"Many have the will to survive, few have the will to train to survive."
"Many have the will to survive, few have the will to train to survive."
Imi Lichtenfeld
Krav Maga was developed by Czechoslovakian-born Imi Lichtenfeld, the son of a renowned police officer in Bratislava. Imi was a champion heavyweight boxer, an expert in Ju-Jitsu and Judo as well as a trapeze acrobat. Imi's family was forced to emigrate, eventually landing in what was then Palestine and is now known as Israel.
Soon after the Israeli state was established in 1948, Imi was asked to develop a system of fighting and self-defense for the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). Imi carefully refined Krav Maga during his career as chief instructor of hand-to-hand combat for the IDF. Beginning with Special Forces units like the Haganah, Palmack, and Palyam, Krav Maga became the official combatives training for all military personnel, Israeli police and security forces. Faced with the task of preparing both fit and out-of-shape soldiers, Imi developed a comprehensive system that relied on simple, instinctive moves rather than rigid techniques requiring years of training.
For more on the history of Krav Maga please visit www.kravmaga.com/history.asp.
Fri, Jul 04 2008
Physical boards are easy to break, it's the mental ones we struggle with.