Krav Maga (KM), a system of self-defence known for its focus on real-life situations and efficient and brutal counter-attacks, was developed in Israel after having been conceptualised in Bratislava.
Today, though utilised by many special operations forces and some militaries a well as civilian military contractors, it is relatively young when compared to the ancient martial arts like Karate or Kung Fu. Initially conceived by Imi Lichtenfeld, a boxer and wrestler, as a form of defence against attacks from anti-Semitic forces in Bratislava in the mid-to-late 1930s, it was then incorporated in the syllabus of the Israeli resistance forces after he migrated to Israel. It later became a part of the Israeli Defence Forces before coming into the public domain and finally becoming a system by itself.
In Hebrew, Krav means ‘combat’ and Maga ‘contact’.
Eyal Yanilov, head of Krav Maga Global spoke to NT ZEST BUZZ WEEKENDER recently. Yanilov has practiced the art for 40 years and had the honour of training under the founder since 1974.
Speaking about the deadly, efficient and very practical fighting art and it’s no rule policy Yanilov says, “Krav Maga is different. It has no rules. It teaches you to deal with real life situations, multiple opponents, defend yourself from all positions and all situations.” “It is like a multi cuisine kitchen; well equipped and ready to dish out any dish right from Chinese to Hungarian Goulash,” he says. The analogy is his way of explaining the multiple facets of the defence art. “If somebody comes to attack you with a gun you cannot possibly box him, can you?” he adds.
“KM teaches you to deal with a variety of attacks in different situations; be it in standing positions or sitting or even when you are on the ground ,” he informs, stressing that other martial arts have limited applications, however good they may be in their particular specialisation.
Most martial arts went through stages in their development like for example boxing, explains this unassuming, but focused human weapon; like an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile(ICBM) slumbering in its silo, ready but relaxed.
Boxing he explains, in the initial stages, came from fencing wherein the sword was replaced with the fist. “Then came the period of sports and competition and it [boxing] became about the money, the media and lasting for 5, 10, 15 rounds.”
“KM has three stages: first it is about self defence; second – fighting skills; and third – third party defence,” says Yanilov.
Elaborating on third party defence he says anyone close or important to us, like our family or friends whom we need to defend fall in that category. Yanilov repeats the KM dictum – “Krav Maga has no rules. We only follow the laws of the country to prevent any trouble. It teaches us to respect human beings, de-escalate violence, avoid violence if possible, do the right thing in the correct place and time, but if not it will dealt with even if the aggressor has to be hit seven times to be disarmed.”
“My teacher used to say, be so good that you don’t have to kill,” is a telling statement and the reason why many defence forces including elite units and even police are taking to this deadly system.
“For the military and police it is different. We want to teach them so they can use the knowledge better, take better decisions and use fewer arms.”
What is most striking is the KM’s manipulation of the opponent’s psyche. “We teach the importance of understanding the attacker. When the student has understood how to analyse the risk, he is taught how to defend himself.
By way of explanation yet again Yanilov uses a commonplace case in point, “For example if somebody pulls a knife on you, your first reaction should be to verbalise loudly and call the police.”
This is a simple tactical move, he elucidates. The explanation given for this move is that if somebody approaches with the intention of attacking and if you shout then there are chances that the attacker will withdraw; at least most of the times. This Yanilov says is because people back off when counter attacked with ugly aggressive behaviour.
On an advisory note he says, “Many times you can avoid taking action; you move away and continue talking to the attacker. If you cannot prevent that, then take it to the next level.”
In fact that is what students of KM are taught. “Our students, if they cannot move away, they will throw a chair or some object and try to keep the attacker away. Even something as harmless as a pen can be used as a tool to cause damage. You know what a pen can do to the face or eye. It is damaging, very damaging.” This is a self defence tactic that would prove very useful to anybody face with an ugly situation.
A Krav Maga practitioner tries to understand where the knowledge is coming from. He strives to gain power and knowledge and take it forward either by teaching or using it to help others.
“The art will evolve. In 1964, it was like a revolution when Krav Maga was taken to the people and finally made into a system in 85-86,” Yanilov says.
Illustrating the future of the art he says, “First of all we will be concentrating on the development of KM by looking at human nature. Developing instructors is one of the priorities. We want teach KM as true knowledge to the good guys and introduce it in the government sector.”
Source: Krav Maga: the Future of Defence | The Navhind Times | July 27, 2012 | Goa