What is Krav-Maga?
Krav-Maga is a martial art that helps ordinary people survive any kind of real-life aggression.
Krav-Maga was created by Imi Lichtenfeld as a martial art. It is the culmination of a lifetime of experience as an athlete, soldier, and military instructor. Effective techniques are woven together with general principles into a complete system of survival and conduct, a way of life.
Krav-Maga stands out for its effectiveness in real, no-rules conflicts, against aggressors superior in strength, agility, and skill. It allows for both learning useful principles and techniques in just a few hours, and in-depth study with no time limit.
"What is my idea and what is my path? To make the people who practice Krav-Maga better. Survival is educational. Because I have to educate young people, not make them aggressive; on the contrary - I want to educate them. But if they find themselves in danger, they must react as if they are in danger." from an interview with Imi Lichtenfeld, in 1989.
There is a lot of information about Krav-Maga on the internet. Unfortunately, much of this information is wrong or contradictory. The information we present here comes directly from Yaron Lichtenstein, who was named by Imi Lichtenfeld as his successor.
What offers Krav-Maga?
Krav-Maga helps you become stronger both physically and emotionally. The investment is not only in your body but also in your mind and attitude. And you will experience the benefits your entire life, even if you will not step in a gym again!
Krav-Maga does not give you any guarantees, but it provides you with techniques and principles for the most varied aggressions. These can ensure your survival in a conflict with larger, stronger and faster aggressors. And teaches you to never give up fighting for your safety and your life.
By practicing Krav-Maga you become more self-confident (you know that if necessary you can effectively defend yourself and those around you), you get rid of various fears or traumas, you create and maintain an excellent fitness (the techniques taught trigger every muscle and every joint in you body) and you reduce the daily stress (the intense physical activity will detach you from all the problems).
Is Krav-Maga violent?
It can be if needed. Thus, Krav-Maga teaches you to avoid the conflicts, but if you do not have a choice you can fight effectively for your survival.
The immediate goal is the neutralization of danger, which is achieved by short, fast and efficient movements, targeted at the aggressor's sensitive areas. The deployment of more or less aggressive techniques is made accordingly to the type of attack and the number of aggressors.
Krav-Maga reduces violent tendencies and manifestations. As a practitioner, you get to know yourself better and develop your skills to pass optimally trough the crisis. It allows you to stay calm and react just as necessary to protect yourself and do as little harm as possible to those around you. Basically, the better prepared you are, the less you feel and need to make use of force.
Contrary to the popular opinion, free violence can be found in contact sports, in which the competitor enters willingly into the ring with the clear intention of hurting his aggressor, only to win prestige, fame and money. The Krav-Maga practitioner will never enter willingly into a confrontation, but compelled, thinking "If I do not act, someone will die."
History of Krav-Maga
Krav-Maga was created in 1971 in Israel, by
Imi Lichtenfeld,
as a martial art based on the techniques and principles he originally taught in the Israeli army.
Imi Lichtenfeld was an exceptional athlete, having among others a thorough grounding in Judo, Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, boxing and wrestling. He accumulated over 12 years of experience on the battlefield and in guerrilla confrontations and then he worked over 20 years as chief instructor of survival and close combat in the Israeli army.
Summarizing his lifetime experiences, Imi created in 1971 Krav-Maga as a martial art of survival. He designed it to be efficient and accessible to all people, strong or weak, male and female, child or adult.
Read moreKRAV-MAGA Stability in Motion School
KRAV-MAGA Stability in Motion school was founded by László PETHŐ in 2012 with the aim of creating a more flexible and efficient framework for training.
In our school we aim to teach ordinary people (men and women, adults and children) to defend themselves effectively and to become more powerful, regardless of their fitness or the time available for training. Combining physical training with personal development, we facilitate positive attitude changes useful for the entire life.
We teach Krav-Maga based on the principles established by Imi Lichtenfeld. Following the tradition, most of the time we train in a gym, in white kimono and barefoot. We also hold courses in ordinary clothes and shoes, in various locations, in order to test the techniques in conditions closer to reality.
Read morePrinciples and Techniques
The rules of Krav-Maga are:
- Use a specific defense for a specific attack.
- Minimum way, maximum speed and power for strikes.
- No movement will be strange to your body and mind.
- Do what you can, but do it right. There are no shortcuts.
In Krav-Maga there are almost 500 simple and complex techniques, covering almost all the variables we might face in our lives: aggressions (one or more aggressors, with or without weapons, immobilizing or hurting us, etc.), situations (mild or severe threats, close range or in contact with the aggressor, standing or on the ground, responding with body or weapons, etc.) and approaches (from mild - prevention, to very tough - complete neutralization). We teach the techniques and principles created by the founder of Krav-Maga, Imi Lichtenfeld.
Read moreBelts and Instructors
In Krav-Maga we use (only in kimono) the following belts: yellow, orange, green, blue, brown and black. Coloured belts and exams are ways of highlighting the progress of the trainees. Instructor levels are designed to reflect the experience and effectiveness of instructors in the teaching process.
Read more