INTRODUCTION

I am proud to present Advanced Krav Maga: The Next Level of Fitness and Self-Defense. I would like to thank the countless readers and krav maga enthusiasts worldwide who contacted the Israeli Krav Maga Association and me directly following the publication of Krav Maga: An Essential Guide to the Renowned Method—for Fitness and Self-Defense. Israeli krav maga is an integral part of my life. I hope this next volume will continue to enhance and instill the Israeli fighting and self-defense method as a dynamic part of your life as well. Here, you will learn real fighting technique combined with rigorous and rewarding conditioning benefits.

The Next Level

In this volume, we continue to develop a self-defense fighting arsenal based on core yellow-, orange-, and green-belt techniques defending against unarmed attacks. These techniques derive from my translation of the Israeli Krav Maga Association (IKMA) technique guidelines. The IKMA is the governing body for Israeli krav maga, recognized by the Israeli government and headed by Grandmaster Haim Gidon. Grandmaster Gidon, the instructor’s instructor, holds a tenth-degree black belt (red belt), the highest rank in krav maga. While improving the krav maga system daily, Haim follows founder Imi Lichtenfeld’s fundamental premise that krav maga must work for everyone even against the most skilled adversaries. Any representation that a complete or ultimate guide to krav maga exists is a fallacy. Israeli krav maga is constantly refined and developed by Grandmaster Gidon and the IKMA professional committee. Constant improvement, evolution, and adaptability make krav maga a most formidable fighting system, and the genius of the system is that anyone can learn the core self-defense and fighting principles.

While space and text restraints do not allow us to illustrate the all important retzev, or continuous combat follow-through, we have taken a few techniques and developed partial retzev to provide you with a more comprehensive insight into combined defense and attack through continuous combat motion, the heart of the Israeli krav maga system (the term krav maga means "contact combat"). The following tables serve as a summary and reference for the Israeli krav maga system’s philosophy, tactics, and strategy.

I hope you enjoy reading this volume as much as I enjoyed writing it. Remember, train hard and be safe.

Excerpted from Advanced Krav Maga by David Kahn

Copyright © 2008 by David Kahn.

Published in 2008 by Thomas Dunne Books, St. Martin’s Griffin

All rights reserved. This work is protected under copyright laws and reproduction is strictly prohibited. Permission to reproduce the material in any manner or medium must be secured from the Publisher