2017-02-10

Developed for the Israeli military forces and battle tested in real-life combat situations by police and military forces around the world, Krav Maga has gained an international reputation as an easy-to-learn yet highly effective form of self-defense.

Today on the podcast, I talk to David Kahn, chief instructor for the U.S. Israeli Krav Maga Association and the author of several books on the topic, including Krav Maga Defense. Today on the show, David and I discuss the origins and history of Krav Maga, its philosophy, its fundamental moves, and how to use Krav Maga in a defensive scenario.

Show Highlights

David’s background and how he got involved with Krav Maga

The origins of Krav Maga

The philosophy and guiding principles of Krav Maga

What is “retzev”?

The mindset of Krav Maga versus that of other self-defense systems

How to attack the most vulnerable parts of the body

How to train for gouging out an eyeball (and other ways to simulate real-life self-defense)

How to train for unexpected moments when you have to defend yourself

Open training and closed training and how to prepare for any situation

Defending yourself against multiple attackers

Effectively using improvised weapons

Pre-conflict indicators, and how to de-escalate conflicts before they become violent

The power of common sense and intuition

Is there a best self-defense system?

The benefits of Krav Maga being a fairly modern system versus one that’s been around for hundreds of years

The best way to get started with Krav Maga

Resources/People/Articles Mentioned in Podcast

AoM’s articles on Krav Maga

Imi Lichtenfeld

Turning Everyday Items Into Improvised Weapons

Haim Gidon

AoM’s videos on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Developing Your Situational Awareness

How to Defend Against Multiple Attackers

How to Deal With Aggressive People

The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker

Don Draper Judo: Unarmed Self-Defense from the Mad Men Era

Turning Yourself Into a Human Weapon

The Legal Implications of Self-Defense

Israeli Krav Maga Association



If you’re looking to get started with Krav Maga, I highly recommend checking out David’s work. He does a great job explaining the big picture philosophy of the system as well as breaking down specific movements into easy-to-follow instructions. Visit his website at www.masteringkravmaga.com.

Listen to the Podcast! (And don’t forget to leave us a review!)





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Podcast Sponsors

AoM Store. If you’d like a discount on your first purchase at the Art of Manliness store, we have a code for you. Use code “AOMPODCAST” at checkout and you’ll get 10% off your first purchase.

And thanks to Creative Audio Lab in Tulsa, OK for editing our podcast!

Recorded on ClearCast.io.

Read the Transcript

Coming soon!

The post Podcast #277: Krav Maga – The Self-Defense System of Israeli Special Forces appeared first on The Art of Manliness.

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