By now, nearly everyone has heard of Krav Maga, and many have seen it in action, even if unknowingly. From Jennifer Lopez' portrayal of an abused wife out to protect herself and her child in the movie "Enough", to the videogame character Niko Bellic in the popular Grand Theft Auto series, Krav Maga has been thrust into the mainstream.
Long before such movies and videogames, though, Krav Maga was a making itself known as the fighting style of the Israeli army.
The term "Krav Maga" is Hebrew for "close combat", and is the official self-defense and fighting system of the Israeli military. It was originally developed by Imi Lichtenfeld, a Hungarian Jew, who grew up dealing with anti-Semitic riots in his hometown of Bratislava. He had a boxing and wrestling background, and realized the techniques had to be modified for street fighting situations; real-life scenarios.
It was a perfect fit for the Israeli military because it could be learned quickly, and it worked for all types of people, regardless of age, weight, or gender. Those entering the military didn't have years to perfect a martial arts system; they had to learn to survive immediately in the volatile Middle East arena.
Unlike traditional martial arts, Krav Maga does not rely on forms, or "kata". The ritualistic aspect of learning a fighting art was deemed unnecessary in real-life situations. The goal was to finish the encounter as quickly as possible, with the least amount of damage to the fighter. Fists, feet, elbows, knees, and the environment are used to defeat one's opponent.
While Krav Maga is not suited for sports competition due to its lethal nature, it is the perfect form of hand-to-hand fighting for military, law enforcement, and civilians alike. In fact, its techniques have been adopted by military and law enforcement agencies around the world, and within a relatively short amount of time, hundreds of thousands of civilians have taken up the study of KM, one of the first reality-based self-defense systems to hit the mainstream.
Students of KM will find other differences between the Israeli fighting form and traditional Eastern martial arts besides the lack of kata and ritual. For one, there is no universal "Gi", or uniform. In fact, many instructors of this style of fighting insist on students dressing in street attire, including shoes, so the students can feel comfortable fighting in every-day clothes, with the understanding that being attacked while dressed in Gi and protective gear is highly unlikely! Drills are used in KM classes to replicate as closely as possible the stress of real attacks and hand-to-hand combat, in order to help practitioners acclimate to the mental, emotional, and physical challenges of real life scenarios. As a result, for those seeking to learn a self-defense technique that will provide an available and useful body of knowledge in a short amount of time, Krav Maga is the ideal solution.
What started as a technique taught to the military, has blossomed into an art form that is studied around the world: From special-forces to women's self-defense classes; from Israel to Anytown, USA; from "Human Weapon" to "Taken", Krav Maga is now mainstream and here to stay.
Brian Rozenblum is a respected martial arts instructor in the Denver, Colorado area, who specializes in Krav Maga, Fitness, and Muay Thai. Much of his time is spent in education others of the benefits of becoming and staying fit.
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