Krav Maga Training For Military Personnel

Although many people believe that Krav Maga originated as a military system, the idea(s) behind it came from Imi Lichtenfeld, observations of civilians fighting/defending themselves. Growing up in Bratislava, in the 1930’s, he witnessed how people tried/attempted to defend themselves, when attacked by antisemitic mobs and gangs. He observed how even those trained in fighting systems and martial arts didn’t default to those systems when attacked, but instead reacted and responded with natural reflexive movements, especially when surprised. After moving to Israel, and becoming a KAPAP instructor in the Haganah (the underground Jewish resistance movement), and later a fitness and close-combat instructor in the IDF (Israeli Defense Force), he began to integrate this approach, of using reflexive movements, in to the IDF’s system of hand-to-hand fighting, which later became known as Krav Maga (Contact Combat). Originally the system was designed to be used by an infantry soldier who would potentially have a pack on their back. This meant that originally the system relied solely on forward movement, as any movement in another direction could see the weight of the pack pulling the soldier off their feet. This has since changed and modern military Krav Maga – for more covert units, when they are not encumbered – utilizes lateral movement, as well.

Just like its civilian counter-part military Krav Maga has evolved as well, adapting to new threats and challenges. In the 1940’s, many rifles issued to infantry were mainly used, firing single shots/rounds, with a gap/pause between each one. This meant that the barrels rarely heated up to a point where they couldn’t be grabbed, when fighting came down to the hand-to-hand range. However, as firearms developed and evolved and tactics changed with rifles firing in short bursts etc., barrels started to heat up to a point where they could never be grabbed, secured and held, and so previous solutions to disarming rifles had to be changed. Because Krav Maga has never been defined by the techniques it uses, but rather by the concepts and principles by which techniques are created and tested, this was a relatively easy task to engage in e.g., there had to be a body defense, as well as a hand defense, and any solution had to be straightforward and simple enough to be performed when under stress and duress and when tired/exhausted etc.

Another feature, which military Krav Maga exemplifies, is the role that fitness play in dealing with real-life violence. To survive a real-life violent encounter individuals need three things: simple techniques, an aggressive/”never give up” mindset, and physical fitness. The IDF’s Cosher Kravi (Combat Fitness) program is world renowned, for producing some of the world’s fittest soldiers, and military Krav Maga understands and realizes the importance of fitness for fighting e.g., it doesn’t matter what you know, how well trained you are, or how skilled you are, if you lack the gas in the tanks to fight, none of these things matter. Also, once the effects of adrenaline wears off, the body goes into recovery mode, and so an individual’s base-fitness level starts to become extremely important i.e., the fitter you are the faster your body recovers, and the “negative” impacts of this process are somewhat negated.

Whilst Krav Maga may have had its origins in civilian violence, it was developed primarily to teach an untrained recruit how to become combat ready in the shortest possible time, and this method and process of unarmed combat, although taught and adapted for different contexts, can train a civilian in a relatively short period of time to be combat ready for the types of situations they are likely to face. If you are interested in brining some form of training to your unit etc. please use the link below to contact us concerning your requirements.

Contact Us