The history of Israeli Fighting systems dates back to 1919, with the implementation of the British Mandate. In this same year the Jewish people formed an underground army known as the Haganah (the Hebrew word for defense) to deal with the ongoing conflict with various terrorist gangs, and in anticipation of the creation of a Jewish state promised to them by the British in the Balfour Declaration. Throughout its existence since that time, the little region in the Middle East now known as Israel has had to fight daily in order to survive.

Completely surrounded by enemies under the most hostile circumstances, Israel has always been outnumbered in its battles. In response to continuous overwhelming odds, the Israelis developed systems of combat that emphasized mental toughness, versatility, innovation and practicality at its core.

The formalities of traditional defense systems were abandoned in favor of methodologies that valued rapid and instinctive learning. These philosophies helped Israel and its citizens to survive in the face of constant aggression as the nation formed one of the most respected military forces in the world in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Faced with warfare and terrorism, the Israeli military developed combat systems that were practical in the battlefield.

Israeli Fighting systems have been successfully used for decades by Israeli Special Forces, FBI, high profile bodyguards, counter-terrorist police units, and SWAT units from around the world.

THE BIRTH OF COMMANDO KRAV MAGA

In his youth, Moni dominated the Judo and Jiu Jitsu arena winning 7 National titles. After turning 18, Moni served his country in the IDF. Having fought in the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Moni's unit was decimated and he was one of the few that survived. During his service, Moni quickly learned what would and wouldn't work in real life situations. Shortly after the Yom Kippur War, Moni worked to evolve the military's existing hand to hand combat system, making use of his extensive martial arts and miliatary experience.

He experimented with combative tactics and techniques under the most realistic conditions. Through intensive research and rigorous field testing, Moni extracted the most practical and effective moves that could be utilized even in the most stressful and unpredictable situations. It was at this time that Moni Aizik created Commando Krav Maga.

Commando Krav Maga is not a traditional or sport-based martial art. There are no competitions, rules and regulations. Instead, CKM is a reality-based system designed for the primary goal of survival.

CONCEPTS

Combat in the street is completely unpredictable. There are no rules. There are no referees to stop a fight. The attacker might pull a gun, or a knife, or have friends that decide to swarm you. Thugs and criminals are capable of stooping to any subhuman extent.

The CKM Solution: Think like a Commando. Engage the enemy only if there is no other choice, exploiting his weaknesses to create maximum damage as quickly as possible. Then rapidly disengage before a weapon is introduced or his friends come to jump in. The goal is simple: Survival. This is the reality of the street.

Commando Krav Maga's highly effective tactics and techniques are built upon a foundation of key concepts for survival:

Engage/Disengage! In a street fight there are no rules or referee stoppages. Staying engaged with your attacker and trying to punish them can be fatal. At any time the attacker can pull out a concealed weapon or their friends may jump in. This is why one of the key concepts in CKM is to disengage whenever you can (as a big ego can get you killed) but if you have no choice, immediately engage to create as much damage as quickly as possible then disengage to safety.

• Maximum Damage/Minimum Time! Further building on the concept of Engage/Disengage, CKM tactics and techniques are designed to inflict the maximum amount of damage in the minimum amount of time during a life-threatening confrontation. You are trained to debilitate the attacker with devastating street tactics that will ensure your survival.
• 5 Seconds Rule! In CKM, you are taught Ground Survival rather than Ground Fighting. No matter how superior your grappling skills are, staying on the ground during a street confrontation can be fatal. Unlike an MMA ring, the streets are unpredictable. Your attacker can suddenly pull out a knife or his friends may jump in. In CKM, you are trained to get up in 5 seconds or less from any devastating ground attacks, including weapons. Once you're up, the goal is to disengage to safety rather than trying to punish the attacker.

The What-Ifs! In order to train realistically, you need to implement the what-if mindset by putting yourself in the attacker's shoes. As the street is unpredictable, you need to consider the different variables. "What if the attacker is bigger, stronger or faster?", "What if the attacker moves from one attack to another?", "What if the attacker's friends jump in to help him?", "What if the attacker is carrying a concealed weapon?"

By internalizing the what-ifs mentality, you will develop the proper mindset to always prepare for the worst.

Adaptation! In Commando Krav Maga, you are trained to adapt quickly to the changing environment under the most realistic scenarios. After perfecting your tactics and techniques through progressive practice, you must test yourself under the most stressful and dynamic conditions.

Simplicity is Genius! Any technique that requires more than 2 gross motor skills is extremely difficult to perform under stress. In Commando Krav Maga, most of the tactics were designed to be simple and universal so that you don't have to think about the move under stress. They work regardless of the direction you are attacked from as well as the size of the attacker.

