Origins of Krav Maga

Krav Maga translates from Hebrew into English, as ‘Contact Combat’.  It was developed as an unarmed combat system by Imi Sde-Or (formerly, Imrich Lichtenfeld) for the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).  It consists of a wide combination of techniques sourced from Boxing, Muay Thai, Judo, Jujutsu and Wrestling along with realistic fight training.  

Krav Maga is known for its focus on real-world situations and extremely efficient and effective counter-attacks.  The origins of Krav Maga was derived from street-fighting skills by Imi, who made use of his training as a boxer and wrestler as a means of defending the Jewish quarter against fascist groups in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia in the mid-to-late 1930s.  In the late 1940s, following his immigration to Israel, Imi began to provide lessons on combat training to what was to become the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), who went on to develop the system that became known today as Krav Maga.  It has since been refined for civilian, police and military applications.  

Krav Maga has a philosophy emphasising threat neutralisation, simultaneous defensive and offensive manoeuvres, and aggression.  

Original Krav Maga as taught by AR Krav Maga continues to be developed by Imi’s closest assistant and highest-level instructor Master Eyal Yanilov of Krav Maga Global. 

To find out more download your FREE Krav Maga Guide to self defence training.