What is Krav Maga ?

Krav Maga (or krav Magah) is a noncompetitive martial art and practical self-defense system developed in Israel that incorporates the simplest and most effective fighting techniques from many Martial Arts. Krav Maga is known for its focus on real-world situations and extremely efficient, brutal counter-attacks. It was derived from street-fighting skills developed by Imi Lichtenfeld, who made use of his training as a boxer and wrestler, as a means of defending the Jewish quarter against fascist Nazis in the mid-to-late 1930s. In the late-1940s, following his immigration to Israel, he began to provide lessons on combat training to what was to become the IDF, who went on to develop the system that became known as Krav Maga. It has since been refined for civilian, police and military applications.

Krav Maga has a philosophy emphasizing threat neutralization, simultaneous defensive and offensive maneuvers, and aggression. Krav Maga is used by Israeli Defense Forces, both regular and special forces, and several closely related variations have been developed and adopted by their law enforcement and intelligence organizations. There are several organizations teaching variations of Krav Maga internationally. In fact Krav maga may very well be considered the only martial art that is used universally to train Combat Soldiers,  Law Enforcement Officials and Self Defense Experts in the modern times.

What are Basics Principles of Krav Maga?

A key principle of Krav Maga is finishing a fight as quickly as possible and therefore all attacks are aimed towards the most vulnerable parts of the body (e.g., face, neck, groin, knee, eyes, joints). Because there are no sporting rules, individuals trained in Krav Maga are not limited to techniques that avoid severely injuring their opponents, but training and sparring drills provide maximum safety to the students by the use of protective equipment and the use of reasonable force. ( For example, kicks to the groin during sparring are commonplace, but groin protection must be worn and students should demonstrate due diligence with regards for their partners' safety. We believe personal protection and safety devices are every person’s responsibility.)

Students learn to defend against all variety of attacks before engaging in full-contact sparring. Students are taught to respond to attacks in the quickest and most efficient way; a common lesson taught is 'always use the nearest tool for the job'. This basically means use whichever limb is closest to your attacker at the time and whichever feels most natural. Men and women generally undergo the same drills. It has no sporting federation, and there are no official uniforms (such as a gi). Usual training attire consists of a t-shirt and loose fitting trousers. Krav Maga is also one of the few martial arts in which footwear is habitually worn, due to its being 'reality-based training'.

General principles :

• Counter attacking as soon as possible (or attacking preemptively).
• Targeting attacks to the body's most vulnerable points such as the eyes, jaw, throat, solar plexus, ribs, groin, knee, armpits etc.
• Neutralizing the opponent as quickly as possible by responding with an unbroken, varied stream of counter attacks (i.e. attacking high/low) and if necessary a take down/joint break.
• Maintaining awareness of surroundings while dealing with the threat in order to look for escape routes, further attackers, objects that could be used to defend or help attack and so on.

Basic training entails a warm-up, learning essential pressure points, and learning how to approach and control an opponent using force. Students learn how to execute strikes including various punches, hammer fists, elbows, knees and kicks. Students learn defenses against take-downs, chokes, bear-hugs, arm bars, and other possible attacks. 

Training also includes learning to defend against various weapons such as knives, bats, guns etc. Pressure drills in which students engage with multiple attackers are also common. Other training exercises and pressure drills include students closing their eyes and reacting to a variety of potential threats. Fitness and endurance training is also incorporated into regular classes.

Training can also cover situational awareness to develop an understanding of one's surroundings, learning to understand the psychology of a street confrontation, and identifying potential threats before an attack occurs.

Most importantly, Krav Maga also covers ways to deal with physical and verbal methods to avoid violence whenever possible.

How Did Krav Maga Come into Being?

Imi  (formerly, Imrich Lichtenfeld), the founder of Krav Maga, was born in 1910 in Hungary and grew up in Bratislava, Slovakia. Imi became active in a wide range of sports including gymnastics, wrestling, and boxing. In 1928 Imi won the Slovakian Youth Wrestling Championship, and in 1929 the adult championship (in the light and middle weight division). That year he also won the national boxing championship and an international gymnastics championship. During the ensuing decade, Imi's athletic activities focused mainly on wrestling, both as a contestant and a trainer.

