Welcome to our section on Krav Maga, the official hand-to-hand fighting system of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF).
Introduction
Krav Maga (Hebrew ’ קרב מגע ‘ meaning ’contact combat’) is a hand-to-hand combat system developed in Israel. It is the brainchild of Hungarian-born Israeli martial artist Imi Lichtenfeld (see history below). Lichtenfield used his boxing/wrestling skills to defend Jews in Bratislava against fascist groups before WWII. He later developed Krav Maga through his experiences in street fighting. Although primarily developed for military applications it has since been adapted for self-defence purposes for the public. Krav Maga is known for its focus on real-world situations and its extreme efficiency.
Krav Maga has been adapted for both Military and Civilian usage.
It has been adopted by various Israeli Security Forces and is now used by military and law enforcement personnel, as well as civilians, around the world.
Israel. Home to the deadly fighting art of Krav Maga.
Popularity
Krav Maga’s surge in popularity has had much to do with its use and feature in tv and in the movies.
Fight scenes in the film industry have come a long way. The 80s and 90s was the era of the ‘untouchable martial artist’. The silver scene fight scenes were dominated with the spinning high kicks of Taekwondo; Karate chops of the earlier Bond movies; and Steven Seagal would effortlessly wipe the floor with an entire gang of Mafia enforcers in barroom brawls. Easily incapacitating them with his Aikido throws.
Enter Jason Bourne
Perhaps the major change in the entertainment industry was the impact of the Jason Bourne movies, After this franchise of films and their gritty and ultra-realistic fight scenes, martial arts scenes in the movies began to look dated and corny. Producers realised they needed to up their game to keep up which led to big changes. Film producers began turning away from more traditional martial arts such as Kung Fu and Karate. Instead, they began to bring in fight coordinators practising modern martial arts with military/street-level value applications. Mixed Martial Arts, Kali, Escrima, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and of course Krav Maga.
Krav Maga has excelled in these movies because it can look very slick and professional for military-type combat movies, or scrappy and brutal for realistic street-level brawls. Both in the movies and real-life Krav Maga sells
Some of the top films that feature Krav include:
John Wick
The Jason Bourne Movies
Enough
Casino Royale
Taken
Collateral
All About
Click on the links below for an insights into this combat systems history, principles, influences and to see the benefits of training in Krav Maga.
Basic Moves
Getting started
Coming Soon
Coming Soon
Final Note
Training in Krav Maga can certainly be incredibly intense and challenging (nothing worth pursuing in life is easy!). However, there are many valuable benefits you’ll get from training in this fighting system (see ‘Benefits of Training’ section above for more on this).
As a self-defence system, Krav Maga is a highly relevant, especially in today’s world. It is effective in street fights because its training resembles (as closely as possible) real-life street encounters. Consequently, you’ll learn how to react when such a situation does occur. In training, you’ll learn how to defend yourself in many, many different situations. If (God forbid) you ever do find yourself in a street encounter, you’ll respond fast and appropriately. If one of your goals is be confidently defend yourself in street encounters situations, then Krav Maga is a suitable martial art for you.
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