Krav Maga training gives Airmen the combat edge

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Nicholas Benroth
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFNS) --  Recognizing the benefits of self-defense in an evolving Air Force mission, base officials here recently hosted a Krav Maga instructor course.

Krav Maga, a fighting technique used internationally by law enforcement and military members, teaches users how to naturally react against an armed attacker.

"We train law enforcement and military to be able to deal with violent offenders they may encounter while remaining aware of their situations and staying calm," said Jon Pascal, a Krav Maga instructor and Los Angeles County sheriff. "Krav Maga combines effectiveness with simplicity, so every technique is a natural reaction from the body."

Each student is put under heavy mental and physical stress to create a life-like situation, a Krav Maga instructor said. So when the time arises and that training is needed, it happens naturally.

During the competitive instructor course, military members and local law enforcement officers were trained to teach their own members the techniques. The seven-day instructor course includes six days of practicing the techniques, he said. On the sixth and seventh days, the members also practice instructing skills and techniques.

Each instructor will take what they learned back to their squadrons to teach and help prepare their fellow members to defend themselves, both at home station and while fulfilling combat roles during deployment.

"With Krav Maga, the techniques are instinctive," said Special Agent Bobby Cumby, from the Office of Special Investigations Detachment 211. "Krav Maga teaches normal reactions to get out of physical situations without thinking. This makes it easy to learn and to teach to large groups.

"More and more Airmen are put on security details and convoy missions downrange," Agent Cumby said. "It's important that Airmen know what to do and be able to react instinctively if someone pulls a gun on them."

The students are taught to think before they act, not just defending themselves, but using the right defense whether the attacker is using their fists or a weapon.

Some of the basic principles of Krav Maga are to counter as soon as possible or to attack the target preemptively, Mr. Pascal said. It also teaches counter techniques targeting the body's more vulnerable points, such as the eyes, jaw, throat, groin and knees.

"Krav Maga is so widely used because the training is set up to be used by any person," he said. "No matter the age, body size or gender, the techniques used can still help combat the attackers."

Krav Maga was developed by Imrich Lichtenfeld as way for the Jewish community to fight off Nazis and fascists gangs in 1930s Bratislava, according to an article from the Krav Maga Association of America. It was adopted by the Israel Defense Force in 1948 and by U.S. law enforcement agencies starting in 1987.