Krav Maga (pronounced /ˌkrɑːv məˈɡɑː/; Hebrew: קרב מגע‎, IPA: [ˈkʁav maˈɡa] , lit. "contact combat" or "close combat") is an eclectic hand-to-hand combat system developed in Israel. It was derived from street-fighting skills developed by Imi Lichtenfeld, making use of his training as a boxer and wrestler, as a means of defending the Jewish quarter during a period of anti-Semitic activity in Bratislava in the mid- to late 1930s.

In the late 1940's, following his emigration to Israel, he began to provide hand-to-hand combat training to what was to become the IDF, developing the techniques that became known as Krav Maga. It has since been refined for both civilian and military applications. Unlike most martial arts, Krav Maga is essentially a tactical defense skill.

Its philosophy emphasizes threat neutralization, simultaneous defensive and offensive maneuvers, and aggressive endurance in a 'him-or-me' context. Krav Maga is still used by the Israel Defense Forces and several closely related variations have been developed and adopted by law enforcement, Mossad, FBI, United States special operations forces, Irish and British Special Forces. There are several organisations teaching variations of Krav Maga internationally.

The name in Hebrew means "Hand-to-hand combat." Krav (קרב) meaning "combat" or "battle",and Maga (מגע) meaning "contact" or "touch". (Oxford Hebrew-English dictionary) Krav Maga teaches combat involving physical body contact as opposed to combat involving projectile or distance weaponry such as guns, artillery, tanks and planes. Krav Maga is not a martial art by traditional standards.

There are no rules for Krav Maga fighting, and no built-in distinctions in training between men and women. It has no sporting federation, and there are no official uniforms or attire, although some organizations, internally, do recognize progress through training with rank badges, different levels, and belts.

Similar to 0 things you like: