the original concept of Krav Maga was to take the most simple and practical techniques of other fighting styles (originally European boxing, wrestling and street fighting) and to make them rapidly teachable to military conscripts.[9]
Krav Maga has a philosophy emphasizing aggression,[10] and simultaneous defensive and offensive maneuvers.
.. There are several organizations teaching variations of Krav Maga internationally such as the British SAS and the US Marine Corps.[13][14][15]
.. Like most martial arts, Krav Maga encourages students to avoid physical confrontation.[16] 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 cause death to the opponent.
.. Ideas in Krav Maga include:[7]
- Simultaneous attack and defense
- 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[17]
- Continuing to strike the opponent until they are completely incapacitated.[18]
- Attacking preemptively or counterattacking as soon as possible
- Using any objects at hand that could be used to hit an opponent.[19]
- 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.[19]
- Maintaining awareness of surroundings while dealing with the threat in order to look for escape routes, further attackers, objects that could be used to strike an opponent.
- Recognizing the importance of and expanding on instinctive response under stress[20][21][22]
.. It may also cover ways to deal with 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, instead, attack only when it necessary and as a last resort.
..
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 – per karate and boxing
- Take-downs and throws – per judo, aikido, and freestyle wrestling
- Ground work – per judo and freestyle wrestling
Techniques taken from such systems have in some cases been modified to reflect the fact that their genesis is in a sport with rules, which limits effectiveness in real fight situations.
..
- often systems that employ holds, chokes, take-downs, etc. are competitive sports and do not allow strikes.
- Krav Maga thus supplements escapes taken from these systems with strikes including foot stomps, groin strikes, headbutts
.. 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 national socialist party and anti-Semitic thugs. Lichtenfeld quickly discovered, however, that actual fighting was very different from competition fighting, and although boxing and wrestling were good sports, they were not always practical for the aggressive and brutal nature of street combat. It was then that he started to re-evaluate his ideas about fighting and started developing the skills and techniques that would eventually become Krav Maga
.. In 1965 judo training was added as part of the Krav Maga training
.. Imi’s principal student and first black belt, began learning aikido and in 1971 left for France where he received a brown belt in aikido. Upon his return, Eli started working as an instructor alongside Imi where they worked together to improve Krav Maga by incorporating aikido and counter defenses into Krav Maga.
.. every P.E. instructor was obliged to learn Krav Maga
.. until his retirement in 1987. Up to this date, Eli had trained 80,000 male soldiers and 12,000 female soldiers.[35]