Origin of Krav Maga

Imi Lichtenfeld

Krav Maga was developed in Hungary Czechoslovakia in the 1930s by Imi Lichtenfeld, also known as Imi Sde-Or. (Sde-Or - "Light Field" - is a calque of his surname into Hebrew.) He first taught his fighting system in Bratislava in order to help protect the Jewish community from Nazi militias. Upon arriving in the British Mandate of Palestine prior to the establishment of the Jewish state, Imi began teaching hand-to-hand combat to the Haganah, the Jewish in 1948, Imi became the Chief Instructor of Physical Fitness and Krav Maga at the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) School of Combat Fitness. He served in the IDF for about 20 years, during which time he continued to develop and refine his hand-to-hand combat method. He died in January 1988 in Netanya, Israel.

(FAQs) Frequently Asked Questions

The name krav maga is derived from two ancient Hebrew words, krav translated as "combat" and maga translated as "contact" to form the combination "contact combat." Krav maga is used every day by the men and women of the Israeli defense and security forces. Krav maga's origins were developed by a Czech, Imi Lichtenfeld, in the late 1930's to protect his community against anti-Semitic violence. Krav maga is recognized by the Israeli Ministry of Education as the leading method of self-defense.
In developing the self-defense system, survival in any situation was foremost in Imi's mind. Accordingly, krav maga relies on a person's natural instincts and reflexes for self-defense. Awareness and mental conditioning are integral to krav maga training. Krav maga's philosophy is never to do more than necessary, but to react with speed, economy of motion, and the appropriate measure of force.

About Krav Maga Istanbul

About Krav Maga Istanbul classes are open to men and women of all ages and fitness levels. Under the close supervision of lead instructor GERO CORBO , in the beginner program you will develop the foundation of your fundamental Krav Maga skills, including hand strikes, kicking technique, ground fighting and self-defense techniques against a variety of dangerous attacks such as chokes and bear hugs.
After completing the beginner program, continuing training occurs twice a week and builds on the foundation, leading into weapons and multiple attacker situations

Unlike other martial arts, Krav Maga is based on instinctive movements, designed for quick learning and effective execution under the tremendous stress of a real threat.
The emphasis is not on forms or rules, but rather on what has been proven to be effective in violent street attacks.
To practice for the surprise and chaos of a real attack, Krav Maga training repeatedly places students in positions of disadvantage, including facing multiple attackers, weapons and being taken to the ground.

KRAV MAGA

Krav Maga, which is Hebrew for “contact combat”, is a unique method of self defense incorporating instinctive movements and real-world situational training.
Originated by Imi Lichtenfeld, the system founder and chief hand-to-hand combat instructor for the Israeli Defense Forces, Krav Maga is truly battle tested and is continually evolving based on the collective experiences of military and law enforcement personnel and civilians around the world.
It is entirely appropriate for men, women and children as Imi had originally conceived the system to be. Krav Maga Istanbul is one of the few programs in Istanbul officially affiliated with the FIKM - ITALIA the organization in Italy that oversees and continues to evolve the system.

www.fikm.org