Israeli Krav Maga: the most brutal hand-to-hand combat system

Krav maga is one of the most effective and toughest styles of self—defense. Athletes practicing krav maga do not strive for entertainment. Points, types of strikes and other components of almost any competition do not play any role here. There is only one noteworthy goal: to neutralize the enemy as quickly as possible so as not to incur any significant damage at the same time.

Until now, very few people are engaged in this type of martial art. First of all, because there are few good krav maga coaches. But if you set out to master several techniques that will allow you to get out of any situation with honor, then krav maga is exactly what you need.

Source: Trendymen

Who is the author

In the early 1930s, a certain Imi Lichtenfeld decided that the Jewish people needed at least some kind of weapon against the growing unrest in society. Lichtenfeld began teaching his new martial art (although the art of krav maga can only be called a stretch) in Bratislava. The task was to teach the basic principles of self-defense in as short a period of time as possible. The boxer and gymnast quickly realized that no principles used in sports disciplines are applicable in real life. He began to train people in a completely new and completely immoral way from the point of view of honor and valor.

The birth of Krav Maga

Ten years later, Imi discovered that almost all of Europe already exists as a puppet Nazi regime, and decided to move to Palestine to fight for the establishment of the Jewish state of Israel. In 1942, he joined the Haganah paramilitary organization, whose leadership quickly noticed Imi's outstanding abilities as a combat instructor. The former athlete almost immediately becomes the head of the training center for elite units of the nascent Israeli army. His art begins to be taught to the Palmach units, the marine commandos of the Palmach, and then gradually passes into the category of compulsory training for every soldier, regardless of gender.

Becoming a Krav Maga

After Israel finally became a State in 1948, these separate combat units merged into the Israel Defense Forces. Lichtenfeld also became the main combat instructor of this structure. It was in this role that he developed what is now known as Krav Maga. The Imi system was perfect for untrained recruits. In just three weeks, a competent instructor managed to teach the wards the basic principles of attack and defense, which allowed them to get out of the most difficult situations with honor. To create a system that works in real combat conditions, Lichtenfeld combined the most effective methods of boxing, Aikido, judo, wrestling and jiu-jitsu.

The basic principles of krav maga

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Krav maga is a tactical, mixed martial art. The instructors initially set efficiency as the main task of the fighter: it is necessary to neutralize the threat as quickly as possible. This common goal regulates all the other principles of krav maga - no etiquette towards the enemy and, of course, no entertainment, only functionality.

Training

Keep it simple — that's what instructors say to a beginner, confirming words with actions. No kata and other, familiar to oriental martial arts workings. Only blocks, sharp blows, short but very effective ligaments aimed at hitting the most vulnerable parts of the human body. In addition, krav maga was developed in such a way that a beginner could put what he learned into practice as soon as possible: competent instructors really achieve these results in just a few weeks.

Focus on vulnerable body parts

The main principle of Krav maga is focusing on the enemy's vulnerable points. Many counterattacks involve blows to the throat, eyes and groin. Unmanly? So what. But you are guaranteed to come out of the fight victorious or at least get time to retire from the battlefield as quickly as possible. Krav Maga pursues only one goal: the person using it must survive, and that's it.

Krav Maga and weapons

In fact, krav maga implies the simplest integration of any weapon into actions. Gunshot or cold — it does not matter at all. An athlete who trains krav maga knows how to use everything that comes to hand. This allows the trainees to react to an unexpected attack as quickly as possible, almost without hesitation. Keys, glasses, belts and chairs can be used to shock or finally neutralize the enemy.

Defense and attack

Many martial arts use the development of separate defensive and offensive movements. The disadvantage of this approach is that if the enemy turns out to be faster and more prepared than you (and this often happens in the real world), all your actions will be reduced to a continuous attempt to cover vulnerable parts of the body. Krav maga, on the other hand, involves a combination of offensive and defensive movement: the fighter not only disrupts the enemy's attack, but also counterattacks at the same time. The goal, again, is only one — to neutralize the adversary as quickly as possible.