You’re probably interested in martial arts and looking to try something new. Maybe a new fighting style, or more challenging combat fighting techniques?
Perhaps you are looking to start learning self-defense techniques for your day to day safety.
Have you heard of Krav Maga? Do you want to know if it’s practical and effective? Let’s take a look.
The answer is yes, Krav Maga is highly practical for people of all ages, and it’s considered the most effective self-defense technique available.
It may sound like an ancient martial art like Kung Fu, but it’s regarded as a modern fighting and self-defense system.
You’ll have to continue reading to find out more about what Krav Maga actually is and how it works.
You probably won’t ever need to use these fighting techniques but it’s good to have some self-defense skills.
In this post we'll cover:
When was Krav Maga created?
In the 1940s, Israel was developing its army and trying to make their soldiers experts in combat. They hired a specialist in mixed martial arts named Imi Lichtenfeld to train soldiers and army personnel.
Lichtenfeld was chosen as the head of physical training in between 1956-1958 in the newly formed “Krav Maga” branch of combat practice.
It is during that time that Krav Maga was developed and taught for the first time.
This martial art combines the most effective fighting and self-defense techniques from the various martial arts around the world.
After Lichtenfeld retired in 1963, he opened a Krav Maga academy open to civilians, and from there, it migrated to all corners of the world.
Why Krav Maga is so practical
It is a modern and practical self-defense and fighting technique that is designed from the principles of practicality, dynamism, and accessibility for people of all ages, shapes, and even those with mediocre fitness abilities.
“Krav Maga” in Hebrew translates to “contact combat” in English.
There are three types of Krav Maga:
- one for civilians who want to learn self-defense,
- one for law enforcement personnel who need to learn how to detain suspects,
- and the most intensive techniques are taught to military personnel and SWAT teams around the world.
The goal of all forms of Krav Maga is to hit an opponent in the most vulnerable spot to neutralize the threat fast, in the most effective way, with the least number of moves.
That’s real practicality.
Most people believe that Krav Maga is a martial art like Taekwondo, Karate, or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, but in fact, it is not considered a “martial art” in the real sense of the word.
Did you know that traditional martial arts are not merely combat and self-defense techniques and styles, but entire belief systems and structures?
Traditional martial arts have their own belief structures that are associated with cultural heritage and spirituality.
Krav Maga does not have any spiritual associations, and its sole objective is self-defense and practicality.
Krav Maga is a combination of various martial arts, so you might learn how to punch like a boxer and use Muay Thai kicks to eliminate your opponent, very quickly!
What do you learn?
One of the first basic things you will learn is not a fighting technique; instead, your instructor will teach you how to avoid conflict and de-escalate a tense situation without any physical contact.
If a physical dispute cannot be avoided at all, you will learn to stay calm under pressure and neutralize threats and attackers.
Like any martial art or fighting technique, learning Krav Maga requires hard work and dedication on your part.
The principles and lessons are easy and quick to learn and follow, but you must learn self-discipline.
Krav Maga requires person-to-person training as well as some mental training, although you can get started with even online courses for the basics.
This martial technique is all about sharpening your natural instincts and helping you develop the skills that will enable you to deal with attacks in any scenario.
You will learn to understand and use your reflexes to be effective during unplanned combat situations.
Beginners are taught the basic stances, the techniques for striking an opponent, including headlocks and chokes.
You’ll also learn self-defense stances, as well as how a person can safely fall and get up quickly without getting hit by the opponent, among other preventive techniques.
The advanced students will learn how to fight multiple attackers simultaneously, how to deal with weapons, and how to escape very complex combat situations.
This kind of fighting also includes weapon techniques and advances martial art moves.
Is Krav Maga effective?
This self-defense technique is considered by many experts to be the most effective technique, or ‘martial art’ for real-life situations and day to day self-defense for civilians, law enforcement, and military personnel.
In fact, Krav Maga is such a useful skill to have, even the FBI has been using this technique for decades.
Before signing up for Krav Maga classes, you should know that you’ll need an instructor who will train you person-to-person.
To sum it up
This combat and self-defense technique has no fixed choreography – the secret is to use the most effective method at the right moment to neutralize attackers.
Therefore, Krav Maga is a practical, useful, and accessible self-defense technique for all ages.