Krav Maga (contact combat) is an Israeli martial art. It was originally developed for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and is derived from the most effective techniques from various martial arts and martial arts such as aikido , judo , karate , boxing and wrestling .
Krav Maga is known for its focus on real threat and combat situations and the extreme effectiveness of the techniques practiced. The Hungarian Israeli Imi Lichtenfeld developed Krav Maga from his experiences in street fighting. Imi was himself experienced in Western boxing and wrestling and regularly got into fights to defend the Jewish community in Bratislava.
After immigrating to Palestine (Mandatory Palestine) in the late 1940s, he began teaching Jewish paramilitary groups that would later form the IDF during Israel's war of independence.
The basis and original concept of Krav Maga is to take the most effective and practical techniques from other fighting styles and make them quickly learnable to soldiers (and later civilians). The emphasis is on large motor skills so that the techniques can be performed naturally under stressful situations.
