Home Page Image

Mario Lier
Graad: Graduate 4
Civil Instructor

 



 
 

Krav Maga | Introduction

The official Israeli self-defense system that is used by the IDF (Israeli Defense Force), many other Israeli agencies, and many of the peacekeeping forces in the US and North America, Military and special units in Europe as well as VIP protection teams all over the world. It seems every time you turn around or open the pages of a Martial Arts magazine there is a new style of karate of other discipline on offer. A lot of people when asked why they study their particular Martial Art will answer 'So I can look after myself', or something similar. After a while most people seem to realize that most Martial Arts in their traditional form are not realistic self defense systems - and were never meant to be - but a sport whereby a modern Karate practitioner (for example) can compete against another karate practitioner. There are rules to prevent illegal moves and foul play; and that's how it should be. This of course is a very basic view as most martial arts offer the serious student a lot more such as self-awareness and character building, fitness, friendship and so on.

Because of the lack of application for real self-defense there are now hundreds of offshoots claiming to have the ultimate answer in self-defense, but how many of these so called self defense systems are actually tried and tested? I don't mean tested in the gym Kwoon or Dojo, but tested in real life and life threatening situations full of mental and physical pressure. How many of the creators of these systems have designed these techniques from real experience? A lot of people are learning self defense systems that are theory based (and a lot of the theory is sometimes wrong), with no actual knowledge or proof that it will work in reality. They have got but the word of their instructor who has more than likely never used the techniques in real life threatening situation and by himself learned only traditional systems that were not meant to be use for self-defense or have no real fighting applications. Thankfully not all self-defense systems are like this and there are some fine people teaching some fine self-defense tactics. Nobody can claim to have all the answers because some situations you just don't have a perfect solution but it is the responsibility of the system (and the people heading it) to have the best solutions possible and keep trying new ideas.

Krav Maga | for You and Me
If Krav Maga works well for Law Enforcement Agencies who generally have limited time to practice and must follow specific guidelines regarding use of force, imagine what it can do for civilians who are not under the same constraints when defending themselves from attack. Students learn to apply Krav Maga Techniques in a multitude of situations, including in unfamiliar or adverse circumstances such as in darkness, from a seated or lying position, with limited freedom of movement and under a state of exhaustion. Creative training methods are used to place students under the proper level of physical, psychological and emotional stress while they perform defensive maneuvers. This is done to prepare them for the reality, hard ships and challenges of the street.

Krav Maga | Graduation in Krav Maga

We don't work with belts but with paths to show the level a person has got.

  • Practitioner Level (1,2,3,4,5)
  • Graduate Level (1,2,3,4,5)
  • Expert Level (1,2,3,4,5)
  • Master Level (1,2,3)

After only 3 months of KM there can be an exam. If you pass you will be on a higher grade.
For example, if you pass the exam for practitioner 5 you may take classes for Graduate level 1 and so on.
Eyal Yanilov has got the highest grade in Krav Maga ever given by Grandmaster Imi himself, Master 3 and Expert 8!

 
More information: