Krav Maga is a form of self-defence which originates from the military. It is intense, brutal and requires a lot of dedication. The popularity of this self-defence technique has grown over the past decade and classes are easily tracked down by those looking to gain a new skill. In fact, celebrities by the likes of James Bond himself, Daniel Craig, have even taken up the sport. Here is a brief history of Krav Maga…
A form of hybrid military self-defence tactics mixed with street fighting, Krav Maga is a brutal sport originating from Israel. The system was founded by Imi Lichtenfeld and was based on his own street fighting experiences, which he procured during the 1930’s in Bratislava. By attempting to defend the Jewish parts of the Slovenian capital from fascists, Lichtenfeld gained an extensive knowledge of street fighting.
The amount of violence which occurred during this time toward the Jewish population is very difficult for us to comprehend from history books. There were frequent shootings, stabbings and attacks which went unpunished.
After many serious run-ins with fascist groups, Lichtenfeld became a person of interest to the local authorities. Due to this, he fled the Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia in 1942 and arrived in Israel where he joined the Czech legion of the British Army to continue fighting the Nazis’.
Before Israel’s independence from Britain in 1948, Lichtenfeld became the very first instructor of physical training for the IDF, known as the Israeli Defence Forces. Here he taught a specific hand to hand training system, which became known as Krav Maga. This name we use today translates to ‘contract combat’ in Hebrew and stems from the experiences he learnt during his street fighting days in Bratislava.
After Lichtenfeld retired from the IDF, he started teaching Krav Maga, which grew in popularity with the Israeli population. After time, the sport has become recognised worldwide and is often used as a means to get fit whilst simultaneously learning self-defence methods.
Here at Steve Coster Fitness, we offer krav maga at 3 levels; civilian, police and security or military. The level chosen dictate how intense the course will be. Our krav maga classes take place on the beautiful island of Tenerife! Get in contact with the best personal trainer Tenerife has to offer today to book your Krav Maga training holiday!
