Krav Maga

Krav Maga is a hybrid Martial Art that is rooted in self-defence and combat. It was developed for the Israeli Defence Forces and the Israeli Security Forces as a form of military hand-to-hand combat. This fighting system combines techniques and principles from many popular striking and grappling Martial Arts.

Meaning

Close Combat

Founder

Imi Lichtenfeld

Country of Origin

Czech Republic

Primary Focus

Striking, Joint-locks, Takedowns, Throwing

Orientation

Self-defence

Type

External

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links and at no additional cost to you, I’ll earn a commission. Know that I only recommend products and services I’ve personally used and stand behind. When you use one of my affiliate links, the company compensates me, which helps me run this blog and keep my Martial Arts content free of charge for my readers (like you).

Brief History

Imi Lichtenfeld was a seasoned athlete and Martial Artist who attained great success in Martial Arts and athletic competitions. He played a pivotal role in protecting his community during anti-Semitic riots and unrest. In this situation, he realised that self-defence combat was vastly different to combat sports, the later to which he had excelled. This was the point at which Imi Lichtenfeld began refining his Martial Arts knowledge and adapting it for the brutalities of life-threatening confrontations.

Eventually, Lichtenfeld was forced to leave his home in Czechoslovakia and, after a few years of training several elite units in the soon to be Israeli Defence Force, he assumed the position of Chief Instructor in Physical Fitness and Krav Maga. It was here that Lichtenfeld developed and refined his unique brand of self-defence which was rooted in the scientific principles of the human body.

In addition, to focusing on self-defence principles and human body mechanics, integration with traditional Martial Arts such Aikido, Judo and Karate had also begun to take place.

self defence martial art

Aspects

Krav Maga takes a holistic view of self-defence. The following areas of self-defence feature heavily in Krav Maga training:

Mental – awareness of surroundings and understanding the psychology of confrontation
Physical – fighting defensive and offensive techniques to employ during an altercation
Environment – utilisation of objects in the surrounding environment as self-defence aids or weapons

krav maga

The Martial Art in Practice

Krav Maga is centred solely around self-defence. It focuses on the mental, environmental, and physical aspects of self-defence. This Martial Art incorporates the following types of techniques which have been modelled on other traditional Martial Arts:

Striking
Takedowns
Throws
Groundwork
Choking and Joint lock defence
Defence against weapons

These techniques are employed to end an altercation as quickly as possible and thus the efficiency and effectiveness of the technique is valued above all else. This means that the technique must be:

appropriate for the opponent’s attack
simple and repeatable
applied to a vulnerable point on the opponent’s body

Over and above physical self-defence, Krav Maga teaches de-escalation strategies and the ability to anticipate confrontations before they arise. Fighting or physical self-defence is thus taught to be the last resort when dealing with confrontation.

Concepts

Awareness and Vigilance – avoid confrontation where possible
Verbal de-escalation
Instinctive response under stress
Quick immobilisation of the opponent
Defend and Attack at the same time
Controlled Physical Aggression – the ability to instantly move from a passive state to an aggressive state whilst keeping one’s emotions intact. Physical aggression, in this case, is used to overcome exhaustion and push yourself beyond your physical limits.
Pre-emptive attacking – attack an assailant based on perceiving the assailant’s aggressive intent
Immediate Counterattacking – counterattacking as soon as possible.
Attacking vulnerable areas of the opponent’s body
Environment resources – using objects within the environment to defend and attack during a confrontation.

Travel for Martial Arts

Optimise your self-defense skills with Krav Maga

Tenerife, Spain

3 daily Krav Maga training
Moving and fighting on the ground
Defending street attacks
Surviving direct knife attacks e.g. stabbing and slashes
Learn how to survive violent attacks, escaping grabs and strangles
Defense from static a knife attacks e.g. robberies and muggings
29 nights accommodation in a private apartment with daily meals
Complimentary airport transfers

Book Now