. Earth Science News .
ABOUT US
From Israel's army to Hollywood: the meteoric rise of Krav Maga
By Daphne Rousseau with Sara Puig in Los Angeles
Regavim, Israel (AFP) May 19, 2016


Krav Maga, the close-combat method conceived in secrecy by the Israeli army, has kicked its way firmly into civilian life and with Hollywood's help, has become the ultimate form of self-defence.

"The idea is to be able to quickly hit the aggressor's vulnerable spots and to defend yourself with whatever is available -- a beer bottle or a stick," explains Elad Nimni, who teaches Krav Maga in the Israeli army.

"Or, if you're doing military Krav Maga, you can use a gun instead of your body, because your body can get damaged and that hurts," he tells AFP, wearing military fatigues, his muscles rippling under a tight black t-shirt.

Although Krav Maga -- which is Hebrew for 'contact combat' -- borrows techniques from boxing, wrestling and jiu jistu, it differs from all other combat sports in one way: there are no rules.

Krav Maga is all about saving your own skin, and anything goes.

But interest in the streetwise style of fighting has stretched far beyond Israel, notching up diehard fans from Hampstead to Hollywood, among them A-listers like Angelina Jolie and husband Brad Pitt, whose daily workouts reportedly caused him to bulk up his muscles and "dramatically" lose weight.

It has even been adapted by one young Israeli from Canada who teaches women how to use their stiletto heels to fight off an aggressor in a method she developed after being sexually assaulted.

And in France, there has been a surge of interest in Krav Maga since the November attacks on Paris, with regional groups reportedly clocking up record numbers of new students.

In the gym on a military base in northern Israel where Nimni works, the pungent odour of sweat mixes with loud techno music, as infantry soldiers carrying all their gear simulate realistic hand-to-hand combat situations.

From the sidelines, instructors scream at them, pushing them harder in order to both raise their heart rate and increase their stress levels.

The idea, says Nimni, is for soldiers to learn to defend themselves when they don't have the time, nor the opportunity and in situations when they can't use their weapons.

In recent months, instructors have introduced long plastic knives into the training following a surge in Palestinian knife attacks across Israel and the West Bank.

- 'It's our treasure' -

"I see the difference in a soldier before and after his first Krav Maga training," says Nimni.

"It builds his confidence, he clutches his weapon less, he realises he's less dependent on it."

The training sessions -- around 20 over a period of six months for combat soldiers, but fewer for those in a non-fighting role -- are a mandatory part of military service, which in Israel is compulsory.

The system was developed by a Hungarian Jew called Imi Lichtenfeld. With Nazism and Fascism on the rise in 1930s Europe, he gathered around him a group of young Jews whom he wanted to train in self-defence.

Fleeing Europe in the early 1940s, he joined the Israeli army in 1948 where he tried to develop a method of self-defence that was simple, effective and quick to learn in order to meet the military's needs.

Krav Maga immediately become part of the army's doctrine, and has evolved over the years in line with the needs and feedback of soldiers in the field.

In the 1980s, Lichtenfeld instructed his protege Eli Avikzar to take Krav Maga onto the international stage.

Several foreign militaries have since adopted the method, recruiting former Israeli army instructors to teach their troops.

"Within a few years, Krav Maga has become extremely widespread, but it is our treasure, we are proud of it and we protect it," says Nimni who hasn't yet decided whether he would be willing to 'export' his skills abroad.

-'Like an addiction' -

Spectacular in its violence, Krav Maga has become prominent in video games and action movies, such as "The Bourne Ultimatum" (2007), "Taken" (2008) and the "X-Men" series.

"From a Hollywood point of view, it looks very good," says Chris Couch, a US marine who became a black belt and Krav Maga instructor in 2014.

"They're trying to be more realistic in their fighting and Krav (Maga) is very fast, very dirty, very to the point."

Couch says he is seeing more and more fathers, but also women and children, signing up to his studio in Los Angeles.

It is not out of a desire to fight but a need for self-defence, he explains.

"We always tell people that we need to do everything that is necessary, but only what is necessary," he says.

"It's not our job to detain a bad guy or anything like that. Our primary purpose is to get away and get home safe."

Alan Garcia, a bouncer at a Los Angeles night club, has been training in the method for four years. The aim is to "neutralise" troublesome punters "before they get to the fight" but he says he also finds real pleasure in the "adrenaline rush" during training.

"It's like an addiction. I go to the gym at least twice a week," says Alex Jackson, a 38-year-old teacher.

"It may have a bad reputation, but this is something that I only do in the gym, although it's true that now I feel more confident and safe."


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
All About Human Beings and How We Got To Be Here






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
ABOUT US
New evidence that humans settled in southeastern US far earlier than previously believed
Ann Arbor MI (SPX) May 18, 2016
The discovery of stone tools found in a Florida river show that humans settled the southeastern United States far earlier than previously believed - perhaps by as much as 1,500 years, according to a team of scientists that includes a University of Michigan paleontologist. Michael Waters of Texas A and M University and Jessi Halligan of Florida State University led a research team that also ... read more


ABOUT US
Artist Ai Weiwei says Gaza key part of refugee crisis

Belgian prisons 'like North Korea' as strike crisis hits

Nepal's quake recovery costs up by a quarter

Rush on pillows at Canada evacuation center

ABOUT US
Scientists take a major leap toward a 'perfect' quantum metamaterial

UW team first to measure microscale granular crystal dynamics

Self-healing, flexible electronic material restores functions after many breaks

Digital "clone" testing aims to maximize machine efficiency

ABOUT US
Parasite helps sea snails survive ocean acidification

Philippines detains 25 Chinese, 18 Vietnamese fishermen

Victims of their own success

Acidification and low oxygen put fish in double jeopardy

ABOUT US
Increased vegetation in the Arctic region may counteract global warming

'Sleeping giant' glacier may lift seas two metres: study

Shrinking shorebird pays the bill for rapid Arctic warming while wintering in the tropics

Scientists track Greenland's ice melt with seismic waves

ABOUT US
Genetically engineered crops: Experiences and prospects

Farms have become a major air-pollution source

Illinois River water quality improvement linked to more efficient corn production

UN panel says weedkiller 'unlikely' to cause cancer

ABOUT US
Sri Lanka president flies to flood-hit area, toll hits 37

One dead as aftershocks shake quake-weary Ecuador

Sri Lanka flood toll hits 11, thousands more homeless

Disaster tourism: bitter lifeline for mud volcano survivors

ABOUT US
DR Congo denies getting pistols from North Korea

Senegal's child beggars show limits of 'apptivism'

S.Africa may re-consider regulated rhino horn trade in future

Climate-exodus expected in the Middle East and North Africa

ABOUT US
From Israel's army to Hollywood: the meteoric rise of Krav Maga

New evidence that humans settled in southeastern US far earlier than previously believed

Climate change may have contributed to extinction of Neanderthals

Drawing the genetic history of Ice Age Eurasian populations









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.