Krav Maga

There are a huge number of moves in this effective fighting system, but only a few are worth spending a lot of time on. I'll be covering the 5 techniques that I believe are the most powerful. But first, a bit of background. Krav Maga, as a fighting system, was started by Imi Lichtenfeld who later taught it to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). Apparently, they worked with the ideas he passed on to them and made it into the fighting system they use in the Israeli military today. It's also used by the Israeli intelligence group called Mossad. I spent a short while learning some Krav Maga moves at a class in my area. It was held in the evenings and there were about 10 or 12 of us taking part. The instructor was a very fit and friendly fellow who was clearly highly capable of inflicting pain! The first class was an eye opener for me! Krav Maga puts a pretty big emphasis on physical fitness as a way to enhance your ability to fight effectively. I believe this factor varies slightly depending on the group you train with, but it was definitely a LARGE factor in this group! Fortunately, I was able to cope with most of it, but I was certainly challenged. The instructor first led us in practicing some punches and kicks, first in the air and then against large pads held by our partners. There was very little rest in between the different techniques, so my heart rate stayed high the whole time. I felt that some of the techniques that were shown would not be the best to use in a real self defense situation. What I'm referring to are certain kicks to targets ABOVE the waist (high kicks are risky to try, since you may easily lose your balance and then be at a major disadvantage to your attacker). I was also taught some turning / twisting kicks that involve you turning your back on your opponent for a split second. From everything I've learned over the years, purposely turning your back on a violent adversary at ANY time during a fight is a BAD idea. You leave yourself vulnerable to so many things, including being stabbed in the back or simply being grabbed while you aren't watching your attacker.