The Economic Times

4 Mar, 2007, 0000 hrs IST,Ranjeni A Singh, TNN

Sandra Bullock used it in ‘Miss Congeniality 2’, J Lo used it in the movie Enough. And it is a fad with thousands of Americans. And it’s also steadily gaining ground in India. We are talking about Krav Maga, a self-defence martial arts that has its roots in Israel. Krav Maga literally means ‘contact combat’ in Hebrew. The technique is the official self system of the Israeli Defence Forces, and has been taught to hundreds of law enforcement agencies and thousands of civilians around the world.

Originated by Imi Lichtenfeld, the system founder and chief hand-to-hand combat instructor for the Israeli Defence Forces, Krav Maga is truly battle tested and is continually evolving based on the collective experiences of military and law enforcement personnel and civilians around the world.

According to its practitioners, Krav Maga is a simple, effective self defence system that emphasises instinctive movements, practical techniques, and realistic training scenarios. And apparently it’s so effective, that it’s acquired some high-profile disciples. In India we have Sanjay Kapur, the Nandas, Sunil Shetty and Akshay Kumar adding star quotient to the martial art. Krav Maga is heavy on the Martial, light on the Art. Krav Maga, due to the way in which it is taught, gives people a very intense workout.

And the two star exponents of Krav Maga in India are Vicky Kapoor and Nirmala Bhanu. Kapoor as director of International Krav Maga Federation, India was instrumental in popularising Krav Maga in India. He was trained personally by Eyal Yanilov, the chairman of International Krav Maga Federation Israel.

Yanilov is considered a living legend of Krav Maga. He studied Krav Maga under the personal tutelage of its founder, Imi Sde-Or (Lichtenfeld). He is now the senior-most Krav Maga practitioner in the world and is the only individual who carries the highest grade ever given by Imi (Master level 3/Expert level 8). He holds the unique Founder’s Diploma of Excellence. “Knowledge of Krav Maga would benefit people from all walks of life, says Yanilov.

Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

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