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Krav Maga
(Contributor: Peter Muldoon - muldoon@bway.net)
Intro:
The Israeli official Martial Art
Origin: Israel
History:
The Krav Maga was developed in Israel in the early forties when
the underground liberation organizations were fighting for the
independence of the State of Israel. At that time, it was illegal
to possess weapons. The inventor and developer of the Krav Maga
was a champion heavy weight boxer, a judo champion, and an expert
in jiu-jutsu. In addition, he was as a trapeze acrobat and a well
known dancer. The knowledge he thus obtained, contributed to the
development of the Israeli martial art of self defense. There
is no hidden meaning behind the name Krav Maga, and literarily
means "contact fight / battle".
The Krav Maga was put into practice originally by the fighters
of the liberation organizations that often went to battle armed
with knives or sticks and with the knowledge of Krav Maga, and
they were very successful. After the establishment of the State
of Israel, Krav Maga was adopted as the official martial art taught
in the defense forces, and especially in the elite police and
army units. Krav Maga was integrated into army training by Imi
Lichenfield, a career IDF officer and chief instructor at the
armys physical training facility at the Wingate Institute. Imi
is still active involved in the Krav Maga Association and maintains
the role of president.
Over the years, the Krav Maga has turned into an integrated part
of training in many disciplines such as educational institutes.
Krav Maga is taught in many public schools in Isreal.
Description:
The Krav Maga is not an ecletic martial art system, rather, it
was developed with the perception that the classic martial arts
were lacking various elements. The defense needs in the eras that
the classic martial arts were developed were different than those
of today. New unique techniques for defense against pistols, guns
and hand grenades were considered needed, and therefore developed.
Krav Maga has no katas or specific sequences that must be followed.
Students use the basic moves in conjunction with any one of a
number of other moves to fend off an attack, the key idea being
adaptability to new situations through improvisation. Emphasis
is put on speed, endurance, strength, accuracy and co-ordination
especially for intensive Krav Maga training.
Training:
Since the Krav Maga by definition is for self defense, it does
not have any constitution and judicial rules and therefore there
are no contests and exhibitions. The training is for practical
usage in the every day reality. There is a colored belt system
with a Black Belt typically granted after 8 to 10 years of practice.
Spiritual and philosophical aspects are studied only at the Black
Belt level.
Get information from this website: http://www.bway.net/~muldoon/km.html
and/or write to:
Krav Maga Academy
57 West 84 st.
New york, NY 10024
(212) 580-5335
Another website:
Brazilian Association of Krav Maga: http://www.kravmaga.com.br/
Sub-Styles: None.
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