The basic idea is to deal first with the immediate threat (for example, a strangulation against the practitioner), prevent the aggressor from attacking again and finally, neutralize the opponent. Emphasis is placed on immediately removing the initiative from the aggressor.
It is permissible to flee (tactical withdrawal), if the situation determines it. The krav magá serves against armed opponents and against multiple opponents. It also allows fighting in enclosed spaces, such as airplanes, elevators or cars.
The krav magá has many disarming techniques, and in his practice emphasis is placed on combat, in unusual circumstances, which implies training in narrow spaces, or with little lighting, cornecutions, from the ground, defense in position of sitting and, above all, defense in individual and group situations of high stress and realism.
In summary, the fundamental principles of combat dictate that every response of personal defense must comply with all the following:
In a given situation, the defense or attack must be:
1.-As fast as possible, as attacks or slow defenses will arrive in time.
2.-The strongest possible, since weak attacks will not hurt or weak defenses will be easily overcome.
3.-As short as possible, since long movements take more time to execute.
4.-As natural as possible, since under the pressure of being attacked it is difficult to execute fine or complex movements correctly and instinctive movements emerge.
These 4 principles must of course be applied to the extent that they are useful to meet the objectives of defending and counterattack effectively. For example, it would not be correct to hit so hard to the point where executing an attack hurts oneself or seek to defend oneself with movements so natural that they lack any technique and become gross movements without being thought of before.
The krav magá is a combat system created and developed for practical use in real risk situations.
It does not have a sporting or competitive aspect, its effectiveness can not be properly proven on a tatami or in a quadrilateral, but only in a combat in which the parties do not seek to compete, but truly hurt themselves by any means.
It is not a combat sport or a traditional or modern martial art, and several of its techniques could be considered anti-sports, but this is because the purpose of the system is not to win in a fight, but to get away with it. life of a real confrontation, making use of any available means.
Also, for that same reason, there is no single program for teaching and evaluating krav magá, although in some federations the traditional system of degrees with colored belts is used, or (kyu - dan) taken from judo; to establish the progress of the practitioner.
Many women have started in this practice, given the benefits it produces and the simplicity of its initiation. Among them the singer Jennifer Lopez, who included him in his 2002 film Enough.
On June 11, 2010 krav magá is recognized in the Superior Council of Sports of Spain under the Spanish Wrestling Federation.
There are numerous organizations around the world that teach the variants of Krav Magá. Since the death of its founder, many claim to be heirs of his legacy. Some organizations or individuals claim to be the sole heir, while others maintain that it is an art in the public domain that should not be owned by a particular person or group.
Many of these organizations are currently run by Imi Lichtenfeld alumni. One organization, Krav Maga Global (KMG), led by Chief Instructor Eyal Yanilov, has succession claims based solely on the alleged relationship Yanilov had with the founder. Yaron Lichtenstein, director of Bukan, holder of the 9th dan and the Grand Master title, granted by Imi, having certificates and official documents signed by Imi in person and legally validated.
The Israeli Association of Krav Maga (IKMA) is legitimately directed by master Haim Gidon, who obtained from Imi a 8th dan (video easily found on the web, where Imi promises that he would shortly have dan 9 and 10). Currently holds the 10th dan. It was also Imi who appointed him president of the IKMA. Master Haim Zut trained together with several other Krav Magá practitioners from before the death of Imi, his own federation. Master Zut has also been recognized for his 10th dan.
It is important to note that when talking about Israeli martial arts, we must take into account that not everything is krav magá de Imi. There is the KAPAP, independently rescued by Moshe Galisko and Avi Nardia, using some concepts different from krav magá, although in reality it is a diluted krav magá. The krav magen is a system that derives directly from krav magá, founded by Eli Avikzar (the first black tape of krav magá in history).
There are versions of krav magá "no Imi", which were formed by Masters with vast experience, training commands and Israeli special forces, such as Roy Elghanayan and Itay Gil and their students Moshe Katz and Sharir Richman (Itay Gil was a student of Gadi Skornik and by Eli Avikzar). As a special training methodology, based on the foundations of traditional Krav-Maga, we can mention the Operational Krav-Maga, developed by Master Gabi Shai (former student and assistant of Eli Avikzar in IDF and who had the opportunity to work at the Institute Wingate along with Grand Master Imi during the years 1976 and 1977).
The OKM has been developed as an advanced methodology of operational training, at the beginning of the 80s, with Gabi Shai being the director of the Krav-Maga department of the Israeli Security Agency. There is also the Dennis Hisardut, created by Dr. Dennis Hannover, and the Gadi Kempo Jutsu, created by Gadi Skornik. These last 2, do not claim to have anything to do with the krav magá, but that does not stop being great systems of combat and personal defense, and they are all taught to the army of Israel.
In Spain there are several teams dedicated to the study and practice of this discipline, all of which are centers with great trainers in this system. Carlos from Sports Club Teide in Ontigola, José Ignacio Gallego Martín in the Institute of Martial Arts in Madrid, Paco Rodríguez and Fernando Caballero, Pedro Velasco Lentisco from KMT-UFC in Sport Elite in Toledo and several others can serve as examples as teachers with years of dedication and training.
I invite you to practice and to know more about Krav Maga.
