terest from the general public, after re-
tiring from the IDF, Lichtenfeld began
to modify the art for civilian use. In
1978, the International Krav Maga Fed-
eration was founded to teach the art
worldwide. Its headquarters are located
in Netanya, Israel. Branches of the main
school can be found all over Israel, and
at the present time the art is being
taught worldwide. It is most popular in
Israel, Finland, Sweden, Brazil, the
United States, and France. Although Imi
Lichtenfeld died in 1998, the success
and popularity of krav maga continues.
Krav maga is divided into two main
systems. The first, Self-Defense Krav
Maga, is a standardized basic course of
self-defense that can be learned in as lit-
tle as twenty hours’ time. It teaches students how to defend themselves effec-
tively against the most common attacks. Practitioners also learn to strike the
weak points of the human body, to use basic holds and throws, and to rec-
ognize the danger signs of an attack.
The second system, Combat Krav Maga, is a combat martial art. It is
mastered over a period of time, like other martial arts, and practitioners are
graded according to a belt system. Belts begin with white (beginner) and
proceed to black for advanced students. Combat Krav Maga practitioners
are taught all phases of combat, including kicks, punches, throws and take-
downs, grappling techniques, and weapons use.
Krav maga differs from most Asian martial arts in three respects.
First, there are no kata or forms that practitioners must learn. Kata (Japa-
nese; form, forms) are prearranged patterns of movement that teach prac-
titioners the correct way to move and punch, block, kick, or execute a
throw. Krav maga techniques are designed to be instinctive rather than
learned. Second, krav maga has no ritual or ceremony attached to it. In
Asian martial arts, a fighting match usually opens with a bow. By contrast,
krav maga practitioners are expected to move directly into combat, with
the assumption that the opponent is trying to kill the practitioner; no open-
ing ceremonies are expected or practiced. Third, krav maga immediately at-
tempts to psychologically prepare the practitioner for fighting. This train-
ing is intended to develop the fight-or-flight response that is innate in
humans into either correctly fighting or seizing an opportunity to escape.
Often, when a combat situation is initiated, an untrained individual will be310 Krav Maga