Our story
“I sought to make of my students human beings. That they became so good that they did not have to kill. I first think of the morality in order to educate the young, during exercises. We must be humble.”
Imi Lichtenfeld
What is Krav Maga
- Krav Maga (/krɑːv məˈɡɑː/; Hebrew: קְרַב מַגָּע ; lit. “contact-combat”) is a military israeli self-defense system that consists of a combination of techniques sourced from boxing, wrestling, muay Thai, jujutsu, aikido, judo, along with realistic fight training.
- It was derived from the street-fighting experience of Hungarian-Israeli martial artist Imi Lichtenfeld, who made use of his training as a boxer and wrestler as a means of defending the Jewish quarter against fascist groups in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia in the mid-to-late 1930s.
- In the late-1940s, following his migration to Israel, he began to provide lessons on combat training to what was to become the IDF.
- Krav Maga has been used by the Israel Defense Forces’ special units, the security apparatus, and by regular infantry units. Variations of Krav Maga are taught internationally at the British SAS, the US Marine Corps and SWAT teams.
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History of Krav Maga
Arising From Chaos
From the Bratislava ghettos to the Israeli battlefields, Krav Maga grew out of adversity. Imi Lichtenfeld was a Jew in 1930s Czechoslovakia. His Bratislava neighborhood experienced anti-Semitic crime at the hands of facists. In response to the threats on his family and neighbours, he and a group of fellow wrestlers developed a new fighting style: Krav Maga. Translated as ‘contact combat’ from Hebrew. Krav Maga was designed to quickly disarm and immobilize attackers. Litchenfeld’s background was in boxing, gymnastics, and wrestling. In addition to that, his father was a police officer. This inspired him to combine disciplines and build a Jewish resistance force in the midst of World War II.
When Israel was founded in 1948, Litchenfeld developed the training program of Krav Maga for the Israeli Defense Force. With the help of his student, Eyal Yanliov, it gained popularity worldwide. It spread through the military ranks, into the police force, and finally to the public. It is still a foundational technique used in the IDF, as well as the Czech castle guards and military.
Do you want to learn Krav Maga? Check out our training programs!
Krav Maga Prague
Jan Edge Černý, MBA
CEO & Main Instructor
Krav Maga Level: Expert 2
Certifications:
Krav Maga Civil, VIP Protection, Combat & Fighting, Law Enforcement, Women, Kids Instructor,
Self-defense instructor according to the Ministry of Education,
Boxing Coach III. Class
Mark Lauren Bodyweight Training Instructor
Tactical Combat Casualty Care Instructor
Tel.: +420 739 079 259
E-mail: bezpeci.pro.vsechny@centrum.cz
Ondřej Novotný
Krav Maga Level: Graduate 1
Certifications:
Krav Maga for Civilians & Kids Instructor,
Self-defense instructor according to the Ministry of Education
Tel.: +420 774 595 192
E-mail: novotnyondra@email.cz
Krav Maga Prague was founded in 2017 by Miklos Mike Handa, me.
I was born on the Hungarian-Yugoslavian border and grew up during the Yugoslavian civil war. Consequently, I developed an interest in martial arts, combat sports and weapons at an early age and as a kid I was training to fight with my elder brother, who was a Judoka. I started training formally at the age of 10 by enrolling at Shotokan Karate. A couple of years later I was introduced to kickboxing – which proved way more effective for real life than karate – and I pursued the sport competitively until the age of 18 when I moved to London, UK. In London I was working as a casino doorman at busy clubs controlling admission and dealing with the trouble makers during the night for several years and managed my online business during the day. I trained boxing at Harringay Boxing Club, kickboxing at Gym Box Holborn and Thai Boxing under Cru Cliff Bura for a brief period of time, before I saw the documentary series called Human Weapon in 2012 and discovered Krav Maga. I learnt that Krav Maga combines the most effective standing and ground fighting techniques as well as defenses against common weapons such as knives, baseball bats and guns and it is very practical. I signed up for a Krav Maga course the next day.
5 years later, I have successfully completed the 24 day full time Krav Maga instructor bootcamp under the association of Krav Maga Global in 2017 and I have been teaching Krav Maga in English in Prague since for adults, kids and teens.
In 2021, with the help of two talented young trainers Jan Patera and Ondrej Novotny, my friend, colleague and mentor Jan Edge Cerny has taken over running Krav Maga Prague from me and they manage the operations of the club and teach all the Krav Maga group classes and Krav Maga private lessons in English in Prague currently.
Krav Maga is recognized as the most effective civilian self defense system in the world and it is especially useful for women, kids and for professional civilians who otherwise do not engage in training for real life violent confrontations. The approach is that what you are learning in the gym needs to be applicable outside of the training arena.
Civilian Krav Maga focuses on sustainable development: our training builds from basic fighting skills and physical conditioning to resilience and combat survival skills. Newcomers can come out of shape, with no experience, and expect to receive training at an appropriate level. The average trainees at Krav Maga Prague are normal people, from all walks of life, looking to be more confident. This isn’t limited to their ability to defend themselves, but extends into their academic, professional and personal lives. Apart from the hands on techniques for unavoidable situations, practice awareness, evasion, de-escalation and help to improve your physical condition.
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