Krav Maga competition and federation management

Krav Maga ( KRAHV mə-GAH; Hebrew: קְרַב מַגָּע, IPA: [ˈkʁav maˈɡa]; lit. 'contact combat') is an Israeli self-defence system. Developed for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), it is known for its focus on real-world situations.

Krav Maga was originally developed by Hungarian-born Israeli martial artist Imi Lichtenfeld. Having grown up in Bratislava during a time of antisemitic unrest, Lichtenfeld used his training as a boxer and wrestler to defend Jewish neighborhoods against attackers in the mid-to-late 1930s, becoming an experienced street fighter. After his immigration to Mandatory Palestine in the late 1940s, he began to provide lessons on combat training to Jewish paramilitary groups that would later form the IDF during the 1948 Palestine war. As an instructor, he compiled his knowledge and experience into the combat system that would later become known as Krav Maga. This system would continue to be taught long after he left the IDF.

From the outset, the original concept of Krav Maga was to take the most effective and practical techniques of other fighting styles (originally European boxing, wrestling, and street fighting) and make them rapidly teachable to conscripted soldiers. It has a philosophy emphasizing aggression and simultaneous defensive and offensive maneuvers. It has been used by Israeli special forces and regular infantry units alike. Closely related variations have been developed and adopted by Israeli law enforcement and intelligence organizations, and there are several organizations teaching variations of Krav Maga internationally. There are two forms of Krav Maga, with one type adapted for Israeli security forces and the other type adapted for civilian use.

The term krav maga in Hebrew is literally translated as 'contact combat' – the three letter root of the first word is q-r-b (קרב), and the noun derived from this root means either "combat" or "battle", while the second word is a participle form derived from the verb root n-g-‘ (נגע), that literally means either "contact" or "touch".

Like most martial arts, Krav Maga encourages students to avoid physical confrontation. If this is impossible or unsafe, it promotes finishing a fight as quickly and aggressively as possible. Attacks are aimed at the most vulnerable parts of the body, and training is not limited to techniques that avoid severe injury; some even permanently injure or kill the opponent.

Students learn to defend against a variety of attacks and are taught to counter efficiently.

Ideas in Krav Maga include:

Simultaneous defense and attack.

Developing physical aggression (not to be confused with emotional aggression or anger), with the view that physical aggression is the most important component in a fight

Continuing to strike the opponent until they are completely incapacitated

Attacking preemptively or counterattacking as soon as possible

Using any objects at hand that could be used to hit an opponent

Targeting attacks to the body's most vulnerable points, such as the eyes, neck or throat, face, solar plexus, groin, ribs, knee, foot, fingers, liver, etc.

Using simple and easily repeatable strikes

Maintaining awareness of surroundings while dealing with the threat in order to look for escape routes, further attackers, or objects that could be used to strike an opponent

Developing muscle memory for quicker fighting reaction

Recognizing the importance of and expanding on instinctive response under stress

Training can also cover the study and development of situational awareness to develop an understanding of one's surroundings, learning to understand the psychology of a street confrontation, and identifying potential threats before an attack occurs. It may also cover physical and verbal methods to avoid violence whenever possible. It also teaches mental toughness, using controlled scenarios to strengthen mental fortitude in order for students to control the impulse and not do something rash, but instead attack only when necessary and as a last resort.

Some of the key focuses of techniques in Krav Maga are—as described above—effectiveness and instinctive response under stress. To that end, Krav Maga is an eclectic system that has not sought to replace existing effective techniques, taking what is useful from available systems, for example:

Strikes – as per karate and boxing

Takedowns and throws – as per judo, aikido and wrestling

Ground work – as per judo and wrestling

Escapes from chokes and holds – as per judo, aikido and wrestling

Empty-hand weapon defenses – as per aikido

Since the early 21st century, a number of Krav Maga schools have introduced technical influences from other arts as well. These include Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Arnis/Kali/Escrima and Silat. This reflects Krav Maga's attitude, across a multitude of lineages, as an ever-evolving style, which continues to borrow ideas and methods from other martial arts.

Imre "Imi" Lichtenfeld (also known as Imi S'de-Or) was born in 1910 in Budapest, Austro-Hungary to a Jewish family and grew up in Pozsony, today's Bratislava (Slovakia). Lichtenfeld became active in a wide range of sports, including gymnastics, wrestling, and boxing. In 1928, Lichtenfeld won the Slovak Youth Wrestling Championship, and in 1929 the adult championship (light and middle weight divisions). That same year, he also won the national boxing championship and an international gymnastics championship. During the ensuing decade, Lichtenfeld's athletic activities focused mainly on wrestling, both as a contestant and a trainer.

In the mid-1930s, antisemitic riots began to threaten the Jews of Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. Lichtenfeld became the leader of a group of Jewish boxers and wrestlers who took to the streets to defend Jewish neighborhoods against the growing numbers of antisemitic Nazis. Lichtenfeld quickly discovered, however, that actual fighting was very different from competition fighting, and although boxing and wrestling were good sports, they were not a