<div><div><div><h1 id="5fd804b9-0674-42c7-9f1b-765832edfaf7" data-toc-id="5fd804b9-0674-42c7-9f1b-765832edfaf7" style="text-align: left; font-size: 32px; line-height: 1.2;">So, What Is Important to Know?</h1><p>Because the name <strong>“Krav Maga” is not exclusively owned or controlled by a single organization</strong>, many instructors and martial arts schools use the popularity of the name for marketing purposes.</p><p>As a result, you may encounter karate instructors advertising “Krav Maga,” schools combining jujutsu with Krav Maga, or instructors using the Krav Maga name despite having little or no legitimate background in the system.</p><p>At the same time, many legitimate Krav Maga practitioners and instructors have created their own organizations, branches, and interpretations of the system, using names such as <strong>Israeli Krav Maga, Global Krav Maga</strong>, and others.</p><p>One notable example was <strong>Eli Avikzar</strong>, one of Imi Lichtenfeld’s most senior students. Rather than creating another system using the name “Israeli Krav Maga,” Avikzar eventually established <strong>Krav Magen Israeli (KAMI)</strong> — <em>Israeli Defensive Combat</em>. Despite the different name, the system has direct roots in Krav Maga through Avikzar’s extensive training under Imi.</p><p>A legitimate Krav Maga school should remain faithful to the fundamental principles of the system: <strong>simplicity, practicality, efficiency, and preparation for real-world violence.</strong></p><div><hr></div><h2 id="62ba1943-1a0d-48a0-a6e8-bc204bd180c3" data-toc-id="62ba1943-1a0d-48a0-a6e8-bc204bd180c3" style="text-align: left; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.2;">How Can You Tell If It Is Real Krav Maga?</h2><h3 id="0a6bcace-dcf4-4640-8c21-8e31fb0636e0" data-toc-id="0a6bcace-dcf4-4640-8c21-8e31fb0636e0" style="text-align: left; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.2;">1. Look at the techniques</h3><p>A simple rule of thumb is:</p><p><strong>If it looks too flashy, too Hollywood, too acrobatic, or unnecessarily complicated, it probably goes against the fundamental philosophy of Krav Maga.</strong></p><p>Krav Maga techniques should generally be simple enough to learn and perform under pressure. A defense requiring a long sequence of perfectly executed movements is unlikely to be reliable during a real violent confrontation.</p><h3 id="19afdf6b-75e4-4820-82c3-bf51ccd933bb" data-toc-id="19afdf6b-75e4-4820-82c3-bf51ccd933bb" style="text-align: left; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.2;">2. Ask about the instructor’s qualifications</h3><p>A legitimate instructor should be able to explain where they trained, who certified them, and which Krav Maga organization or instructor their certification comes from.</p><p>Do not be afraid to ask to see their Krav Maga instructor certification.</p><h3 id="5d596a30-2f27-4a3b-a580-f77272e7d1b8" data-toc-id="5d596a30-2f27-4a3b-a580-f77272e7d1b8" style="text-align: left; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.2;">3. Look at their lineage</h3><p>Krav Maga has a documented history.</p><p>You should generally be able to trace an instructor's training lineage through an established organization or instructor back to the system developed by <strong>Imi Lichtenfeld</strong>.</p><p>Different organizations may teach different variations, but there should still be a legitimate connection to the Krav Maga lineage.</p><h3 id="c7b8edf3-9da8-48a3-954b-d0ba62fb3f8c" data-toc-id="c7b8edf3-9da8-48a3-954b-d0ba62fb3f8c" style="text-align: left; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.2;">4. Krav Maga should work for ordinary people</h3><p>One of the central ideas behind Krav Maga is that self-defense should not depend on exceptional athletic ability.</p><p>The system should provide practical tools for different types of people — men, women, teenagers, older adults, and people of different sizes and physical abilities.</p><p>If a supposed “self-defense” technique requires you to perform a head-height kick, an acrobatic movement, a split, or something requiring exceptional flexibility, it probably does not represent the fundamental philosophy behind Krav Maga.</p><p>Krav Maga became internationally recognized as a practical system of <strong>self-defense and hand-to-hand combat</strong>, and today variations of the system are taught both to civilians and to military, police, and security personnel around the world.</p><div><hr></div><h1 id="75a72e4a-9127-4d48-8642-0c9656409384" data-toc-id="75a72e4a-9127-4d48-8642-0c9656409384" style="text-align: left; font-size: 32px; line-height: 1.2;">Why Are There So Many Different Krav Maga Systems?</h1><p>This is one of the most common questions people ask about Krav Maga.</p><p>Why are there so many organizations?</p><p>Why do different instructors sometimes teach different techniques?</p><p>And if Krav Maga was originally developed by Imi Lichtenfeld, why isn't there simply <strong>one Krav Maga organization today?</strong></p><p>To understand this, we need to look at how Krav Maga developed after Imi began teaching his senior students.</p><h2 id="7772e044-928c-4aaa-953c-811938b355a6" data-toc-id="7772e044-928c-4aaa-953c-811938b355a6" style="text-align: left; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.2;">The Early Years</h2><p>For many years, the <strong>Israeli Krav Maga Association</strong>, founded by Imi Lichtenfeld and his students, was the principal organization representing Krav Maga.</p><p>Senior students played important roles in developing the system and establishing professional standards.</p><p>One of the most important of these students was <strong>Eli Avikzar</strong>.</p><p>In <strong>1971</strong>, Imi awarded Avikzar one of the first black belts in Krav Maga. Avikzar became one of Imi's most prominent students and continued developing and refining the system.</p><p>His extensive martial arts background also influenced his approach to Krav Maga.</p><h2 id="ab3b9c46-23a4-4e87-80f8-423b72b33c8d" data-toc-id="ab3b9c46-23a4-4e87-80f8-423b72b33c8d" style="text-align: left; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.2;">Eli Avikzar and Krav Magen Israeli</h2><p>During the late 1980s, Avikzar separated from the Israeli Krav Maga Association.</p><p>In <strong>1989</strong>, he established <strong>KAMI — Krav Magen Israeli (Israeli Defensive Combat).</strong></p><p>There were several reasons behind this development.</p><h3 id="8a074c71-16d8-43c1-bdc7-c495f15b5dda" data-toc-id="8a074c71-16d8-43c1-bdc7-c495f15b5dda" style="text-align: left; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.2;">Technical development</h3><p>Over years of teaching, Avikzar introduced improvements, modifications, and new techniques.</p><p>As these changes accumulated, his approach began developing its own identity alongside the Krav Maga curriculum that already existed.</p><p>Together with his senior student <strong>Avi Avisidon</strong>, Avikzar established KAMI and organized these developments into a structured system.</p><h3 id="758b472c-e9d4-4184-bc2d-be0660109fe1" data-toc-id="758b472c-e9d4-4184-bc2d-be0660109fe1" style="text-align: left; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.2;">Maintaining an Israeli identity</h3><p>Avikzar also believed that the Israeli origins of the system should be clearly represented in its name.</p><p>According to accounts within the Krav Maga community, he proposed adding the word <strong>“Israeli”</strong> to Krav Maga.</p><p>Imi reportedly opposed the idea because he believed emphasizing nationality in the name could make international expansion more difficult.</p><p>Out of respect for Imi and the Krav Maga name, Avikzar chose a different solution.</p><p>Instead of <strong>Krav Maga Israeli</strong>, he used the name:</p><p><strong>Krav Magen Israeli — KAMI.</strong></p><div><hr></div><h1 id="c52796fb-6e96-4bf7-9c98-9ed48763e814" data-toc-id="c52796fb-6e96-4bf7-9c98-9ed48763e814" style="text-align: left; font-size: 32px; line-height: 1.2;">The Expansion of Krav Maga Organizations</h1><p>Over time, additional Krav Maga organizations were established by Imi's students and subsequent generations of instructors.</p><p>These included organizations associated with instructors such as <strong>Haim Zut, Haim Gidon, Eyal Yanilov</strong>, and many others.</p><p>The <strong>International Krav Maga Federation (IKMF)</strong> was established in the 1990s and became one of the organizations responsible for spreading Krav Maga internationally.</p><p>Following <strong>Imi Lichtenfeld's death in 1998</strong>, the Krav Maga world became increasingly decentralized.</p><p>More instructors established independent organizations, associations, federations, and systems.</p><p>There was no longer a single person with Imi's authority who could determine exactly how Krav Maga should develop.</p><div><hr></div><h1 id="754afd1d-aa2f-47c0-a4bb-120996224426" data-toc-id="754afd1d-aa2f-47c0-a4bb-120996224426" style="text-align: left; font-size: 32px; line-height: 1.2;">Why Do Krav Maga Organizations Split?</h1><p>There is no single explanation. Organizations have separated for many different reasons.</p><h3 id="4216e9dd-f25f-4e4b-80a8-e7df5eced26d" data-toc-id="4216e9dd-f25f-4e4b-80a8-e7df5eced26d" style="text-align: left; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.2;">1. Differences in technique and training philosophy</h3><p>Experienced instructors naturally develop their own opinions about what works best.</p><p>Some modifications came from experience in other martial arts. Others came from military, police, security, or real-world operational experience.</p><p>Modern combat sports such as <strong>MMA, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling, and Muay Thai</strong> have also influenced the way some Krav Maga organizations approach striking, grappling, and ground fighting.