Israeli IMI System

IMI - Krav Maga - Principles

The founder of Krav Maga is Imrich Sde-or (Imi Lichtenfeld). Imi was born in Budapest in 1910. Imi` s father Samuel was early a circus acrobat and wrestler, but got into the police force and actually served for many years as Chief Detective Inspector. He became well known for his considerable arrest record, particularly of dangerous criminals. In his youth Imi studied wrestling, boxing, and gymnastics. In 1928 Imi won the Slovakian Youth Wrestling Championship, and in 1929 the adult championship (in the light and middle weight division). That year he also won the national boxing championship and an international gymnastics championship. During the ensuing decade, Imi' s athletic activities focused mainly on wrestling, both as a contestant and a trainer. In the mid thirties, conditions began to change in Bratislava. Fascist and anti-Semitic groups appeared, determined to upset the public order and harm the city's Jewish community. Imi became the un-crowned leader of a group of young Jews, most of them with a background in boxing, wrestling, and weightlifting. This group attempted to block the anti-Semitic bands from entering the Jewish quarter and wreaking havoc there. In the following years Imi was forced to fight in street brawls and confrontations over and over again. It was in these fights Imi understood the difference between street confrontations and competition fighting. Forced to flee the area in 1940 at the age of 30, he caught the last immigration boat to Israel, the Pentcho. During the trip Imi' s physical condition was very bad. He endured several operations and doctors did not expect him to live. But he recovered and proceeded to volunteer for service in a Czech military unit of the British armed forces. The unit served during World War II in Lebanon, Syria, Libya, and Egypt. This combat experience led him to further refine his martial art skills.

When discharged in 1942, he requested and was allowed to immigrate to Israel. Given Imi`s extensive self-defense skills, Imi was recruited by Isaac Sadeh, the commanding officer of the Haganah in 1942. Two years later he began to teach Kapap (hand to hand combat) and physical exercise to the most elite special forces units of the Haganah, Palmach, and Palyam. During this period, firearms were outlawed and in very scarce supply. They were hidden away from the British and only used for special missions. The fact that firearms could not be used had a great influence on the development of the style. Unarmed combat was absolutely essential for the success of the military. After the establishment of Israel in 1948, Imi became the chief instructor of hand to hand combat in the Israeli army, and when he retired from the IDF he set about making Krav Maga as it now was known into a self-defense system for the people of the world. Imi was very active until the end, always happy to help his student and eager to find solutions to new problems. Sadly on Jan 8th 1998, Imi Licthenfeld, aged 88, passed away.

Krav-Maga

Krav Maga (meaning in hebrew “contact fight”), originally developed in Israel, is the official system of self defense and Hand-to-Hand combat employed by the Israeli Defense Forces, the Israeli National and Military Police, as well as Israeli special operations and security units. This system is also taught under the auspices of the Israeli ministry of Education. PRESENTATION Krav Maga was created by Imi Lichtenfeld who developed the method during his long career, first as chief instructor in combat tactics for the Israeli army and then in civilian organisations. Krav Maga consists of 2 main features : 1. SELF - DEFENSE Provides a complete range of techniques which provides the combatant with all the means possible in order to protect and defend himself and overpower his attacker. It consists of defence against all types of aggression - be it punches, hits, kicks, strangulations, holds and armed attacks or threatening ( knives, guns, sticks, grenades etc...) The student of Krav Maga also learns to apply different methods in varying situations, both familiar and unfamiliar, which may hamper the freedom of movement, such as attacks in the dark, in a seated or horizontal position etc... 2. HAND TO HAND COMBAT Represents a more advanced stage of Krav Maga where one learns to neutralize one’s opponent rapidly and efficiently. This stage includes elements necessary for hand to hand combat situations such as a combination of techniques used against assailant, tactics or unexpected reactions to decoy attacks. It also includes the psychological dimension of combat. Krav Maga emerged in an environment where violence, mostly of a political nature, was rife. It has had ample opportunity to be tested and improved under real-life conditions, proving itself to be an ideal means of defending oneself in the face of extreme danger. This unique training method has received international recognition as an innovative and highly practical self-defense system, and more recently has been taught to U.S. federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, as well as to different police units in South and Central America and in Europe. Krav Maga is a modern, practical and proven system of self-defense, carefully devised for the needs of present day dangerous and unstable world. It is characterized by a clear and logical approach to self-defense and fighting confrontations, which enables one to achieve a relatively high proficiency within a short period of time. Krav Maga was thoroughly developed to be diversified, and thus is applicable to the military, law-enforcement agencies, and civilian needs as well. The system has consistently earned the praise of experienced fighters, Martial Arts experts, and military and police officers for its highly practical applications. It also appeals to beginners because of its simple, no-nonsense and realistic approach to personal safety. In fact, Krav Maga is the ideal self-defense method for men, women, young and elderly people of all ages and physical abilities.

Principles

Guiding principles for IMI System's techniques - Avoid injury - IMI System's techniques were developed as an extension of the body´s natural reflexes. - Defend and counterattack in the shorter and most direct way possible. - Strike correctley at any vulnerable point. - Use any tool or object available nearby for your defense and counterattack. - No rules , No limit.