An Introduction To Krav Maga מַגָּע קְרַב – Contact Combat

Krav Maga is a military self-defense and fighting system developed for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli security forces Shin Bet and Mossad that derived from a combination of techniques sourced from boxing, wrestling, aikido, judo and karate, along with realistic fight training.

Krav Maga is known for its focus on real-world situations and its extreme efficiency. It was derived from the street-fighting experience of Hungarian-Israeli martial artist Imi Lichtenfeld, who made use of his training as a boxer and wrestler while defending the Jewishquarter against fascist groups in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, during the mid-to-late 1930s. In the late 1940s, following his migration to Israel, he began to provide lessons on combat training to what was to become the IDF.

From the outset, 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.

Krav Maga has a philosophy emphasizing aggression, and simultaneous defensive and offensive maneuvers. Krav Maga has been used by the Israel Defense Forces’ special forces units, the security apparatus, and by regular infantry units. Closely related variations have been developed and adopted by Israeli law enforcement and intelligence organizations. There are several organizations teaching variations of Krav Maga internationally.

Basic Principles

Krav Maga encourages students to avoid physical confrontation. 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.

Students learn to defend against all variety of attacks and are taught to counter in the quickest and most efficient way.

Ideas in Krav Maga include:

• 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
• Continuing to strike the opponent until they are completely incapacitated.
• Attacking preemptively or counterattacking as soon as possible
• Using any objects at hand that could be used to hit an opponent.
• 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.
• 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.

Training can also cover the study and development of situational awareness to develop an understanding of one’s surroundings, learning to understand the psychology of a street confrontation, and identifying potential threats before an attack occurs. 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, but instead attack only when necessary and as a last resort.

Why Did We Choose Krav Maga?

Well, do you need more convincing after reading this far? We were looking for a way of training that comes closest to a real life situation, not some martial artsy stuff that looks cool and works great in the dojo or in the ring with rules, tap out option and a referee making sure you play by the rules. On the streets in a real attack, there are no rules. After looking at several options, we decided on Krav Maga for this reason. Of course there are some other good options like the SPEAR system from Tony Blauer and the system used by Tim Larkin, but we also looked for availability locally and worldwide, because we also want to be able to train when we are on the road and that is where Krav Maga with training centers all over the world, comes out on top. We had two centers within 45 minutes to choose from. We went for the biggest, Krav Maga Barcelona

Andrés Bravo, Owner And Founder KMBCM

Black belt third Dan, examined directly by Darren Levine, who was a direct student of Imi Lichtenfeld, the creator of Krav Maga.

With more than 27 years of practice in martial arts, contact sports and personal defense, besides having 20 years of experience in teaching and 12 years in the security sector. His career and work has been recognized several times. Internationally, 2009 as the best KMW instructor in Europe, and in 2014 as the best KMW instructor worldwide.

What I Want To Convey To My Students Of Krav Maga Is: Train How You Want To Defend Yourself And You Will Defend Yourself As You Have Trained

Active Shooter Course

We were lucky to find out a two day course was organized on 7 and 8 of July, by Krav Maga Barcelona & División Táctica, so that would be the perfect introduction for us to see and experience the system, to see the way the instructors work and build their lessons.

Day 1

We started with an introduction to the course and a short explanation of the program.

Lecture:

• Different forms of attacks, Active shooter / Active killer / Active bomber and Complex attacks
• Examples of recent attacks worldwide
• What to do, Run / Hide / Fight
• OODA loop principle
• Making contact police and other friendly forces after an attack

Practical Krav Maga session:

• Warm up
• Being a moving target
• The use of cover
• Boxing/hitting/kicking drills with buddy
• 30 seconds full force with buddy

These practical sessions are intense, no slack and going full speed for an hour or so.

Medic lecture:

• Explanation soft targets
• Tourniquet use an its benefits
• TTP’s(Tactics, Techniques & Procedures) currently used by terrorists
• Explanation of different protocols, C/A/B/C/D, TCCC, MARCH
• THRAT Protocol

Because this course was for all levels, the lecture concentrated on C-Circulation and A-Airway, with some small details on B-Breathing. From this moment on we were provided with tourniquets to be kept on us at all times. Instructors would simulate a attack regularly, in which we needed to apply the tourniquet as rapidly as possible. On our-self or buddy.

-Lunch-break 45 minutes-

Practical Krav Maga session:

• Reaction to an attack with AK( technique apply able for  any longer weapon type)

Battlefield pickup(AK) and procedures:

• Weapon handling, how to hold a weapon
• Low ready, high ready, foot position
• Standing, kneeling & prone positions with AK
• Moving forward and backward in high ready
• Use of cover
• Moving with weapon and turning corners(single person)
• Combination of these drills with buddy

Some attendees had never held a weapon before, so drills were kept as simple as possible.

Medic lecture and practical session:

• Carry techniques wounded, single person
• Carry techniques wounded, two persons

Scenario training:

• Combining all skills from day one in a scenario based circuit, single person

Stretching & end of day

• First day was ended with a good stretching session, which was appreciated for sure! A long day, with a lot of hours. Approximately 0800 till 1900.

Day 2

Battlefield pickup(AK) and procedures:

• Warming up the body
• Weapon handling
• Low ready, high ready, foot position
• Standing, kneeling & prone positions with AK
• Moving forward and backward in high ready
• Use of cover

Practical Krav Maga session:

• Being a moving target
• The use of cover
• Boxing/hitting/kicking drills with buddy
• Reaction to an attack with AK( technique apply-able for  any longer weapon type)
• Reaction to an attack with eyes closed: 1. Sound(Observe) 2. Open eyes(Orient/Decide) 3.Move/Attack(Action)
• Working in a group up to 4
• Responding to an attacker with 3 to 4 persons

Medic lecture:

• Dealing with massive hemorrage
• Use of different products to stop the bleed, like Quikclot

Scenario training:

• Combining all skills from day one and two in multiple scenario based circuits, two persons

Evaluation:

• Evaluation scenario’s by instructors
• That concluded the second day which was a bit shorter, approximately 1000 to 1500

Our Observations & Conclusion

A good course with solid information and techniques, instructors are obviously well skilled. Information given was up to date with current events. Would have liked to see more practical sessions of the medic part, although we do recognize that it is very difficult to work to a certain level with attendees that have never worked with these protocols and products in this short time span.

It was a very good introduction to Krav Maga and the way ‘they’ view on how to work and react in a terrorist attack. Although Krav Maga is a principle based system and you don’t need to perform a certain technique like a kata. It is obvious to us, that two days of training do not make you a black belt in fending of terrorist attacks. We will need to train!

All in all, a great weekend with training done the way we love it.

Hard Sparring And Scenarios Based On Current Events

Thank you Andrés and your team of instructors, keep up the good work.

Thanks Xavier for the photos.

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Mark.