Krav-Maga: Learn the Israeli combat tactics to stay fit

Sify News

New Delhi, April, 2007

Krav-Maga, a system of self-defence and combat tactics, is practiced by people around the world, including numerous prominent personalities such as Hollywood actresses Jennifer Lopez and Angelina Jolie and Indian politician Omar Abdullah.

Krav-Maga, which was developed by the Israeli army, is about enhancing one's spontaneous reflexes and natural body movements for both self-defence and fitness. "This holistic fitness method is extremely practical and effective besides being simple and easy to learn," says Vicky Kapoor, regional director and chief instructor at the International Krav-Maga Foundation (India) based in Delhi.

"Krav-Maga increases your flexibility, concentration and presence of mind, body language, muscular as well as cardiovascular stamina, mental endurance, confidence and healthy aggression," he says. "Since 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," explains Kapoor.

Further, there are no rigid rules in Krav-Maga. It is not a sport, and there are no competitions. The techniques simply focus on maximizing efficiency in real-life conditions. Krav-Maga in Hebrew means "close combat"; literally, "Krav" means "Combat" and "Maga" means "contact".

The beginning of the system that we know today as Krav-Maga was developed as "hand-to-hand-combat system" in Hungary and Czechoslovakia in the 1930s to help protect the Jewish community from Nazi militias. This technique was later taught to the Haganah, the Jewish underground army, in the British Mandate of Palestine prior to the establishment of the Jewish state.

After the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Krav-Maga was taught to the Israel defence Forces (IDF) School of Combat Fitness.

In 1980, Israeli Krav-Maga experts and interested students in the US came in contact. The following year, a group of six Krav-Maga instructors traveled to the U.S. for demonstrations, mainly at Jewish community centres. However, a demonstration was also held at the New York Field Office of the FBI and its Main Training Center.

Following this, 22 people from the US went to Israel to take a basic Krav-Maga instructor's course. When they returned to their country, they began to establish training facilities in their areas. The exchanges of experts between the two countries continued and the Krav-Maga training of Law Enforcement personnel in the US began in 1985.

Today, Krav-Maga is practiced by military and law enforcement personnel as well as civilians in more than 45 countries around the world. And it is catching on in India as well.

Source: Sify News
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