In the mid thirties conditions began to change in Bratislava and Imi felt he had to take his fighting skills to the streets to protect Jewish neighborhoods from the growing numbers of fascist and anti-Semitic thugs who swarmed in Bratislava at the time. Imi quickly found however that although boxing and wrestling were good sports they weren't always practical for the aggressive and brutal nature of street fighting and he learnt the hard way that real life fighting was very different to competition fighting. It was then that he started to re-evaluate his ideas about fighting and started developing the skills and techniques that would eventually become Krav Maga. Having become a outcast of the local authorities, Imi left his home, family and friends in 1940 on the last refugee ship to escape Europe and the Nazis.

After making his way to Palestine Imi joined Israel’s pre-state military organization. In 1944 Imi 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  IDF,  as well as groups of police officers.

In 1948, when the State of Israel was founded and the IDF was formed, Imi became Chief Instructor for Physical Fitness and Krav Maga at the IDF School of Combat Fitness. He 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. After retiring from the army, Imi felt that Krav Maga could and should be adapted to meet the self-defense needs of civilians. (Imi Lichtenfeld died in January 1998 in Netanya, Israel.)

How did Krav Maga Become So Popular?

Krav Maga has been growing in popularity since the early 1990s with more schools opening up in the US, UK, France, Belgium, Spain, Germany, China, Italy, Slovenia, South Africa and a number of other European countries as well as Asia, Australia and South America.

Krav Maga's growing popularity is due to a number of reasons; Primarily because International organization such as the IKMF (International Krav Maga Federation), have been promoting Krav Maga across the world. 

Secondarily because TV shows such as The League, 24, How I Met Your Mother, Malcolm in the Middle, The Simpsons, House, NCIS and Archer, as well as the films -Taken, Transporter, Bourne (Series),  Enough, and The Debt have featured it. 

Thirdly because Krav Maga is being utilized by all of professional security and law enforcement organizations such as the IDF, Mossad, Shin Bet, FBI, CBI and NSG which has led to increased popularity with civilians as well.

What are the advantages of Krav Maga over Traditional Martial Arts?

Everyone knows the benefits and advantages of traditional martial arts like Karate-do, Boxing, Muay Thai, Shaolin Kung Fu, Jeet Kune Do, Kalarippayattu, Taekwond, Judo, Aikido, Jiu Jitsu, Wrestling etc. In a sports ring, any expert who has invested years of experience in such martial arts will be any day better than any novice. However, a common criticism of some traditional martial arts is the lack of real-life applicability –the fancy moves of traditional martial arts cannot hold up against thugs with weapons on the street or in a crowded bus.

After a while, most people seem to realize that most Martial Arts in their traditional form are not self-defence systems – and were never meant to be but a sport: involving rules to prevent illegal moves and foul play.

Even though there are some similarities between Krav-Maga and martial arts, there are basic difference. Krav-Maga was developed in an environment where the Israeli military could not devote many hours to prolonged hand to hand combat training for their personnel.Therefore, the Krav-Maga system was created with great importance placed on bringing students to a high level of skill in a relatively short period of time. There are no katas (forms) or rules in the system. Anything goes when you are fighting for your life!

Krav-Maga is more of a survival system dealing with personal safety issues in the context of defending against both armed and unarmed attackers. It is considered to be a modern, highly refined, street fighting system, designed to be utilized against muggings, street attacks, and sexual assaults.

No one martial art is better than any other, all serve their relative purposes. 

