April 2nd, 2008

The Israeli Defence Forces have a gift for the world. Sanjeev Bery takes a closer look at the spread of Krav Maga martial arts in India

Israeli’s Arms sales may capture the headlines, but they aren’t the nation’s only export to India. In south Delhi’s upscale Saket neighborhood, a small but growing number of residents are learning Krav Maga, the hand-to-hand combat system of the Israeli Defence Forces.

A big man with a gruff demeanor, Vicky Kapoor is the one responsible for bringing Krav Maga to India. He describes the martial art in clipped phrases: “Combat fighting — a system which is quick — easily retained.” Kapoor himself came to Krav Maga after decades of experience in karate, judo, and other martial arts. “What I saw was that Krav Maga is the most practical self-defence system,” he says.

Since Krav Maga’s arrival in 2004 in India, some 600 students have undergone Kapoor’s training. New programs have started in Gurgaon and Bangalore. And classes will soon begin in Mumbai, Kolkata, and other cities. “Krav Maga makes you more aware of the threats around you,” says south Delhi resident, Nitin Bhasin, one of Kapoor’s students. “You are better prepared to handle situations that might arise.”

At Kapoor’s Delhi studio, a sign quotes Krav Maga’s founder Imi Lichtenfeld: “If you want peace, prepare for war.” Another shows a stylised graphic of soldiers, presumably Israeli, descending from military helicopters. According to Krav Maga’s promoters, what sets it apart from other martial arts is its focus on immediate self-defence. Absent are the yoga-like movements found in East Asian martial arts. Also missing are any rules against striking the groin, eyes, or other vulnerable parts of the body. In class, though, steps are taken to keep people safe.

Krav Maga began in the 1930s, when Lichtenfeld organised European Jews to defend themselves against Nazi militias. Israeli military trainers further developed the martial art into something they could quickly teach new troops. In Hebrew, the name literally means “close combat.”

It is definitely not a pursuit for the common man. In Bangalore, a two-and-a half week course with 10 hours of instruction costs Rs 2,800. In Delhi, the monthly fee is Rs 3,000, plus Rs 2,250 in startup costs.

In the Delhi studio, the military images compete for attention with pop star Jennifer Lopez throwing a punch. Most women, however, attend the studio’s kickboxing cardio classes, not the martial arts sessions. “They are more concerned about weight loss than their safety,” Kapoor says.

The low turnout of women is true of the Bangalore studio as well. “Mr. ,” as the instructor calls himself, blames Indian gender roles. “Women are always told from childhood to be nice to men,” he says. “They should not talk back or fight back. Suddenly, they find themselves confronted by a sexual predator, and it is difficult to erase the years of training they have received.” But he points to a new attitude in his female students. “They can do something to protect themselves. They don’t have to rely on boyfriends or brothers to protect them all the time,” he says.

CURIOUSLY, CIVILIAN Krav Maga is still affected by Israeli military concerns. “We are restricted not to teach the Palestinians or the Iranians,” Kapoor says. No individual is turned away at the door, but Krav Maga does seem to have official friends and enemies.

Even so, promoters are reticent to discuss Krav Maga’s potential role in the controversies of actual Israeli military practice. “We don’t mix those things with politics,” says Eli Ben-Ami, Co-Director of the International Krav Maga Federation, based in Israel. “It has nothing to do with the occupation or what is happening in the Occupied Territories.”

Ben-Ami, a former Israeli soldier, stressed that he was speaking as an individual. “Those soldiers who are dealing with the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories mostly don’t use hands,” he said, implying the use of a firearm. But they do use Krav Maga to “catch or bring someone into custody.”

Kapoor himself studied under Krav Maga experts in Israel, and his sympathies are clear. “War is in Israeli blood. War is not in Indian blood,” he said. “We are more peace-loving. If we had war in our blood, no one could enter Parliament and do the shooting.” He later added, “Nobody dares to mess with Israel.”

From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 5, Issue 13, Dated April 5, 2008

Source:: http://www.tehelka.com/story_main38.asp?filename=hub050408Tel_Aviv.asp

Source:: http://sanjeevstravels.wordpress.com/2008/03/30/tehelka-1-tel-aviv-tango/

MYCATPRESS

KRAV MAGA IS NOT YOUR RUN-OF-THE-MILL KARATE –TAE KWON DO MARTIAL ART PRACTISED IN DOUBLE-BREASTED WHITE KURTAS AND COLOURED BELTS……

IT IS NOT ABOUT SPORT.

