This fighting style for conflict situations was created in the 1940s to train a rebel Jewish army – the Haganah. With the independence of the State of Israel, in 1949, the creator of the technique, the Hungarian Imi Lichtenfeld (1910-1998), trained the Army and the police force of the new country. In 1964, Imi retired and started teaching fighting to civilians. From there, krav maga spread throughout the world as a powerful self-defense technique. However, contrary to the other styles that we have already shown in this series, such as jiu-jitsu and kung fu, krav maga did not become a sport. That is, there are no official competitions or scoring rules. The main objective of the technique is to shoot down the opponent – be it an assailant or an enemy soldier – quickly, attacking their critical points. :-O
STREET WAR
The technique consists of reacting when life is at risk
NO (COUNTER-) ATTACK
Speed and aggressiveness leave the opponent without reaction
KICK
If the aggressor arrives from behind, with a low kick, the fighter pushes the opponent away and positions himself to face him
knee strike
For frontal attacks, hold the opponent’s head to send the knee to the belly and finish with an elbow
PULL WITH SWIVEL
The technique uses few kicks, but the legs serve as leverage. In this strike, the arms grab and spin the opponent
ATTENTION! DO NOT REPEAT THESE SCAMS! “In risky situations, not reacting is safer than risking your life”, warns Kobi Lichtenstein, founder of the South American Federation
IN DEFENSE
Technique contains strikes for a deadly counterattack
HEAD PULL
The sequence involves holding the aggressor’s head, turning the body to be on top and delivering punches and elbows.
KICK BLOCK
The style has more punch because lifting the feet destabilizes the body. If the opponent raises his leg, it is easier to take him down
AGAINST FIREARMS
To evade a gun pointed at the head, the assailant’s wrist is twisted and the fingers are broken.
(1910 – 1998)
The master created krav maga from boxing and other martial arts. In 1940, he moved to Palestine and trained a military group of Jews to resist English rule – as they couldn’t use firearms, they had to fight well. Today, his technique trains military forces around the world.
DIRECT AND STRAIGHT
The technique conditions the practitioner to react when his life is at risk. So, no acrobatic moves. The most important thing is to take the initiative in action, defend yourself by attacking, use whatever you have at hand as a weapon and aim at vital points on the opponent’s body.
ANYTHING GOES (ALMOST)
There are no hard and fast rules for clothing. Although many people train in wide black pants and a white T-shirt, in collective exercises it is better to wear a kimono – white, black, blue or red – to highlight the color of the belt.