Imi Sde-Or (Lichtenfeld), Eyal Yanilov - Krav Maga How To Defend Yourself Against Armed Assault

What is Krav Maga?

Chapter 1: Defense against Knife Attack

(TODO)

Chapter 11: Principles behind the Defense Techniques

(TODO)

Chapter 12: Dealing with a Violent Incident: Evaluation, Reaction, & Training Concepts

(TODO)

Chapter 14: Safety in Training

(TODO)

About the Authors

Concepts and Terms Commonly Used in Krav Maga

Outlet Stances

Steps and Advancing Technique

Punches

Kicks

Defenses

Hand Movements

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Krav Maga Online

Following a collection of online articles and resources on Krav Maga.

Introduction to Krav Maga

A self-defense system called Krav Maga™ also called the official Israeli self-defense system was created by Imi Lichtenfeld about forty years ago. Idea of Krav Maga is to teach anyone, regardless of age, physical prowess and experience how to defend themselves against a variety of attacks.

Because of Krav Maga's effectiveness, Krav Maga has gained acceptance in many of the world's best military and para-military organizations. This style has been accepted into the training programs of the Special Operations Battalion of the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro, the municipal guard of that same country, the G.I.G.N. of France, the FBI, the L.A. SWAT teams and the Beverly Hills Police Force.

As mentioned, Krav Maga ("Contact Combat" in Hebrew) is the official self-defense and fighting system used by the Israeli Defense Forces (I.D.F.), Israeli Police and Security Services. It is also taught in institutions associated with the Israeli Ministry of Education, and since 1964, Krav Maga has been taught to civilians all over the world.

After development and refinement during years of conflict, Krav Maga emphasizes easy learning techniques that have been battle-tested in real, life threatening confrontations.

Krav Maga is different than most other martial arts systems (but not all) because there are no rules in Krav Maga. All things that are available is accepted and any attack and defense combination is welcomed to the art.

Most of the techniques themselves are combat-oriented versions of techniques borrowed from martial arts such as jujitsu, aikido, boxing, karate and judo as well as a number of lesser known but equally effective martial arts systems.

Krav Maga was developed in an environment where the Israeli military could not devote many hours 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 (comparing some traditional arts) short period of time. There are no katas or rules in the system. As it is said anything goes when you are fighting for your life.

Students of Krav Maga will learn kicking and punching techniques that emphasize quick speed attacks to vital areas such as the groin, eyes and throat. Low kicks to the knee may be also used. Defenses against armed multiple attackers are thought and students learn also basic weapons such as knife, short staff and bayonet rifle to include in their repertoire.

Defenses against different types of submission holds like full nelsons, chokes, bear hugs and lapel grabs will be thought so that students have at their knowledge which way to respond to an attack.

While learning starts from basics, students rapidly progress to full speed sparring,where wear protective equipment is used to cushion blows and protect the vital areas. This type of training allows examination of technique, and introduces the student to a small sampling what real attack situation may be like.

As Krav Maga is 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. Emphasis is placed on using exactly what is appropriate and needed to the situation.

Initially designed to give the Israeli Defense Forces a centralized self-defense system, Krav Maga today has blossomed in popularity due to its realistic focus on personal protection techniques and its casual but simultaneously serious environment.

"So you may walk in peace."

Principles of Krav Maga


Franklyn Hartkamp demonstrations defense against knife threat

It can be said that the Krav Maga is not a martial art, but rather an art of self-defense. Using the student's size, strength and abilities, the attacker's own force is used against him, as is often the case in many martial styles. The movements are designed on basic body movements, making their use easier, more reflexive and more effective in self-defense situations. The sequences of moves are short, designed for real life situations, with no rules,and trained to the level of reflex action.

Krav Maga was formulated to fit everyone - man or woman, child or adult - to protect themselves in case of attack.

Krav Maga is designed specifically for self-defense. The philosophy is based on the idea that while the practice of self-defense may not be compatible with every personality, ignoring the need for self-defense will not make you safe from violence.

Krav Maga is comprised of two main parts: self defense and hand to hand combat.

Self defense is the foundation of Krav Maga.

Students learn to defend themselves against hostile actions, to avoid injury, and to quickly overcome their assailant. Krav Maga defenses address a wide variety of aggressive acts, such as punches, kicks, chokes, bearhugs, headlocks, grabs, as well as defenses against multiple assailants and assailants armed with a firearm, edged weapon, or blunt object. Students apply the relevant Krav Maga principles and techniques in a multitude of situations, even in unfamiliar or adverse circumstances, such as dark surroundings; from a sitting or lying position; with limited freedom or movement; or under extreme stress and/or fatigue.

Hand to hand combat constitutes a more advanced and sophisticated phase of Krav Maga which teaches how to neutralize an opponent quickly and effectively. It embodies elements related to the actual performance of the fight: tactics, feints, powerful combinations of different attacks, the psychological dimensions of the fight, and learning how to use the environment to your advantage.

In addition, Krav Maga incorporates specialized training methods to not only challenge students physically, but to also instill into the student a special mental discipline meant to strengthen the spirit and to develop the ability to deal with violent confrontations under high stress. These training methods have been used in Israel’s most elite units and have proven themselves in real fighting.

The goals of Krav maga training are: courage, emotional stability, patience and respect. The student learns these principles through workouts, practice and the development of their skills.

As with many martial systems, the intent is to remove the student from the need for violence, while preparing them to meet it when violence occurs.

