What is Krav Maga and Why Has it Become So Popular? by Tsahi Shemesh

Israel is one of the few sovereign nations that, since its inception, has been under constant threat and struggle. This daily struggle and reality has inspired the development and practice of the highest self-defense standards for organizations, military and civilians.
In Israel, Krav Maga (Hebrew for “Contact Combat”), has become an important tool for the survival of both the military and for civilians. It is used by government agents, soldiers and civilians and practiced by a number of professional organizations.
The Krav Maga ethos and its techniques have been tested over the generations and by the constant military struggles in the region. Krav Maga is constantly evolving to achieve maximum results, efficiency, better teaching and learning standards and to achieve best practice that can deal with combat both terror and crime.
Unlike martial art forms, Krav Maga draws from realistic scenarios and dynamically adjusts to the threat, the environment and the natural tendencies and skill of those who practice it. The overall guiding rules of Krav Maga include efficiency, an understanding of the human body and a high level of discipline, strength and technique.

Benefits:

The practice and implementation of Krav Maga are by no means limited to armed forces and security bodies. Throughout the individual learning process, a person will gain many techniques directly related to saving lives, improving physical performance, harnessing the body’s natural reactions in specific situations and, perhaps most importantly, improving self confidence and self belief.

Krav Maga lessons greatly improve:

• Agility

• Strength

• Balance

• Coordination

• Cardio and fitness

• Confidence

• Decision Making under pressure situations

• Technique

One of the most important qualities of Krav Maga practice is putting oneself in constant high pressure situations to practice your response until it becomes second nature and a natural reflex to its practitioners. The high intensity training environment, emphasizing all core elements mentioned above, allow the individual to react quickly, efficiently and effectively in real life situations.