ITS ABOUT FIGHTING, HANDLING A SITUATION AND GETTING OUT IN ONE PIECE.

In the heart of Lutyen’s Delhi sits whitewashed house with green bamboo gates hidden behind metal barriers .Heavily armed guards patrol the gate. A sentry on the roof. Finger on rifle, stares fiercely at passers-by, little watch towers dot the perimeter. This is the house of Omar Abdullah, leader of Kashmir’s National Conference. Member of Parliament and one of the most securely protected men in the country. And yet,” in a given scenario I could actually disarm my own body guards and knocks them down. It’s not a very reassuring thought.” is what he has to say. That Omar Abdullah is learning krav Maga. An Israeli form of combat that the most elite forces in the world are privy to. And increasingly civilians are discovering its benefits as well. Krav Maga is not your run-of the mill karate –tae kwon do martial arts practiced in doubled breasted white kurtas and colored belts. Formulated by Imi Lichtenfeld in the 1930’s.Krav Maga evolved out of a need to protect oneself; a Jewish secret weapon against Fascists in Bratislava, the capital of present day Slovakia. When Lichtenfeld moved to Palestine, before establishment of the Jewish underground militia and precursor to today’s Israeli army, which has been practicing it ever since. Cut to the present, Krav Maga has become the most versatile and practical self defence system. While the course taught to civilians differs dramatically from the army course .primarily in terms of weapons –handling and being trained to kill, it’s the only system that takes into account day to day situations and continues to add techniques with experience. When the classical martial arts were developed, there were not any firearms, says India’s first krav maga instructor Vicky Kapoor ”where as firearms are part and parcel of krav maga .As are day to day situations like muggings harassments and car jacking’s.”With 27 years of experience in various martial arts including goju ryu. Tae kwon do, judo .judo And kick boxing .Vicky is well placed to make the comparison.

…….CELEBRITES LIKE SHANNON ELIZABETH, JENNIFER LOPEZ AND JAMES GANDOLFINI HAS TRAINED IN KRAV MAGA AND AGENCEIS LIKE THE CIA, FBI AND NUMEROUS POLICE DEPARTMENTS EMPLOYS IT AS WELL.

Also unlike classical martial arts, Krav Maga has no competitive component. There are no Krav Maga competitions, no tourneys and it’s unlikely to ever become an Olympic sports. Krav maga is not about sport. Its abuot fighting handling a situations and getting out in one piece. There are no real rules and nothing is of limit .The primary targets are the face and groin. Needless to say cups are compulsory during training. Krav maga was the sole domain of the Israeli military for many decades. Until Imi Lichtenfled retired as chief instructor of the Israeli Defence forces since 1964 and Started modifying it or civilians .Today Krav Maga exists in the three forms the civilian s courses, the law enforcement course and the military course Vicky, who holds a law enforcement instructor certificate apart from running a civilian training centre in Delhi ‘s leafy saket suburb, says that though the principles are fundamentally the same, there are differences in the three versions.”Krav maga for civilians is basically to deal with any situation that may arise and to save your self and Escape. When we deal with law enforcements agencies, there’a lot more stress on neutralizing disarming and controlling rather than just escaping .With the military. There are special programmes and a course is often tailor made depending on the needs of the focus there is to kill.’ Krav maga first arrived on the international scene two decades ago. Before which experts on this system could only be found in Israel . since then ,its popularity has mushroomed ,both among civilians and law enforcement agencies there are now centre s in the countries across the globe, from us to Japan and Finland to New Zealand .so much so that celebrities like Gandolfini ,Shannon Elizabeth Jennifer Lopez have trained in krav maga .and agencies like the CIA ,FBI and numerous police department employ it as well. In India Krav Maga made it s entry two years ago after Vicky had obtained an instructor‘s certificate from the international krav Maga Federations (IKMF) in Israel. I e-mailed Eyal Yanilov the head of IKMF, many times over the course of a year but didn’t get any response. It was only when a friends friend from Israel met me in India and promised to speak to Yanilo in Netanya that he finally agreed to look at my back ground and accept me for the instructor ‘s course.