Krav Maga - Instructions for Techniques, Kicks, Self-Defense, etc.
Krav Maga - Instructions for Techniques, Kicks, Self-Defense, etc.

09 Dec 2015 11:52

Krav Maga - Instructions for Techniques, Kicks, Self-Defense, etc.

Krav Maga is an eclectic martial arts style from Israel focused on winning in "real life" combat situations. It uses strikes, kicks, grappling and many other self-defense techniques. Krav Maga was developed to finish a fight as quickly as possible and therefore all attacks are aimed at the most vulnerable parts of the body (i.e. groin). This martial art is utilized by the Israeli Defense Forces. A number of the elite Israeli military units also use the martial arts system known as KAPAP.

This Krav Maga wiki provides students with instructions and videos for a wide variety of Krav Maga techniques, terms, etc.

Section supported by Krav Maga books

Main Elements of Krav Maga

  • Krav Maga Techniques - This section provides detailed instructions and videos for many Krav Maga techniques (i.e. kicks, strikes, self-defenses, escapes, ground fighting, etc.).
  • Krav Maga Weapon Defenses - Various Krav Maga self-defense techniques versus guns, knives, clubs, etc,
  • Krav Maga Belt Levels - This sections looks at the belt colors and requirements for various Krav Maga belt levels.

History of Krav Maga

Krav Maga is an Israeli martial arts and was founded by Imrich Lichtenfeld. According to the International Krav Maga Federation, "Imrich ("Imi") Sde-Or (Lichtenfeld) was born on May 26, 1910, to a Hungarian Jewish family in Budapest in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He grew up in Bratislava, Slovakia's capital, with a father who provided him quite an unusual childhood. Samuel Lichtenfeld, his father, was a chief inspector on the Bratislava police force and a former circus acrobat.

With his father's encouragement, Imi engaged in a wide range of sports, such as swimming, boxing, wrestling and gymnastics. He trained at a Gymnasium owned by his father, who taught self-defense. Imi excelled in wrestling both as contestant an as trainer, Also winning several awards in these fields.

In the mid thirties, Fascist and anti-Semitic groups appeared in Bratislava, threatening to harm the city's Jewish community there. Imi led a group of former boxers and wrestlers to defend his Jewish neighborhood against the fascist gangs. This group attempted to block the anti-Semitic gangs from entering the Jewish quarter. Encountering as many "street fights" as he did, Imi quickly realized that sport had little in common with real combat and began developing a system of techniques for practical self-defense in life threatening situations.

In 1940 Imi fled the Nazi occupation of his homeland, and boarded the last immigrant ship that succeeded in escaping the Nazis' clutches. He boarded the vessel "Pencho", which shipwrecked on the Greek Dodecanese Islands, and arrived to Palestine in 1942.

At his arrival, Israel's early leaders recognized Imi's fighting abilities and in 1944 he 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. After the establishment of Israel in 1948 and the formation of the IDF he became Chief Instructor for Physical Fitness and Krav Maga at the IDF School of Combat Fitness. Imi 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."

Variety of Krav Maga Self-Defense Techniques




References

  1. International Krav Maga Federation, About Us, http://www.kravmaga.co.il/showitem.asp?itemid=About%20us, Added - 7/4/13
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