Gloria Evans - Krav Maga: The Best Guide to Over 50 Self-Defense Moves

Krav Maga is a self-defense combat system, known for being the official self-defense system of Israel and used in training Israeli armed forces. It was created by a man named Imi Lichtenfeld around 40 years ago. The founding principle of Krav Maga is that it provides a simplistic system for anyone, regardless of physical prowess, age and experience, to use to defend themselves against a wide range of attacks. Owing to its effectiveness and efficiency, Krav Maga has been adopted by a number of military organizations around the world, as well as police forces and security agencies.

Krav Maga loosely translates as Contact Combat from the Hebrew. It is commonly taught in Israel, and has spread around the world since 1964 as a style of self-defense for civilians to learn. It has evolved through lessons learned by its application, and continues to strive to find the quickest, simplest ways to overcome any type of attack, and has passed countless tests on the battlefield. It differs from most other popular martial arts because it is not used competitively; there are no rules in Krav Maga, so any form of attack and defense is acceptable.

Most of the movements and techniques of Krav Maga are borrowed and adapted from other martial art styles such as Ju Jitsu, Aikido, Karate, Judo and boxing, as well as a number of lesser-known but equally-effective styles. It is designed to allow practitioners to become highly proficient in a short space of time. There are no katas to learn; every technique is simplistic and practical, as anything goes when you are fighting for your life.

Krav Maga students will learn tried-and-tested techniques for swift, powerful strikes with the arms and legs to vulnerable target areas, such as the groin or the eyes. They will learn the important techniques and considerations for fighting multiple opponents, as well as skills for both attack and defense involving weapons like knives, bayonets, batons and even guns. There are also a number of important defenses and reversals against submission techniques like chokes, full nelsons, bear hugs and shirt grabs; these are common self-defense situations that can be handled by swift and appropriate responses.

Learning does, of course, start from the basics, but students can rapidly progress to full-speed sparring with one another, using protective equipment that guards the most vulnerable areas that Krav Maga so frequently targets. This way, students can get some extent of an experience of what combat is like, and their technique can be examined without risk of serious injury. Ultimately, in Krav Maga, we have a system for personal safety, designed to enable anyone to potentially eliminate any conceivable threat they may face from another human being.

Krav Maga is widely regarded as a highly refined street fighting system, best utilized against muggings, street brawlers and sexual assaults. It emphasizes the efficiency of knowing and using exactly the type and severity of response that a situation requires. Its popularity in modern society is down to its myopic focus on realistic combat situation that anyone might face, and its practical and efficient approach to dealing with them.

In this book, you will gain a basic knowledge of many of the principles and fundamental techniques of Krav Maga. Through detailed step-by-step written tutorials, you will be introduced to some simple techniques to deal with common self-defense situations, as well as detailed descriptions of how to correctly apply the strikes, locks and throws each technique requires, and the target areas of your attacker that will be most vulnerable. This book is no substitute for formal Krav Maga training in a controlled, co-operative environment with teachers and students. It will serve as an introduction to the style, and offer a glimpse of the possibilities for personal safety should you attempt to learn this powerful self-defense system.