Krav-Maga means “close combat“. Yet this is not a sport, not a martial art. It’s a self-defense method based on natural reflexes and adapted to be able to respond to a threat or aggression whether you are a civilian or a security professional.
Its story is the fruit of one person’s work IMI LICHTENFELD. Born in Bratislava (in the former Czechoslovakia) this wrestler, boxer and gymnast put his knowledge to the benefit of the Jewish community during the period when the latter had to protect itself from the growing fascism in Europe. After many brawls, he realized that the street and the competition had nothing in common. It was then that he decided to adapt his practice. Krav-Maga was born.
Forced into exile, he went to Israel where he joined the army. It was during this period thathe will perfect his techniques for the police, special forces and of course the army. For many years, he will analyze his approach and his practice to ensure to create a efficient, fast and simple system which will respond to the various problems encountered in the field.
For Mr LICHTENFELD, Krav-Maga is, above all, based on moral and human values, which emphasize the importance of integrity, humility and respect for others.
The most interesting thing about this self-defense system is that the instilled principles do not make the practitioner, it is the practitioner who will take his Krav-Maga wherever he wants. Indeed, even if Krav-Maga does not include rules in the strict sense of the term, there are certain principles to understand and implement:
– do not come out of the fight wounded (risk / danger factor analysis to avoid injury)
– the techniques are based on natural reflexes of the human body (they must be retouched, directed to respond effectively to problems)
– the defense must be proportional to the attack (depending on the situation and the need, it is necessary to act by dominating the reaction and the force to avoid an exaggerated injury of the adversary)
– defend and attack by the shortest route (by a given path and taking into account comfort and safety)
– l’use of sensitive points of the human body (in order to be able to touch and defeat the opponent)
– l’use of all the weapons of the human body (including the use of everyday objects for self-defense and counterattack)
– no rules, no limits (except the legislation in force in the country)
Each practitioner will develop his Krav-Maga with his own skills and qualities.
Thanks to these principles, Krav-Maga adapts, evolves, updates itself according to the various threats which reach us. Its strong point, if we were to retain only one, is that the practitioner does not rely on a closed way of putting into practice techniques but on the way of apprehending them.
Krav-Maga must be able to be learned quickly from simple procedures.
Indeed, just like close combat, Krav-maga is characterized by different incapacitating or lethal techniques. These methods are very easy to learn and very effective. They aim to incapacitate an enemy:
- as soon as possible
- le more efficiently possible
- by any means possible (no combat limit)
The shots are therefore focused on anatomical targets:
- eyes
- neck
- knees
- gorge
- genitals
The fighter systematically seeks to take the initiative of the assault, then to crush the enemy without mercy (within the framework of the law in force). Defense is therefore always a stopgap (recovery of initiative) aimed at restoring offensive action. The movement is always moving forward (forward drive).
In a given situation, the answer should be:
- immediate
- as strong as needed
- without appeal
- natural
- chosen to serve a specific purpose, such as distracting, fleeing, immobilizing, neutralizing or moving away from someone
This results in 3 sets of techniques depending on whether the teaching is intended for the army, the police or civilians, the objectives not being the same according to these categories (to attack, neutralize, or defend oneself).
Krav Maga does not assume that fighters follow a set of rules. Specifically, the training emphasizes atypical situations as :
- react to a surprise attack,
- fight with bare hands against an opponent armed with a weapon sharp (a knife for example) possibly concealed, a blunt weapon (a baseball bat for example) or a firearm,
- prevent the opponent from drawing or using a weapon,
- fight against several opponents, get out of a situation of encirclement, protect a third person.
Krav-Maga training also covers situations likely to degenerate into combat with verbal as well as physical methods.
KIDA*
* Hail to Krav-Maga