The History of Krav Maga

The seeds of the unique Krav Maga Self Defense System were planted back in the late 1930’s in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia by a young man named Imi Lichtenfeld. Imi was a natural athlete, holding European championship titles in a variety of sports, including boxing, wrestling, and gymnastics. It was from his father, however, a famous and highly respected police detective and trainer, that Imi learned street fighting skills that he would use to save his own life and those of his neighbors on the rough streets of Eastern Europe.

Prior toWorld War II, Imi was fortunate enough to escape from Eastern Europe. He arrived in the Middle East and began fighting for the independence of Israel. Shortly after the formation of the fledgling State, Imi was handpicked by the government to create a practical, highly effective self defense and hand to hand combat system for the military. Keenly aware of the differences between sports competition and street survival, Imi developed the Krav Maga System, which was initially taught only to the Israeli Defense Forces, National Police, and Secret Service.

In 1964, Imi retired from the IDF and began teaching Krav Maga to civilians, law enforcement, and military applications. In 1978, Imi and several of his students created the Krav Maga Association, which was aimed at promoting the teaching of Krav Maga in Israel and throughout the world.

In 1981, the Krav Maga Association of Israel and the Israeli Ministry of Education held the first International Instructor’s Course at Wingate Institute for Physical Education. A delegation of 23 members from various cities in the U.S. attended the course, which was supervised by Imi himself. Californian Darren Levine was selected to be part of the delegation because of his martial arts and boxing background, as well as his involvement in the physical education program at the Heschel Day School near L.A. During the course, Imi befriended Levine and told him that he would come to the U.S. to teach and train him.

Levine went on to offer Krav Maga classes at the Heschel Day School. At Imi’s request, Levine and one of his students, Joel Bernstein, along with other prominent members of the Jewish community in L.A., formed the Krav Maga Association of America, Inc. In 1987, Levine and his top students began teaching Krav Maga to law enforcement in the U.S. Under Imi’s guidance, they adapted Krav Maga to suit the needs of U.S. law enforcement and military personnel.

Shortly after Levine received his 6th degree black belt in Krav Maga, Imi awarded him a Founder’s Diploma for Special Excellence in Krav Maga. Imi has awarded this diploma only twice. Eyal Yanilov had also received the prestigious diploma. These diplomas were given to the people that Imi wanted to be the leaders of Krav Maga.

Krav Maga Worldwide Enterprises was formed in January of 1999 to expand and promote Krav Maga in the U.S. and around the world. Krav Maga is rapidly gaining in popularity and almost 10,000 people are currently studying the art. It is widely used by members of the U.S.’s local, state and federal police agencies, including the FBI, Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms. Celebrities practicing Krav Maga include singer/song writer John Mayer, actor Brad Pitt (“Troy”), Brendan Fraser (“The Mummy”), singer/actress Jennifer Lopez (“Enough”), actress Jennifer Garner (“Alias”), Shannon Elizabeth (“American Pie”),and Mia Kirshner (“Wolf Lake”) to name a few.

References

  • Homeland Security
  • United States Air Force Antiterrorist Unit
  • Federal Air Marshals
  • F.B.I., U.S. Marshals Service
  • U.S. Secret Service
  • Hundreds of local law enforcement agencies across the United States.