deathstrike

I only trained in KM for 4 months do to college finals and injuries. I only trained in the basic classes, but I have nothing but praise about KM.
As far as striking, you spend most of the class srtiking pads or hand mitts not air. The striking techniques are punches, palm strikes, hammer fist, 7 different elbow strikes, knee strikes, low roundhouse kicks to the knee, front groin kicks, and front snap kicks. You also learn how to strike from the ground to the knees of your attacker if your attacker is still standing; side snap kick, RH kick. In the basic classes you learn self-defense against an attacker who has grabbed you by the throwt/neck or lapel from the front, side, and from behind. First you learn how to break the hold or put the attacker off balance in a vulnerable position, then you attack or counter attack with knee strikes, elbow strikes, palm strikes, hammer fist, punches to the solar plexus, groin, neck, temple, nose, teeth, chin, jaw and then escape if you have not already disabled your attacker. At the basic level you also learn how ecsape a side choke/handlock. After you break the hold/choke you go into attack mode again with a barrage of strikes. You also, start to learn how to block knee strikes. This is what I remember from 2 years ago. When you get to the higher levels you will learn knife, gun, and stick self defense (pipe or baseball bat). (Personally I am not concerned about weapons self-defense, it has never been an issue in my personal life.) You will also learn more escapes from various/different choke holds and groundwork/self-defense and throws, which resemble techniques of Judo and BBJ. Some of the self-defense techniques are in a DVD titled "The Best Defense" another DVD is called "Basic Combatives." http://www.kravmaga.com/ The Combatives DVD is a basic demonstration/explanation of KM striking techniques. Other than that, the higher levels teach the striking techniques at a faster pace and the instructors try to wear you out in class to prepare you for the quick burst of explosiveness and adrenalin you will need/encounter in a really street situation. KM was created as a MA that can be learned in a short period of time regardless of your physical ability. Of all of the MA I have knowledge of KM is very appropriate for women because KM does not require a lot of physical strength in order to learn how to defend yourself. KM is not a sport, it is self-defense stripped down raw.

Kravist05

The generic name in Hebrew is usually translated as "close combat." The word maga (מגע) means "touch" or "close." The word krav (קרב) means "fight" or "battle." A translation like "contact combat," though, can be misconstrued as something like "kickboxing" or "full contact karate."

As a historical note, the original name of Krav Maga was Kapap (sounds like "ka-PAPP") which was an acronym for Krav Panim el Panim, face-to-face combat.


History
The beginning of the system that would become Krav Maga in Israel was developed in Hungary-Czechoslovakia in the 1930s by Imi Lichtenfeld. This system was codified and first taught in Bratislava in order to protect the Jewish community from fascist militias.

When Imi Lichtenfeld came to British Mandate of Palestine prior to the reestablishment of the state of Israel, he began teaching hand to hand combat to the Haganah, the Jewish underground army. After the establishment of Israel, krav maga was the generic term used to reference the hand to hand combat taught to the Israeli armed forces and police.

When Lichtenfeld moved to Israel he changed his name to Sde-Or, a direct translation of his surname into Hebrew. Due to the fact that it is strictly a self-defense and military combat system, Krav Maga is constantly changing. After Mr. Lichtenfeld retired from a long career as chief instructor of close combat in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), he started teaching Krav Maga to the civilian population. In this way, a civilian version based on the principles of self-defense was developed.

Prior to 1985, all experts in Krav Maga lived in Israel. Many schools have opened outside Israel, with the instructors being certified by the Israeli Krav Maga Association. Since the death of Imi Lichtenfeld, a number of different schools and associations of Krav Maga have developed around the world. There is currently a controversy among various organizations and individuals who claim the mantle as Imi's successor.

In Krav Maga, there are no hard-and-fast rules. It is not a sport and there is no competitive component. All the techniques focus on maximum efficiency in real-life conditions. Krav Maga generally assumes a no-quarter situation; the attacks and defenses are intended to inflict or divert the most pain possible on the opponent. Groin strikes, headbutts, and other efficient and potentially brutal attacks are emphasized.

The guiding principles for those performing Krav Maga techniques are:

1 avoid injury.
2 go from defending to attacking as quickly as possible.
3 use the body's natural reflexes.
4 strike at any vulnerable point.
5 use any tool or object nearby.

The basic idea is to first deal with the immediate threat (being choked, for example), to prevent the attacker from re-attacking, then neutralize the opponent, proceeding through all the steps in a straightforward manner, despite the rush of adrenaline that would occur in such an attack. The emphasis is put on taking the initiative from the attacker as soon as possible

__________________
"Warriorship is a continual journey. To be a warrior is to learn to be genuine in every moment of your life."

Kravist05

Training

Although Krav Maga shares many techniques with other martial arts, like French Savate, Western Boxing and Muay Thai (for the fist- and kick-fighting techniques) or Ju-Jutsu (for the grappling and disarming techniques), the training is quite different. It stresses fighting under worst-case circumstances (for example, against several opponents, when protecting someone else, with one arm unusable, when dizzy, or against armed opponents).

Training in Krav Maga is an aerobic workout, and relies heavily on pads. Students take turns holding pads and doing combatives against the pads. This is important because it allows the student to practice the technique at full strength, and the student holding the pad learns a little of what it feels like to get hit. It can be almost as taxing to hold a pad as to practice against one.

Training may employ a speaker system blasting loud music, meant to train the student to ignore peripheral distractions and focus on causing as much damage as possible. Training might also contain ways to deal with situations which could end in fights. Physical and verbal methods to avoid violence whenever possible are taught.

A typical Krav Maga session in a civilian school is about an hour long and mixes aerobic training with self-defense teaching. First, the instructor will run a drill to get the class's heart rates up. Then, after stretching, the instructor will teach two or three self-defense techniques. In the beginning the techniques will either be combatives (punches, hammer-fists, elbows, knees and roundhouse kicks, for example) or grappling (breaking out of chokes or wrist-grabs, getting out from under an opponent while on one's back). After that, the class usually moves to a drill that combines the techniques just taught with an aerobic technique. Finally, there is the final drill intended to burn out the students.

__________________
"Warriorship is a continual journey. To be a warrior is to learn to be genuine in every moment of your life."

Finklestein

If you want to understand Krav Maga, try a class. Find an instructor with the right rank and credentials (certifications, etc.).

Much of Krav Maga is based on instinctive reactions. Krav Maga is self defense oriented, so being reactive is a big part of the training.

Come see me...I'll help sort it out for you...

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Krav Maga Houston

CJ