A Comparison Table:

Krav-Maga	Traditional Martial Arts
Fighting dirty and learning no-holds-barred moves in a realistic environment	Formal, ritual oriented, and difficult to learn
Adapts to the student	Expects the student to adapt to it
Students build on their natural human reflexes	Teaches moves adapted from animals
Relies on “continuous motion” to complete the defence hence nothing is ritual or choreographed	Competitive tournaments, katas, rituals, or choreographed routines
Brings students to a high level of skill in a relatively short period	Brings students to a high level of skill in a long period like 10 to 20 years
Incorporates modern realistic re-enactments so students learn how to operate under the stress	Ritual oriented routines based on old era of swords and arrows
No Rules; use everything you have	As a sport, it has rules and illegal moves
Adapts and is a hybrid of mixed martial arts techniques like Boxing, Karate, Judo, JuJitsu, Muay Thai and other lesser known styles	Does not adapt or learn from other martial arts
Students learn to function during the stress and shock of a sudden, violent encounter/ Thus, it is excellent for realistic Self Defence in an unpredictable environment like streets	Most Martial Arts in their traditional form are not realistic Self Defence systems

What are the different kinds of Krav Maga Techniques?

Along with traditional techniques developed by Imi, in its basic nature of continuing progress, Krav Maga, has integrated techniques from traditional Eastern European street fighting, military combat, Kung-Fu, Karate, Boxing, Muay Thai, Judo, Aikido, Western Wrestling and Ju-Jitsu. While ancient martial arts already developed ways to reach all the angles of the human body with kicks and hand strikes, Krav Maga Kicks and Hand strikes are unique in their teaching methods and actual execution that calls for most efficiency and effectiveness in their respective  execution.

Arm techniques

Punches are highly emphasized in Krav Maga as basic strikes which are useful in almost any situation. Training in boxing is highly prized in Krav Maga.  Among the punches taught are the straight punch, palm heel strike, low punch, hammer fist, hook, uppercut, chop, overhand, as well as a variety of elbow strikes.

Leg techniques

While Krav Maga does use kicks, it focuses on efficient, low-risk kicks. The main focus is on low kicks. More advanced and risky kicks are taught at high levels, but use of them is discouraged. They are primarily taught so that practitioners are able to recognize them in case they are facing an opponent with a background in kick-heavy martial arts. Leg techniques that are taught include the front kick, round kick, side kick, back kick, heel kick, slap kicks, axe kicks, various knee strikes, and sweeping.

Head strikes

Krav Maga uses all of the tools available, including the head.

Defense techniques

Krav Maga practitioners are taught to go from defending to attacking as quickly as possible, and most blocking techniques are designed to facilitate this. They learn how to defend against both kicks and punches, as well as learning how to defend against attacks from any angle.

Throws and take downs

Throws are not covered much in Krav Maga, because the system stresses staying off of the ground. Some techniques that are taught include the wrist lock, one and two leg take downs, the hip throw, and the one arm shoulder throw.

Ground fighting

While Krav Maga stresses staying off the ground at all costs, it accepts that you may occasionally have no choice but to fight there. Students are taught the best positions while on the ground, how to throw certain kicks while on the ground, arm bars, triangle choke, and guillotine. They are also taught to defend against punches while mounted, chokes, headlocks, and what to do if their wrists are pinned.

Gun, knife and stick defenses

Krav Maga details many ways to remove and defend yourself against many common weapon threats. These techniques include defences against guns, knives, and blunt striking weapons, such as sticks. The use of these techniques vary: each possible scenario requires its own set of actions.

How is Grading done in Krav Maga? 

 Krav Maga uses grading system based on a series of patches. The patch system was developed by Imi itself,in the late 1980s. 

The grades are divided into 3 main categories; Practitioner (P), Graduate (G) and Expert (E) Levels. Each of the Levels/Grades, has 5 ranks. Grades P1 through to P5 are the student levels and make up the majority of the Krav Maga community.

After P5 are G1-G5, and in order to achieve Graduate level the student has to demonstrate a proficiency in all of the P level techniques before advancing. The majority of instructors hold a G level grade and are civilian instructors. However, passing the instructor's training course is a requirement. The Graduate syllabus also builds on the Practitioner syllabus by focusing more on developing fighting skills. 

