Clay Lonis
Clay Lonis - KravMaga is one of those hand-to-hand combat techniques that are used today in many ways. They provide an effective self defense method for the military, the police and even civilians. KravMaga combat system originated in Czechoslovakia through Imi Lichtenfeld, who combined his knowledge and skills in boxing and wrestling into his own form of street-fighting techniques that he later brought to Israel and which eventually developed into this fighting philosophy that is becoming popular with both self defense and fitness enthusiasts.
This KravMaga combat technique is especially known for its highly efficient counter-attacks that make use of striking, wrestling and grappling combinations. KravMaga aims to neutralize an attacker with aggressive maneuvers that are as equally defensive as they are offensive. Law enforcement organizations as well as intelligence units are some of the people benefiting the most from this set of KravMaga fighting techniques that are adopted and improved on in many ways to serve different offensive and defensive purposes.
KravMaga fighting system is Hebrew for "hand-to-hand combat"
Its main goal is to keep a fighter safe while at the same time disabling his opponent through various physically aggressive means. These KravMaga moves and techniques are not generally regulated, although some KravMaga training organizations do have rank badges and belts for progressive skill levels. Men and women basically learn and undergo the same drills that are more or less based on the following principles:
•Preemptive attacks and counter attacks
•Striking the body's weak points: throat, knee, groin, eyes, jaw, etc.
•Utilizing an unbroken stream of counter attacks in order to neutralize an opponents ability to strike back
•Make use of the objects around you to amplify your attacks
•And while doing all these, keep an active awareness of the environment, figuring out how to escape and/or fend off additional attackers
Kravmaga techniques maximize on the use of the body and the immediate environment in fending off an attack. Its arm techniques include boxing punches such as a straight punch, low punch, upper cut and chop. It also includes strikes that involved the elbow. Leg techniques focus mainly on low kicks and teach advanced kicks at high levels only as a means of recognizing them when used by a highly trained opponent. This combat system also has techniques that make use of the head in combat, and this does not merely mean thinking on your feet! What's pain from a head butt when it could save your life, right?
The defensive KravMaga techniques taught in this fighting system are based on the importance of being able to change between defending and attacking as fast as possible, and vice versa. It puts emphasis on the principle of staying off of the ground so it has only a few throw and take down techniques. Along with hand-to-hand combat, this system also teaches methods of defending yourself against any form of weapons. KravMaga is taught in serious military and police training as well as self defense classes, but in the recent times, civilians are also finding KravMaga beneficial for its fitness and cardio strengthening benefits.