Krav Maga - First in a Long Series

Krav maga is the official self-defense system of the Israeli Defense Forces. The method is proven, battle tested, and one of the most effective personal self-defense systems available to the public.

No discussion of krav maga would be complete without a discussion of two people. First is the founder of krav maga, Imi (Sde-Or) Lichtenfield. The second is the Grandmaster of Israeli krav maga, Haim Gidon. This is the official, real-deal, not watered-down Israeli krav maga. If you're interested in learning the system, these are individuals with whom you want to trace your lineage.

Speaking of lineage, mine goes like this:

1. Imi (Sde-Or) Lichtenfeld
2. Grandmaster Haim Gidon
3. Senior Instructor Rick Blitstein
4. David Kahn
   
5. Me

I obtained my instructor certification this past summer in Netanya, Israel. While there, I had the privilege of training with some outstanding individuals (I will do profiles of them in the future).

The instructors course is thoroughly challenging. It's three glorious weeks in Haim's Playhouse where air conditioning is a rare luxury. We train approximately 7-10 hours a day, with a recuperative dip in the Mediterranean almost every evening. Next time I'm there, I promise to memorialize our daily hell...

In the meantime, if you're interested in learning krav maga make sure to ask the instructor two things:

1. What's your lineage?
2. When was the last time you trained in Israel?

The answers to these questions will tell you the quality of instruction you will receive.

Shalom v-yom tov.