In 2009 UK Director for Krav Maga Global, was contacted by Movie Director John Madden, to assist....
Krav Maga
Krav Maga
is a practical and tactical system that teaches how to prevent, deal and
overcome all kinds of violence and attacks. KM prepares the trainees in the
subjects of self-defence, self-protection, fighting and combat skills, as well
as skills to defend others, all in unique and comprehensive teachings and way.
Krav Maga was developed in Israel, under realistic demands and conditions.
Founded and formed by Imi Lichtenfeld (Sde-Or) and continues to advance
and be modified by Eyal Yanilov, assisted by the top instructors that study
with him.
Krav-Maga
is a horizontal system with a unique and logical approach. It is easy to learn
and retain, performed naturally and intuitively, and practically be use under
stressful conditions. An essential part of KM is its teaching process,
methodology and ways of training
Krav-Maga
contains special approaches, tactics, techniques, subjects, drills and training
methods for the different sectors: Civilians of all ages, men and women, young
and old; Law-enforcement officers; Military personnel and units; Correction
service officers and wardens; Security officers; As well as: Close protection
officers; Undercover agents; Antiterrorists groups; Air-marshals; Special and
commando units
The Founder of System
Imi Sde-Or (formerly, Imrich Lichtenfeld), founder of Krav Maga, was born in
1910 in Hungary and grew up in Bratislava, Slovakia. In a home where sports,
law and Central European education were equally respected and encouraged, it
was no surprise when Imi became an active and award-winning athlete, wrestler
and boxer.
In the mid-1930s, however, Imi felt he had to take his fighting skills to
the streets to protect Jewish neighbourhoods from the growing numbers of
fascist and anti-Semitic thugs who swarmed in Bratislava at the time. Having
become a thorn in the side of the equally anti-Semitic local authorities, Imi
left his home, family and friends in 1940 on the last refugee ship to escape
Europe and the tightening Nazi noose
After making his way to Palestine, Imi was
quickly welcomed into Israel’s pre-state Hagana military organization. With his
hard-won experience and skills as a fighter, Imi instructed Hagana troops in
the practical lessons of hand-to-hand combat he had internalized and ultimately
systematized. In 1948, when the State of Israel was founded, Imi became the
Israel Defense Force’s first Chief Instructor for Physical Fitness and Krav
Maga. He served his country in uniform for 20 years, during which he further
developed and refined his unique self-defense and combat system
After retiring from the army, Imi felt that Krav Maga could and should be
adapted to meet the self-defence needs of civilians – men, women and children.
Starting with just two training centres in Israel, within a decade his closest
assistant – Eyal Yanilov, had established Krav Maga schools around the world
through which he could share Imi’s self-defence methods, values and philosophy.
No matter how, where and whom he taught, Imi always took great care to promote
his universal principles: respect for one’s fellow, avoidance of undue or unjustified
use of force, modesty, peace-loving conduct, and strict adherence to fair play.
Until his very last
days, at over eighty-seven years of age, Imi continued to develop Krav Maga
techniques, concepts and instructional methods with the devoted assistance of
his closest student, Eyal Yanilov
Krav Maga Global (KMG)
Eyal Yanilov began practicing Krav Maga in 1974, at the age of 15, under the
personal tutelage of the system’s founder, Imi Sde-Or. Early on, he showed
extraordinary talent as a student, as well as an instructor. Recruited by
Grandmaster Imi Sde-Or to train Krav Maga instructors and high-level students,
Eyal eventually became the Grandmaster’s closest student and assistant.
He is the
only individual to whom Imi personally awarded both the Founder’s Diploma of
Excellence and the then-unprecedented rank of Expert Level 8 – the highest rank
in Krav Maga.
Together, Imi and Eyal wrote a series of books laying out the principles of
the Krav Maga system in an accessible format, aimed at the civilian sector.
Soon after, as head of the Israeli Krav Maga Association’s professional
committee, Eyal created a new curriculum for Krav Maga, and transformed it into
an organized, formal system built on principles of action and unique
instructional methods. Alongside efforts to spread the discipline of Krav Maga
among the general public, Eyal was also training anti-terrorist units in Israel
according to the principles of combat as expressed in Krav Maga.
Eventually, Eyal travelled abroad and began to teach the system in many
countries around the world. In the United States and Europe, Eyal taught Krav
Maga to special military and law enforcement units, as well as to civilians. In
order to manage the challenge of making Krav Maga truly international, Eyal
founded an international Krav Maga federation and served as its president,
under the tutelage and with the support of Grandmaster Imi. In practice, Eyal
has personally trained all of the world’s first-generation Krav Maga
instructors.
Since Imi’s death in 1998, Eyal has taken upon himself the responsibility of
leading the continuing development of Krav Maga. On 2010 he established KMG –
Krav Maga Global. Eyal continues to train instructors and staff all over the
world, and has created a global infrastructure for disseminating the system. At
present, under Eyal’s personal supervision, a team of elite instructors – The
KMG Global Team – is bringing Krav Maga to a wide and growing array of
countries.
In addition to the many civilians training in Krav Maga canters, military and
police special forces from around the world have adopted Krav Maga – as taught
by Eyal and his team – as their preferred combat fighting system.
While harnessing
decades of practical experience from around the world, Eyal Yanilov’s Krav Maga
Global is proud to preserve and promote the authentic mental, moral and
professional path outlined by Krav Maga’s founder, Imi Sde-Or
