History of Krav Maga

      Select the appropriate category to learn more about Impact Krav Maga Self-Defense, the only Krav Maga Global certified school in San Diego.

      Krav Maga (a Hebrew phrase meaning “contact combat”) is a practical self-defense system developed by Imi Lichtenfeld (1910-1998).  Known for its efficient and easy-to-learn techniques, Krav Maga is used by special forces, law enforcement, security, and civilian groups from a variety of countries.

      Imi Lichtenfeld

      Lichtenfeld (pictured right) first taught self-defense to ordinary people as a means of defending themselves against anti-Jewish pogroms in Czechoslovakia in the days leading up to World War II.  After the war, Lichtenfeld emigrated to pre-state Israel where he became the chief physical fitness and hand-to-hand combat instructor of the Israeli military. After he retired from military service in the 1960’s, Lichtenfeld focused on training civilians in Krav Maga.

      Eyal Yanilov

      Eyal Yanilov (pictured left) is the founder and the Head Instructor of Krav Maga Global (KMG).  He was Imi Lichtenfeld’s top ranked student and ultimately his professional successor.

      Eyal has trained all senior instructors operating in the U.S. and continues training top Krav Maga Instructors around the world.

       

       

      Impact Krav Maga Self-Defense Krav Maga Instructors

      Impact Krav Maga Self-Defense is the only Krav Maga training center in San Diego County that is affiliated with KMG and whose instructors are all trained and certified by Eyal Yanilov himself.

      (Pictured left are Instructors Veronica, Stephen and Yury with Eyal Yanilov at KMG instructor course.)

       

      Impact Krav Maga Self-Defense Krav Maga Instructors

      Impact Krav Maga Self-Defense, San Diego is a school that guarantees its students ongoing, authentic, and realistic Krav Maga training.  Its instructors are held to the highest professional standards and undergo continuing education with Eyal Yanilov, Alan Predolin, the North American KMG Director  and other top KMG Instructors.

      (pictured left Instructors Veronica, Yury and Stephen with Alan Predolin at KMG instructor course)

       

      Although it incorporates elements from sport fighting systems such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, boxing, and karate, Krav Maga was designed to be used in the street against real attacks by people who don’t play by “rules”.  Krav Maga assumes there won’t be a referee, that there will be more than one attacker, and that those attackers might have weapons.  Therefore, there are no formal rules in Krav Maga.  It uses techniques that are generally considered illegal in sport fighting including eye gouges, temple strikes, throat strikes, and groin strikes.  In fact, there is only one informal rule in Krav Maga: Don’t get hurt!

       

      KMG treats every attack as though it is a life or death situation. Its techniques emphasize aggressive simultaneous defense and counterattacks.  It teaches people who are being attacked to immediately go on the offense, deliver decisive counterattacks, and exit the situation as quickly as possible.  This includes techniques to defend against common street weapons, such as knives, guns, chains, bats, tasers, et cetera.

      Further, Krav Maga is designed so that people of all ages and sizes can learn it.  There’s no such thing as “too small” or “too old”; everyone can learn to use Krav Maga effectively.

      Remember, there’s only one rule in Krav Maga: Don’t get hurt!