Imi left Nazi occupied Slovenia in 1940 and in 1942 he arrived in Palestine where Jews were fighting to make Israel an independent state. The fighting was all about close combat and guerilla warfare. Imi shared what he knew with local paramilitary groups. At this time he was exposed to the British hand-to-hand combat system developed by police officer William Fairbairn and others. Fairbairn’s system was a collection of simple techniques that could be used by both police officers and soldiers. Once again Imi learned well and when Israel became a nation he would spend the next 20 years teaching Krav Maga to the soldiers of the nation’s defense force.

 

Eventually civilians began learning the combat martial art for their own protection, but as it became more commercialized, it stopped being a practical form of self defense and more like a “modern martial art”. Krav Maga was first a philosophy that let a fighter deal with any situation. But it wasn’t long before the method of training changed and people started training for specific situations.

 

In the beginning Lichtenfield knew first hand that to survive a street fight you need a primary set of techniques and strategies that can be applied to any situation.  Imi Lichtenfield taught his students to do whatever was necessary to survive, not play games. There were no hand wraps or spandex. He understood that if you want to make it home you need to have a set of tools that will work anytime in any situation. In a street fight nothing is certain and even the best combatives training is only a starting point. Don’t think that if you have learned Krav Maga that you will be ready for anything, because it is only the beginning. If you want to win in a close combat situation you need to keep things simple and effective, so don’t get bogged down by to much information.

 

Today popular Krav Maga has been described as from everything to a form of Judo to a Mixed Martial Art. It has left the street and taken on the roll of a martial art, using sporting techniques misapplied to self defense situation. Students wear hand wraps, boxing gloves, have belt ranks and are taught situation specific defense techniques, just like the ones taught in the vast majority of martial arts studios. The only thing separating popular Krav Maga from the rest of the pack is the name and the marketing. They have the story right, but the product is no different. Fortunately there are a few proponents of the old ways still about. I hope for their sake and the legacy of Imi Lichtenfeld, their voice is heard.

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