The main principles of Krav Maga

  1. Avoid injury
  2. Devise drills that take advantage of natural reflexes
  3. Defend and attack in the minimum time required
  4. Use of the human body's vulnerable spots
  5. Use of the body's natural weapons as well as ordinary objects that may be nearby
  6. No Rules, use everything you have


Krav Maga instructor shows ground fight technique with practitioner Quintus Hegie

Benefits of Krav Maga

Many things make the Krav Maga system so powerful:

The Krav Maga exercises are not just imaginations of the mind. Instead, they are controlled tests of the real life situations that have been occurring for many years. When you take a class, you'll now what we mean by that.

Aside from above points, here are some more benefits you can expect:

Awareness
Students of Krav Maga use basic moves in various combinations to fend off violent attacks. This means that students adjust to new situations through improvisation, an important and unique feature of this style. Of course, this requires using the "head" as well as the body, and thus Krav Maga addresses the thought process as well as the physical action.
Confidence
Improvisation also allows for limitations in physical abilities. Not everyone can bring his or her leg up to a 180-degree angle, and thus the system is geared towards the average person. Students are taught a variety of possible defensive reactions for each possible attack situation, building upon an actual framework of useable techniques. They are then encouraged to utilize the responses that are appropriate to their capabilities. This allows the student to develop a sense of confidence in their abilities.
Self-Control
The mind and body self-control are developed through practice. The student will learn how to control his six senses (he develops the 5 basic senses and the sixth, the ability to foresee the movements before they are made, and is also the ability to sense the environment around him). Many types of exercises make the student able to control any muscle or part of his body. If we think on movement as a sequence of moves passing quickly from one to another like a movie, in Krav Maga we develop the perception of the move in its first frame. The instinctive movement is worked to exhaustion, because is essential in dangerous situations. The instinctive movement is very fast, and it is apart from the emotional state, which the brain controls the movements just by reflex.
Physical Fitness
Being physically and mentally prepared to handle confrontation is why so many people, as well as hundreds of law enforcement agencies, train in Krav Maga, it keeps them from becoming victims. Because physical fitness is closely interwoven into the system, the workout includes a number of cardiovascular and strength building exercises, as well as stretching to increase flexibility. Emphasis is put on speed, endurance, strength, accuracy, and coordination, especially for intensive Krav Maga training.
Movements
All Krav Maga moves were created based on natural body movements and are all very simple. This is what makes their use easier on danger and surprise situations. The moves are short, and by consequence, fast. There are no rules, the techniques was created for real-life situation application. The strikes are intended to body sensible targets, what makes the Krav Maga practitioner and his adversary even, independently from their physical strength, and makes the defense more objective. In short: Krav Maga is a simple personal defense system, fast, and objective, accessible to anyone.

The various Krav Maga skill levels


The Krav Maga patch must be worn on your uniform

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5

  1. Practitioner
    1. P1 (yellow): Key concepts for surviving physical confrontations. Instinctive response, simple, aggressive counters, basic combatives (punches, kicks, elbows and knees), defenses against chokes, combat rolling, and combat groundwork fundamentals and retzev (continuous combat motion).
    2. P2 (orange): Additional combatives and wider array of self-defense scenarios including choke and grab variations, takedown defenses, combative feints, and additional combat groundwork. Basic weapon theory and defenses are introduced. More advanced retzev.
    3. P3 (green): Additional combatives including throws and more difficult self-defense scenarios such as multiple attacks, defending against grapplers and takedown specialists, a greater number of surprise attacks, increased frequency and intensity of sparring and the basics of edged weapon work. More advanced retzev.
    4. P4 (blue): Advanced punch and kick combinations and countermeasures against these attacks including being drowned, gun, edged weapon and blunt weapon defenses, advanced ground fighting, more regular sparring and advanced retzev including ground retzev.
    5. P5 (brown): Advanced weapon defenses including firearms, advanced throws and groundwork, multiple attacker scenarios (both with and without weapons) and sparring against multiple opponents.
  2. Graduate
    1. G1 to G5
  3. Expert
    1. E1 to E5
      (Franklyn Hartkamp, Tamir, Amnon Darsa)
  4. Master
    1. M1 to M3
      (Mr. Darren Levine, Eyal Yanilov)
    2. Grand Master: Imi Sde-Or (died 1998)

Special Krav Maga seminars

With an official Krav Maga Passport you get access to the exclusive fighting seminars for Krav Maga students and instructors. Here's what I've learned so far from these gatherings and the visits of high level instructors (Experts).

Multiple Opponents Seminar

Ground Fighting Seminar

Low Light Seminar

Fighting Tactics Seminar

Krav Maga on Television and DVD

Krav Maga is known from television appearances. Educational DVD sets exists for the Krav Maga system. The following is a collection of my favorite Krav Maga videos.

Krav Maga (Complete 5-DVD Set)

Inspirational instructional Krav Maga DVD set by Darren Levine, featuring the following Chapters:

  1. DVD 1: Krav Maga Intro
  2. DVD 2: Basic Combatives
  3. DVD 3: The Best Defense
  4. DVD 4: Line Of Fire
  5. DVD 5: On The Edge

Discovery Channel - Fight Quest

KRAV MAGA
Location: Netanya, Israel
Masters: Ran Nakash, Avivit Oftek Cohen
Features: Everything that hurts
Premiere: Feb. 22, 2008

National Geographic Channel - Fight Science

At the pinnacle of mixed martial arts is the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which has sought to legitimize Mixed Martial Arts in a league that has become a pop culture phenomenon. Now, Fight Science: Mixed Martial Arts analyzes the unique fighting styles and capabilities of legendary UFC heavyweight champions like Randy Couture and Bas Rutten, UFC former light heavyweight champion, Tito Ortiz and two-time World Submission Grappling Champion, Dean Lister.

Krav Maga in Holland

Krav Maga instructor Franklyn Hartkamp interviewed in Holland.

Krav Maga on the Internet

Posted on 18th July 2008 by Quintus Hegie

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