Krav Maga is an Israeli defense technique that was created by Imi Lichtenfeld during the 1940s. At the time, Israel had recently been formed as a nation and Lichtenfeld, who had experience fighting the Nazis in Europe, was tasked with developing a fighting system that could be used by the immigrants. Below are some reasons why it is widely regarded as the world’s best self-defense system.
Simplicity
Most martial arts are inherently complex, with fancy moves and complex routines that are difficult for most people to learn. Furthermore, the effectiveness of these styles has come into question in recent years, with some martial arts being exposed as being ineffective in real life situations. Krav Maga, by contrast, is famous for its simplicity. It has no uniforms, belts, katas or elaborate ceremonies. Its goal is to teach you how to fight your opponent in a practical manner that causes enough damage to stop them and give you time to escape, and it does this through techniques such as groin strikes and punches, among other things.
Realism
There is a reason you never see Krav Maga in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), or other mixed martial arts competitions, and this is because of its brutality. Most amateur and professional fighting events, whether they are boxing, wrestling, Muay Thai, Karate or MMA have rules which are designed to prevent competitors from getting seriously hurt. In Krav Maga there are no rules. The goal is to hurt your adversary and survive, by any means necessary. Strikes to the throat, eyes and back of the head are encouraged, which makes it far more realistic that any rules based martial arts.
Additionally, most martial arts competitions are divided by weight class and gender. Middleweights, for example, are usually not allowed to compete with bantamweights, and women are not allowed to compete against men. This isn’t realistic at all. In the streets there are no weight classes or gender divisions, and in fact criminals will often prey on females and smaller males that they perceive as being weak. Krav Maga is designed to help smaller people defeat larger people, and this is due to its no holds barred approach. The brutal techniques you’ll learn are designed to demolish your opponent irrespective of how much weight or height they have over you.
Consistency
Krav Maga is based around the philosophy of continual progression. However, its principles will not change when advancing through levels. While the scenarios will increase in complexity, the fundamentals are the same. Students learn to recognize and respond to immediate threats by using the natural reactions of their body to initiate defense and counterattacks at the same time, and to continue the fight with sheer aggression until they can escape or finish their opponent. Once you master the skills of one level, you can then proceed to the next, and best of all, you’ll learn to keep your cool even in stressful situations.
