5 things you didn’t know about Krav Maga


Krav Maga is a popular self-defense, martial arts combat system that can be adopted by people of all age groups and fitness levels. Since the Krav Maga employs the use of strategic techniques that are based on an individual’s natural instincts, the skill can be developed really quickly and effectively. Here are a few of the most intriguing aspects about Krav Maga that we bet you didn’t know.

5 things you didn’t know about Krav Maga

The origin of Krav Maga can be traced back to the Middle East

An interesting amalgamation of several different types of martial arts such as karate, judo, aikido, wrestling, and boxing, Krav Maga was originally introduced by Imre Lichtenfeld between the 1930s and 1940s. He developed the martial art in a bid to tackle the anti-semitic movements at the time. Following the establishment of the Israeli Defense Forces, Imre was appointed as the Chief Instructor for Krav Maga martial arts at the Israel Defense Forces School of Combat Fitness.

Training opened to civilians in the seventies

Although its history dates back to the early thirties, Krav Maga was available exclusively for training the military personnel of the Israeli army until the seventies. Once Imre Lichtenfeld retired from the academy, he started to make certain refinements in the martial art to make it more practical and feasible for use by the civilians. The first ever Krav Maga school for civilians was opened in 1972, following which Imre’s students set up the famous Krav Maga Foundation.

Krav Maga is revered by many celebrities

For many of our favorite Hollywood Celebrities, Krav Maga is an all-in-one package that not only allows them to maintain their perfect beach bodies, but also enables them to develop strong reflexes and skills that can assist them in their action roles. As such, Krav Maga is fast emerging as one of the preferred workout programs for celebrities like Ashton Kutcher, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Hilary Swank, Daniel Craig, Jennifer Lopez, and John Mayer.

5 things you didn’t know about Krav Maga

Size is not a consideration

Krav Maga is typically based on the concept that well-placed infliction and speed are far more important than an individual’s fitness level, age, strength, and size. As such, Krav Maga basically upholds that with the right movements that are designed to cause maximum impact, a seemingly fragile person can bring a large and strong attacker to the floor. Due to this, Krav Maga is a great choice for women, because unlike most other combat techniques, it does not rely solely on the strength of the attacker.

Some argue that Krav Maga is not a martial art

Given the fact that Krav Maga does not have any competitive side to it and that it was originally employed for self-defense and military use, it has often been considered to be a combat system and not a martial art. Also, unlike most martial arts, Krav Maga does not have any specific rules of attack, and you cannot simply tap your way out of an unfavorable situation. However, the global website of Krav Maga still upholds that it falls under the category of mixed martial arts.

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