Page 14 - Complete Krav maga : the ultimate guide to over 250 self-defense and combative techniques

The Roots of the System

Imi Lichtenfeld, the founder of Krav Maga.

The founder of Krav Maga, Imi Lichtenfeld, was born in 1910 in Hungary, but
grew up in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. A natural athlete, Imi won the Slovakian
Youth Wrestling Championship in 1928, and a year later won the adult
championship in the welterweight division. That same year, he won both the

national boxing championship and an international gymnastics championship.
For the next decade, he earned a place as one of the premier wrestlers in Europe.
However, Imi’s greatest influence was his father, Samuel, a police officer and
self-defense instructor. Samuel started as a circus acrobat and wrestler, but later
entered the police department and served for 30 years as chief detective
inspector. He became well-known for his impressive arrest record, particularly
his capture of dangerous criminals.

When not on the trail of violent felons, Samuel taught self-defense techniques at