A brief history of Krav Maga
Imrich ("Imi") Sde-Or*, founder of Krav-Maga, was born in 1910 in Budapest, which at the time was one of the centers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He grew up in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, in a home where sports, law, and Central European education were equally respected. Samuel Lichtenfeld, Imi's father, was undoubtedly quite a unique figure. At age 13 he joined a traveling circus, and for the next 20 years engaged in wrestling, weightlifting, and various demonstrations of strength. For him the circus was also a school, where he met people involved in a wide variety of sports, including some quite unusual ones. These people taught Samuel what they knew - including various martial arts ...
In the mid thirties, conditions began to change in Bratislava. Fascist and anti-Semitic groups appeared, determined to upset the public order and harm the city's Jewish community. Imi became the un-crowned leader of a group of young Jews, most of them with a background in boxing, wrestling, and weightlifting. This group attempted to block the anti-Semitic bands from entering the Jewish quarter and wreaking havoc there. Thus, between 1936 and 1940 Imi took part in countless violent ...
"That one may walk in peace."
Imi Sde-Or (Lichtenfeld) 1910-1998
Imi moved to Israel from Slovakia after the end of World War II. After the formation of Israel in 1948, Imi became the Chief Instructor of Physical Training and Krav Maga at the Israeli Defence Force's (IDF) School of Combat Fitness. During this time he taught Krav Maga to the IDF's most elite units including the Haganah, and the Special Commando units of the Palmack, and Palyam. Upon retiring in 1964 from the IDF, Imi adapted the Krav Maga style for civilian use as a self defence system...
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