Krav Maga (pronounced "Krahv Magah" and means "Contact Combat" in Hebrew) is the official self defense and fighting system used by the Israeli Defense Forces (I.D.F.), Israeli Police and Security Services, and numerous U.S. law enforcement agencies. It is also taught in institutions associated with the Israeli Ministry of Education, and since 1964, Krav Maga has been taught to civilians all over the world as well.

Developed and refined during years of conflict, Krav Maga emphasizes easy-to-learn techniques that have been battle-tested in real, life threatening confrontations. There is nothing flashy about this system.

Krav Maga is comprised of two main parts: self defense and hand to hand combat.

Self defense is the foundation of Krav Maga. Students learn to defend themselves against hostile actions, to avoid injury, and to quickly overcome their assailant.
Krav Maga defenses address a wide variety of aggressive acts, such as punches, kicks, chokes, bearhugs, headlocks, grabs, as well as defenses against multiple assailants and assailants armed with a firearm, edged weapon, or blunt object.
Students apply the relevant Krav Maga principles and techniques in a multitude of situations, even in unfamiliar or adverse circumstances, such as dark surroundings; from a sitting or lying position; with limited freedom or movement; or under extreme stress and/or fatigue.

Hand to hand combat constitutes a more advanced and sophisticated phase of Krav Maga which teaches how to neutralize an opponent quickly and effectively. It embodies elements related to the actual performance of the fight: tactics, feints, powerful combinations of different attacks, the psychological dimensions of the
fight, and learning how to use the environment to your advantage.

In addition, Krav Maga incorporates specialized training methods to not only challenge students physically, but to also instill into the student a special mental discipline meant to strengthen the spirit and to develop the ability to deal with violent confrontations under high stress. These training methods have been used
in Israel's most elite units and have proven themselves in real fighting.

Krav Maga is not merely another school of martial arts based on traditional approaches. It is a modern method characterized by a coherent and logical way of thinking which builds up easy, natural, and practical techniques featuring simple movements of the human body.

The lethal nature of the Krav Maga system simulates real life situations. It teaches people how to save lives and to cope with common street violence. To be effective in the streets, Krav Maga cannot include rules and limitations. Therefore, there are no sport competitions for Krav Maga because it is designed to remain a realistic fighting system.