Sreenivas Janyala Posted online: Wednesday, Dec 02, 2009 at 0259 hrs

Hyderabad : The changing security situation in the country has made training for the IPS probationers a lot tougher. From Krav Maga, an unarmed street fight perfected by Israeli soldiers, to scuba diving for steadier nerves, to guerrilla warfare in the jungles of Tamil Nadu, would-be officers are undergoing rigorous combat and survival techniques that were till now the forte of special forces. Special emphasis is being laid on improving intelligence gathering skills. The  will introduce Krav Maga when training for the 62nd batch of IPS regular batch starts. A module was introduced on experimental basis to the 61st batch that completed the course last week, but it turned out to be too intensive for the probationers as the training was given at one go. So the NPA would be assimilating it into capsules spread over the training period for the current batch.

“Krav Maga does not involve martial arts or taking postures. It is a street fight, very practical and drawing on the good elements of various forms of fights and self defense techniques. We are mixing Krav Maga with the traditional unarmed combat training. It makes them a lot more tough physically and mentally,” says NPA Director K Vijay Kumar.

Gajarao Bhupal, IPS from Kakinada, who completed training at the NPA in November, says Krav Maga training boosted his confidence to a different level. “I am confident that I can now take on somebody with my bare hands. Scuba diving and rock climbing were also introduced for the first time. We were able to do things that we never imagined were possible,” Gajarao says.

Tafseer Iqbal from Dhanbad, who, too, completed his training in November, says that unlike judo or karate where you need time to take positions, Krav Maga is based on street-smart reflexes and is vital for close combat situations and much more suitable for urban law and order situations.

With the threat of Left-wing extremism and terrorism, guerrilla, jungle warfare and counter-terrorism has also become essential for the IPS officers. The probationers now undergo training with Tamil Nadu’s Special Task Force in the jungles near Coimbatore. “This is over and above the existing attachment with Greyhounds in Andhra Pradesh where they learn guerrilla and jungle warfare tactics,” says Vijay Kumar.

A tougher regimen awaited the probationers who were introduced to rock climbing and mountaineering at Mussoorie cliffs which is a test of physical strength, nerves and will power. For steadier nerves and to prepare them for operations in water and improving survival skills, scuba diving has been brought in. The training was given at the academy itself this time as circumstances did not allow it to be conducted at Goa. The NPA has reintroduced river rafting at Rishikesh under the watchful eye of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. “We revived adventure sports to build team spirit and cooperation,” says Vijay Kumar.

One important component is restructuring of the 10-month training period. After undergoing nine months of training, probationers can choose one area of specialisation which can be as varied as Krav Maga to rock climbing to yoga.

The 40 hours duration “Fighter 1″ module imparted hands on training in defence and attack against

• punch
• kicks
• head locks
• knife attacks
• stick attack
• baseball bat attack
• iron rod attacks
• handgun threat
• defence with or with out weapons
• dealing with falls etc.

to the participants

6th, Jan, 2009

By Asit Jolly

Chandigarh

Recently “handicapped” by a High Court order significantly scaling down the number of security men and vehicles deployed to protect top politicians and bureaucrats, the Punjab police is now seeking to better its anti-terrorist skills by re-training its commandos in advanced martial arts and equipping them with state of-the-art Swiss weaponry.

Police commandos on Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s elaborate, 1,000-man security detail in Chandigarh as well as others at the Punjab Armed Police Academy at Jalandhar were recently shown live demonstrations of Krav Maga — a Czechoslovakian-Israeli unarmed combat technique currently employed by special forces across the world.

Staged over 10 days by experts from the Israeli Krav Maga Federation (India), the demonstrations were a precursor exercise to identify physically and emotionally suited personnel to undertake advanced courses in the technique supervised by Israeli instructors.

“The idea is to arm our men with specialised skills that could prove far more efficient than pistols and AK-47s in the protection of VIPs,” said a senior police officer. He admitted that with their present level of training and fitness, many of Punjab police commandos constituted more of a threat than any security to the people they are supposed to protect.

“There is always the possibility that motivated intruders could snatch a PSO’s weapon and use it on the protectee in a crowd or other close protection situations,” the officer said. Vicky Kapoor, the man who runs IKMF-India, insists “unarmed combat skills are the only solution on the street.” According to him, state police forces and other security agencies in India have been “overly focused” on procuring weapons. “Yes, a good weapon is important but even more critical is the man behind that weapon,” he said, adding, “As soon as we have a formal request, IKMF will commence an advanced Krav Maga course for a hand-picked group of Punjab police commandos.”

Source: Deccan Chronicles

Deepa Balakrishnan, CNN-IBN

Bangalore: Three IT companies in Bangalore recieved e-mail threats of attacks last week. Following this Bangaloreans are training themselves in the elite Israeli form of self-defence called Krav Maga.

Ashish Puri, a product manager for an IT company is learning Krav Maga. He deals with a hostage situation one minute, and the next he’s trying to escape from the place of a shoot-out. He and 20 others like him are learning Krav Maga, an unarmed combat technique developed by the Israelis. It teaches you just how to react in a conflict situation like a terror strike. “It’s not about the physical size, it’s the technique we work with. So yes, it does give a lot of confidence,” said Puri.

“Now we’re not fighting soldiers, we’re fighting a surprise element. You cant’ wait for the police to come everywhere or the NSG commandos to storm in. People have to protect themselves,” said Krav Maga instructor, JW Frank. Considering the increased threat to most IT parks in Bangalore, these Krav Maga sessions are a big hit among the city’s techies. “It’s a very practical form of martial arts,” said a techie. “We’re aware that the world is not safe anymore,” said another techie from Bangalore.

We’ve often heard people singing we shall overcome after every kind of attack, but after the candle-lighting and the singing, this is the next step.