PHILOSOPHY

The Philosophy of CKM can be broken down into three main dimensions:

Ethical:
In CKM, the intention in any conflict situation is to find an honorable path towards a peaceful resolution. CKM abhors fighting. Violence is the absolute last resort. CKM always gives the aggressor a chance to save face, an honorable solution as a way out, without ever compromising his own sense of self esteem. The body says, "I don't want to fight", the eyes say, "watch out".

Many times, a fight is all about somebody's ego, either theirs or ours. CKM knows that fighting is mostly avoidable and as such its practitioners do their best to deescalate any situation that could turn violent. Every practitioner of CKM seeks to dissolve his own individual ego through intense training and introspection.

Because every CKM technique is potentially lethal, CKM insists that its practitioners respect every other human being, regardless of race, religion or gender. Therefore, the fundamental CKM principle is this: No first use of force.

Pragmatic:
While negotiating for peace, prepare for war.
CKM evolved in the hostile environment of the Middle East. So, CKM intrinsically is a mature and pragmatic body of knowledge. Though every CKM practitioner does his best to deescalate the conflict, CKM is not oblivious to the fact that there are many unintelligent people out there who might mistake a desire for peace as weakness.

So, even as CKM tries to negotiate peace with the aggressor, the CKM practitioner instantly begins to prepare for combat. The CKM starting stance for instance conceals far more than it reveals. If there is going to be any kind of fighting, the opponent will know nothing about what the CKM practitioner knows. This allows CKM to launch the most devastating counter attacks from what looks like an innocuous position.

CKM practitioners are taught to loudly announce their intentions of not wanting to fight. This further ensures that should the law enforcement authorities intervene, they will have witnesses to show that the CKM practitioner did not want to fight and that whatever happened subsequently was the result of the aggression of the aggressor. Fighting in self defense is legally OK in most countries. Aggression and the use of excessive force is not.

Dynamic:
Static systems that claim to know all the answers are obviously highly suspect. All bodies of knowledge must keep evolving to keep pace with new inputs or else they become outdated. CKM is no different. CKM knows that criminals and terrorists continuously keep changing their tactics. Therefore, CKM keeps evolving to keep pace with the new tactics and weapons of the enemy. It is totally dynamic.

Combat in the street is totally unpredictable. There are no rules. There is no referee who will stop the fight, or throw in the towel. There is no honor code. Treacherous behavior abounds. The attacker might pull a gun, or a knife, or have friends lurking not too far away (a gang), it may be two or more on one.

The CKM Solution: Think like a Commando. Engage and rapidly disengage. Engage the enemy only if there is no other choice, but if you must then finish him off immediately. Then, rapidly disengage before his friends come to his rescue. The goal is simple. Survival. This is the reality of the street, not of the dojo.

REALISTIC TRAINING

In CKM, when you train, you train for real - to survive in the street.
During training in Commando Krav Maga, attack scenarios are simulated to be as realistic as possible. You will gain the following skills to survive any attacks regardless of where you are (street, bar, parking lot, car, home and other confined places):

• How to defeat any attackers including attackers armed with guns, knives, clubs, bottles, bats, etc.
• How to control or debilitate your opponent immediately - irrespective of their size or martial arts background.
• How to execute crucial and straightforward moves that can save your life.
• How to become an effective hand-to-hand combat expert!
• How to cover all aspects of real hand-to-hand combat and weapons training.
• The techniques taught to elite commando units and SWAT forces around the world!

Highly effective and easy to learn reality-based training:

Gun & Rifle Disarming, Vicious Knife Attacks and Threats, Violent Strangles, Ground Survival, Fast and Brutal Striking Scenarios, Pressure Points, Violent Headlocks, Explosive Baseball Bat Attacks, Clinch Defense, Surprise Attacks, Escape from Unexpected Street-holds, Improvised Weapons, Crime and Terrorism Survival Skills, Grappling and Striking techniques ,Pre and Post Conflict Tactics, Commando Training Tips and much more!

While practicing the CKM tactics and techniques, you are also taught to understand the psychological and mental aspects of the attack.

To maximize your street survival skills so you can perform under stress, CKM drills are progressive. You start training slowly and precisely (in some cases even blind-folded) so that the tactics and techniques are built into your muscle memory and become part of you. You gradually increase the amount of pressure in your training to include balance, psychology, non-cooperative attackers, multiple attackers and the adrenaline factor. We train as realistically as possible while always keeping safety in mind.

As you progress in Commando Krav Maga, the level of intensity becomes increasingly demanding both physically and mentally. Through advanced training, you will gain the skill and self-confidence to effectively survive any confrontation.