The Expert grades cover more advanced military and 3rd party protection techniques as well as advanced sparring and fighting skills. People who hold these ranks tend to teach in other sectors such as military and law enforcement in addition to civilian. In order to progress to Expert level one has to demonstrate proficiency in all of the Practitioner and Graduate syllabi and have excellent fighting skills. 

Beyond Expert 5 there is the rank of Master. However, this rank is held by only a small number of individuals and reserved only for those who have dedicated a lifetime to Krav Maga and made valuable contributions in teaching and promoting the Krav Maga.

What are the Benefits Of Krav Maga?

Self-Defense:

Despite many claims, very few modern martial arts are suited for this level of conflict, both from a technical, and perhaps most importantly, a legal standpoint. A situation is defined as self-defense when your attacker has some level of criminal intent and this intent supersedes basic morality. Chances of serious injury or death are high, and a strong possibility of multiple attackers exists. Lethal weapons are likely to be involved, including baseball bats, knives, or firearms. While the attacker in a self-defense situation does not follow any rules, you are legally bound to using reasonable force based on the actions of the attacker. The legality of a self-defense situation is what may make it the most challenging of the four levels of conflict, as it is possible to win physically yet lose legally. Your adrenaline level will be vastly increased in a self-defense situation, due to the increased chances of serious injury or death, as well as the added fear of the unknown. Attackers in self-defense will typically have minimal training and are generally unskilled.

Modern Combat System:

This is the highest and most dangerous level of conflict, with only the vast minority of today’s martial arts being equipped to realistically address it. Your attacker’s intent in combat is to kill you; serious injury or death is imminent. There could be anywhere from one to several potential attackers in a combat situation. Unlike the complicated rules of self-defense, there are no rules in combat. Training and preparing becomes hardest at this level due to the increase in the adrenal factor. Typically, only large movements and gross motor skills will work with any success. Employing lethal weapons is virtually guaranteed. If your martial art does not include weapons training, then it simply does not prepare you for combat. Going into a combat situation unarmed is poor strategy and should be avoided if at all possible. Opponents in combat generally rely on their weapons and are poorly trained.

Let’s make a few observations about what happens as you climb the levels of conflict. As the level of aggression increases, so does your adrenal level. This will cause a decrease in your fine motor skills. The aggressor’s skill level usually decreases as does the amount and specifics of the rules of engagement. The probabilities of weapons, multiple attackers, and serious harm or death rises. It becomes evident that each level has its own challenges, be it your opponent’s skill, the adrenaline, or the legal aspects. 

So how does one know for which use their martial art is suitable for? You must examine your art with an unbiased view. Possibly the greatest flaw, however, with virtually all martial arts is this: they are designed to defend against their own style. Most martial arts simply fall apart when faced with the unorthodox attacks of either an untrained fighter or someone outside of their style. One of the few potential exceptions to this is the various Mixed Martial Arts systems. While this may be true, many MMA students have developed a sense of elitism because of their systems’ versatility. MMA is often touted as the ultimate self-defense system; however, that is not completely accurate. MMA is fantastic for competition and fighting, but it is generally inadequate for self-defense, and almost completely inapplicable to combat. This is mainly due to the lack of weapons training and recognition of possible multiple attackers. It would be much wiser to consult a Military system (Krav Maga being one of them) for self-defense or combat than a top MMA coach. 
 

It’s important to realize that these guidelines are in no way definitive of every situation. It is entirely possible to have a combat situation with a highly-skilled, yet unarmed attacker intent on choking you to death; or to face an untrained individual in competition that breaks all the rules. Also be aware that the levels can quickly escalate. What starts out as a fight can quickly turn into a self-defense or combat situation. Intents can change, weapons can be drawn, and opponents can increase.

Know your enemy, know yourself, and know your limitations. And choose your system or martial arts wisely. And do a background check on your instructor too!!!

 

For all your enquiries

  

Adv. Anu V. Nambalikkaran,

 Krav Maga Kerala.

(M) 0 9744 22 9744

Email: RampartServices@gmail.com 
KravMagaTrivandrum@gmail.com