Source: http://ibnlive.in.com/

By Asit Jolly

Chandigarh

Jan. 5: The Punjab police is now seeking to better its anti-terrorist skills by re-training its commandos in advanced martial arts and equipping them with state-of-the-art weaponry.

Police commandos on chief minister Parkash Singh Badal’s 1,000-man security detail in Chandigarh, as well as others at the Punjab Armed Police academy at Jalandhar, were recently given live demonstrations of Krav Maga, a Czechoslovakian-Israeli unarmed combat technique employed by special forces across the world.

Staged by experts from the International Krav Maga Federation (India), the demonstrations were a precursor to identifying physically and emotionally suited personnel to undertake advanced courses supervised by Israeli instructors.

“The idea is to arm our men with specialised skills that could prove far more efficient than pistols and AK-47s in the protection of VIPs,” said a senior police officer. He admitted that many Punjab police commandos constituted more of a threat than any security to the people they are supposed to protect. “There is always the possibility that motivated intruders could snatch a PSO’s weapon and use it on the protectee in crowds or other close-protection situations,” the officer said.

Mr Vicky Kapoor, who runs IKMF-India, insists “unarmed combat skills are the only solution on the street”. “Yes, a good weapon is important but even more critical is the man behind that weapon,” he said.

“As soon as we have a formal request, IKMF will commence an advanced Krav Maga course for a hand-picked group of Punjab police commandos,” Mr Kapoor said.

The police department has also initiated the process to acquire state-of-the-art weapons from a leading European vendor. Though still a very closely guarded secret, sources tell this newspaper the CM’s security detail could soon be brandishing new machine pistols and sniper rifles.

“Vijay has prior knowledge of UAC (Un-Armed Combat) in his profession. Even then he is really impressed with the tactics and practicality of Krav Maga. He felt his biggest assets was his brute strength, which was shattered when he was facing more than one opponent or being pinned to the ground etc. He is a true fighter always ready with detailed questions about real life scenarios and the influence of Krav Maga in it.“

Vijay speaks about Krav Maga practicality in street

Vikay Speaks about Krav-Maga Training from Krav Maga India on Vimeo.

Vijay speaks about factors like strength factor & multiple attacks

Vijay Speaks on Krav Maga session from Krav Maga India on Vimeo.

Some guys like to fight, while others like to watch! Get prepared for a blend of cultural immersion and good old fashioned smackdown with Discovery Channel’s new show Fight Quest.

Viewers get to follow hosts, rookie Doug Anderson and seasoned mixed martial arts fighter Jimmy Smith as they travel the globe learning about various forms of hand-to-hand combat – sometimes an ancient art, other times brutal street fighting – and face-off against a local in a no-holds-barred test of skill at the end of each episode.

The martial arts explored by Doug and Jimmy, include Asian fighting styles like Wushu from China and Kali from the Philippines, to Krav Maga from Israel, Brazillian Jiujitsu, and Mexican Boxing. Fight Quest will be aired on Discovery Channel every Tuesday at 9 pm.

The series also features Kerala which boasts of martial arts Kalarippayat. A fabled model for the modern martial arts, Kalarippayat literally means ‘acquired skill’. Kalari means school or arena, and payat denotes skill training, exercise or practice. It is the most comprehensive personal combat training scheme in the world. The training includes exercises to develop sharp reflexes for unarmed combat and techniques of combat using mace, spears, daggers, sword and shield.

Fight Quest hosts Doug Anderson and Jimmy Smith, are two individuals with very different personalities. But both are studious fighters with serious attitudes.

At each location, Doug and Jimmy will train with local masters and after several days of intense instruction, the two guys will take on a local expert. Ultimately, only the best will win, and it’s not always Doug or Jimmy who emerge the victor.

In between training, the guys also take to the streets and immerse themselves in the sights, foods and smells of the local scene and find out that sometimes they will need to take more courage in the local cuisine than taking a punch.

Explore histories and cultures often unseen by the outside world with Doug and Jimmy as they smack, kick, and pummel their way across the globe. The series will cover India — Kalarippayat, Philippines — Kali, China – Kung Fu, Japan — Kyokushin, South Korea _ Hapkido, France — Savate, Indonesia— Pencak Silat’, Mexico — Mexican Boxing, Brazil — Jiujitsu, Doug gets taken down by Brazilian Jiujitsu. Jiujtsu was brought to Brazil from Japan in the early 1900s, and evolved into its own sport, with different fighting styles and philosophies, Israel — Krav Maga, Krav Maga means ‘close combat’ in Hebrew, and it is a brutal, militaristic form of hand-to-hand combat with no rules.

http://www.deccanherald.com/

Ashima Bajpai
24 November 2004

When it comes to martial arts, there’s no stopping Vicky Kapoor. His passion for self-defence is the driving force behind his 26 years of experience in the field and reason for his proficiency in the unique form of self-defence — Krav-Maga — the Hebrew term for combat fighting. This is an Israeli martial art that is relatively new to India. Kapoor is, in fact, one of the most famous exponents of this technique in India and has held many workshops to introduce people to this art.

He has even helped train the personnel of the Indo-Tibetan border police, Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, Dogra Regiment, Railway Protection Force amongst others. Krav-Maga is a modern and practical form of self-defence and unarmed combat developed by the Israelis on the battlefield. It is useful for those who are slight, for women and children because it extends natural body movements for the purpose of self-defence.

Vicky Kapoor has now been chosen as an official representative of the ‘International Krav-Maga Federation’ in India for military and law enforcement agencies. He will be training civilians interested in the art. “Krav-Maga is a very realistic form of martial art which can instil confidence in the youth. Besides being a stress buster, it helps make a person observant and alert,” he said.

Source: Hindustan Times