Krav Maga, which literally means contact or close combat, is a martial art featuring hand-to-hand combat techniques derived from street fighting and other martial art skills.
It is a tactical defense skill that emphasizes neutralizing threatening situations with alternating defensive and offensive maneuvers, while ensuring a quick and safe escape.
Krav Maga techniques were introduced and developed in Israel in the late 1940s, first taught to a group that would later become the Israeli Defense Force.
Its students and teachers have since grown in numbers worldwide, and it has been adopted in the United States as part of the training programs of several law enforcement and military agencies such as the FBI and the Navy SEALs, the Krav Manga was adopted by many gyms especially the ones treating addiction with physical exercise and discipline.
Krav Maga techniques teaches both men and women combatants how to fight in a situation where losing would mean getting, at the very least, seriously wounded.
They learn how to deal first with any immediate threat, then work to quickly bring down one’s attacker so as to prevent further threats, while retaining as little damage to one’s person as possible.
Krav Maga instructors teach their students a variety of fast and flowing attacks to vulnerable body parts; they also encourage the use of any available props or aids to maximize the efficiency and brutality of the attack.
The muscles are heavily worked and the joints are educated to deal with pressure and sudden position change.
However, instructors are required to show how to moderate the various Krav Maga techniques they are teaching to suit the potential danger of each situation. In training sessions, a student must strictly follow the rule of not injuring his training partner.
Krav Maga training sessions use as many realistic situations as possible, including fighting against several attackers (armed or unarmed), fighting while protecting another person, and fighting while partially disabled.
Students are required to practice maneuvers using full force or strength; the partner is heavily padded in order to minimize injuries.
Extreme audio and visual stimuli are also employed, in order to teach the students to concentrate fully in the fight situation and to ignore distractions.
Some training sessions also employ methods that include fighting while blind folded or while nearly exhausted, and fighting on different surfaces and restrictive situations. All the muscle groups are worked in this exercise and also the senses are forced to adapt to the conditions and work at their best.
Krav Maga techniques exercises both the body and the mind. Students get an aerobic workout, with warm ups to get the heart rates up, and stretching exercises to keep limbs flexible and minimize injuries.
Their minds are also trained to assess particular situations for potential danger in the context of their surroundings. Students are also taught to avoid rather than seek violence; they are encouraged not to stay and punish their attackers, but to get out of the life-threatening situation as quickly as possible.
