Imi Lichtenfeld is the founder of Krav Maga. Born in Hungary, he grew up in Slovakia, was a passionate boxer and wrestler and developed Krav Maga as early as the 1930s. Originally, Krav Maga served to protect Jews living in Slovakia from anti-Semitic attacks. In 1942 Imi Lichtenfeld travelled to Palestine, where he became a close combat instructor for the Israeli army. Only since the late 1970s has Krav Maga been taught to civilians as well.
By the way: In 1993 Imi Lichtenfeld founded the IKMF (International Krav Maga Federation) with the idea behind it that the organisation makes it possible to make Krav Maga accessible to everyone worldwide. And that’s how it happened – in the meantime IKMF Krav Maga is represented in over 80 countries with more than 35,000 students. We, Cityskills Berlin, also belong to the IKMF and support its philosophy.