Not everyone is destined to be a fighter.
If the spirit is weak, neither hand-to-hand combat techniques nor weapons will help.Imi Lichtenfeld
creator of the art of «Krav-maga»
The Israeli people needed a strong fighting spirit to survive in the enemy ring after returning to the Promised Land. But beyond that, Israel was aided in the many conflicts by its own special martial art –«Krav-maga».
Israeli martial art history
The Jewish people do not need to refer to examples of the best martial arts in order to beautifully present the legend of their victories. Their history, from the beginning to the present day, is played out before the eyes of the world. One of the most mysterious and effective Israeli techniques - "Krav Maga" (emphasis on the last syllable). The translation is simple - "contact combat". As it should be with real soldiers - there is no external beauty in the technique, everything is emphasised modestly and with a firm character.
«All our technique speaks for itself in battle» - every Kraver will gladly repeat, and you don't even need to wear a special suit.
The whole secret of Israeli technique lies in its inconspicuousness: simplicity, modesty, unexpressed emotion. It is best if the opponent does not suspect until the last moment who is standing in front of him. The fight itself lasts about 5-10 seconds, with rare exceptions 20 seconds (yes, yes... so little). Krav Maga is not a martial art, it is a tool and a survival guide. Who better than Israelis to know this.
The school was not created at all in calm times. Its creator – Samuel (Imi) Lichtenfeld ( life years 1910-1997 ). He began to prove himself in his early years as a circus wrestler and boxer. He loved swimming and gymnastics and became one of the best wrestlers in his native Slovakia. Liftenfeld hardened his character and will before the Second World War, when he defended the interests of the Slavic Jewish ghetto in street fights and by hiding from anti-Semitic groups. A little later, after escaping from Nazi-occupied Europe, he distinguished himself by his good service in the Czech Legion of the British Royal Armed Forces.
At the beginning of the war, Samuel joined the military organisation "Haganah" and in 1948 he became a general instructor of physical training and "Krav-maga". It was not until 1978 that Lichtenfeld and his students formalised Krav Maga as an official, independent fighting system and founded the Israeli Krav Maga Association. Even after his retirement, Samuel continued to improve his technique and even adapted it for civilians.
The powerful Israeli army, the mighty MOSSAD and the harsh everyday life of the world's hot spots have all contributed to making the amazing Krav Maga technique of interest to brave and serious men in all corners of the world.
Fewer is better …
The main characteristic of «Krav-maga» can be considered its insistently-maximum contact. In professional combat circles it is often said:
«True hand-to-hand combat is conducted one-on-one, excluding weapons» .
Step onto a flat, spacious platform and win!
Fighters in Israel have long since internalised this principle and are equally proficient in hand-to-hand combat and in fighting with and against weapons. This is more true in Israel than anywhere else in the world, and they shoot regularly.
No Aesthetics, Just Efficiency
Aesthetics and visual charm are not pursued in Krav Maga as well, only maximum efficiency and the essence of combat are important. As stated by the bearded wisdom of the army: «There is no better karate than your friend TT». The beauty of a shining sword and demonstrative poses – but not in this technique.
The development of attack and defence possibilities in places close to reality, because the real enemy and the mortal danger are on the streets, in verandas, in cars. The main part of the training is a staged attack of a whole group of opponents in different places. Clothing or special uniforms in "Krav-maga" are absolutely absent, everyone is dressed in civilian clothes - as in life.
No Classical Competitions
The other peculiarity of the technique – the absence of competitions. Krav Maga focuses on disarming the enemy as quick as possible, while the second priority is to act according to the circumstances: run away, finish off or neutralize the next attacker. That's why group practice is so important here.
There are no contact fights in the form of classical competitions at all. The reason is simple – competitions imply rules, and in war they – are clearly an unacceptable obstacle to victory. The Krav Maga style is the repeated practice of disarming techniques. Fighters who are fluent in this technique are able to disarm almost any enemy in a variety of conditions with jewel-like precision.
A Cocktail of Techniques in Pursuit of Perfection
As Imi Lichtenfeld became famous as a wrestler, wrestling is not the main focus of his technique. When you're down, you're vulnerable, and the most important thing is not to miss the moment. The technical set of Krav Maga is a cocktail of techniques from a variety of martial arts. Only the most effective, the fastest. For the same reason, this style cannot be considered a separate form of wrestling. It is rather a school and its main thing - methods and principles.
In the pursuit of perfection, as always, there are many setbacks along the way. Krav Maga often emphasises that it is "a school of survival, as hard as life itself". Understandably, the technique is adapted to the terrain, and it is no secret that Israel is a high-risk country. As a result, people here tend to expect disasters to happen more often in everyday life. But expectations and reality are not always the same. We can say that "Krav Maga" tends to succeed in the most violent situations and therefore the fighters - always in tension. What in Israel looks like a standard domestic situation, in other countries takes the form of danger.
Intensive Training and Civilian Adaptation
You have to understand that «Krav-maga» is created as a system for training military fighters, and they often die. It turns out that they need to be trained in the shortest possible time, and the results should be maximum. Only the fulfillment of specific tasks, only the essence. In non-military conditions, such «peaceful» training usually turns into endless training and work on situations that 95% , will not happen. Cravers, without a fraction of self-delusion, like to repeat that in «Krav maga» one cannot go down the path of self-improvement. And really, how is that possible, if any skirmish can end everything? Therefore, good «Krav-maga» as an intensive training course and do it all his life is clearly not necessary.
In order not to limit the technique too much, Lichtenfeld tried to adapt it to "civilian" life immediately after his retirement. However, the essence and character of Krav Maga remained untouched in each version. For example, there is no way of tracking the progress of a fighter's training without adapted real-life rehearsals. This is of course easy enough in wartime, but not in peacetime. When the art is about killing techniques, the fighters don't show up for competitions very often. This approach is inherent not only in Krav-maga, but in all military systems.
The Challenge of Youthfulness and Blurred Boundaries
There is another drawback to this technique - its youthfulness. The fighters who practice it nowadays often come from other schools, and willy-nilly the boundaries of the basics of the technique become blurred. If we can talk about levels and belts in common martial arts, then Krav Maga excludes all of this and completely eliminates the competitive nature of the technique. It reflects badly on the level of skill.
Krav-Maga for Self-Defense and Maximum Effectiveness
«Krav-Maga» simply adapts to self-defense courses and aims to take the best of various martial arts, for maximum effectiveness in a real war. As a result, Krav Maga has become a popular choice for those seeking practical, efficient self-defense techniques that can be applied in various real-life situations. Its unique blend of martial arts techniques, combined with a focus on survival and adaptability, make it an invaluable tool for anyone looking to improve their personal safety and combat skills.