</p><h3 id="566b437d-4645-4740-b979-929c38125ab0" data-toc-id="566b437d-4645-4740-b979-929c38125ab0" style="text-align: left; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.2;">2. Leadership differences</h3><p>As with almost every large organization, disagreements sometimes develop regarding leadership, decision-making, and the future direction of the organization.</p><p>Some senior instructors eventually choose to establish their own organizations.</p><h3 id="187c97e7-f881-4b38-8bd0-d49af10c5f8c" data-toc-id="187c97e7-f881-4b38-8bd0-d49af10c5f8c" style="text-align: left; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.2;">3. Organizational and financial differences</h3><p>Some Krav Maga organizations operate as nonprofit associations, while others operate as commercial companies.</p><p>Different views regarding business structure, international expansion, instructor certification, and organizational management have also contributed to divisions.</p><h3 id="1ff951f3-1aaa-49ed-bfef-e34555ac35f0" data-toc-id="1ff951f3-1aaa-49ed-bfef-e34555ac35f0" style="text-align: left; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.2;">4. Differences in ranking and uniforms</h3><p>Not every Krav Maga organization uses the same ranking system.</p><p>Some continue using <strong>colored belts</strong>, similar to traditional martial arts.</p><p>Others use <strong>Practitioner, Graduate, and Expert levels</strong>, patches, or other ranking structures.</p><p>Uniforms also vary significantly between organizations.</p><h3 id="c3c6247a-f171-494a-8bc0-446056bc064c" data-toc-id="c3c6247a-f171-494a-8bc0-446056bc064c" style="text-align: left; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.2;">5. Personal differences</h3><p>And, of course, organizations are made up of people.</p><p>Professional disagreements, personal relationships, ambitions, and different visions for the future have all played a role in the development of today's Krav Maga landscape.</p><div><hr></div><h1 id="405089d5-d833-4007-942a-68d8c4cbc936" data-toc-id="405089d5-d833-4007-942a-68d8c4cbc936" style="text-align: left; font-size: 32px; line-height: 1.2;">Are the Different Krav Maga Systems Really That Different?</h1><p><strong>Yes and no.</strong></p><p>The fundamental techniques and principles of legitimate Krav Maga organizations often remain recognizable.</p><p>You will usually find similar concepts involving:</p><ul><li><p>Striking</p></li><li><p>Defenses against punches and kicks</p></li><li><p>Choke and grab defenses</p></li><li><p>Knife threats and attacks</p></li><li><p>Gun threats</p></li><li><p>Basic takedowns and control</p></li><li><p>Situational awareness</p></li><li><p>Aggressive counterattacking</p></li></ul><p>However, there can also be significant differences.</p><p>Many modern organizations have incorporated <strong>wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, judo, boxing, Muay Thai, and other combat disciplines</strong> into their training.</p><p>Some organizations emphasize civilian self-defense, while others focus more heavily on military, law-enforcement, or security applications.</p><p>Techniques that were part of older Krav Maga curricula have also sometimes been modified or replaced as instructors gained access to new training methods and tested techniques under greater resistance.</p><p>Ranking systems, uniforms, terminology, testing requirements, and the amount of time required between ranks can also vary considerably.</p><p>This does not necessarily mean that one organization teaches “real Krav Maga” while another does not.</p><p>The more important question is whether the system continues to follow the fundamental purpose behind Krav Maga:</p><p><strong>Simple, practical self-defense that can be learned by ordinary people and performed under the pressure of real violence.</strong></p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Continue reading: Krav Maga Belts, Ranks and Uniforms Explained →</strong></p></div></div></div><div><div><div><p>Add a balanced opening disclaimerReduce repeated explanations throughout</p></div></div></div>

Discover why there are so many Krav Maga organizations, how they developed from Imi Lichtenfeld’s original system, and what separates authentic Krav Maga from imitations.

Why Are There So Many Different Krav Maga Organizations and Systems

How Can You Tell If It Is Real Krav Maga?

2. Ask about the instructor’s qualifications

4. Krav Maga should work for ordinary people

Why Are There So Many Different Krav Maga Systems?

1. Differences in technique and training philosophy

3. Organizational and financial differences

Are the Different Krav Maga Systems Really That Different?

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Why Are There So Many Different Krav Maga Organizations and Systems

Why Are There So Many Different Krav Maga Organizations and Systems

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Why Are There Belts or ranks in Krav Maga, and What Do They Mean?