The well-known martial arts practices of east Asia, such as Karate, Kung  Fu  and Taekwondo receive attention from wide audiences. Yet most don’t really know much, if anything, of the form of self-defense known as  Krav   Maga .

Originating in the 1930s, Krav Maga is now the official form of self-defense and hand-to-hand combat of the Israeli army. Imi Litchenfeld , a Hungarian Jew who was raised in the Bratislava, Slovakia, created Krav Maga as a means of protecting himself, friends and family from attacks by anti-Semites. Krav Maga came about as Litchenfeld learned through hard knocks the differences in fighting for sport, as he had done as a champion wrestler and boxer as a young man, and fighting for self-defense on the street.

This process ultimately resulted in the effective style of Krav Maga . When Litchenfeld moved to Palestine in the 1940s he took this style with him, and eventually became the Chief Instructor of Physical Training for the Israeli Defense Forces, after the formation of the new nation-state in 1948.

Here on campus, a club has been created in hopes of extending these lessons to students.

“It’s really important to have a knowledge of self defense,” Matt Woodward, founder and president of the Krav Maga Club, said.

Woodward said the inspiration for starting the club came when he first moved to the Raleigh area to attend university.

“I started in high school, but when I came to State there wasn’t really a gym to do Krav Maga.”

The club meets every Tuesday and Thursday night in a small room in the basement of the Carmichael Gym. The walls of the room are lined with red pads and the floor is covered in a soft, bouncy material, perfect for sparing. On this occasion, their night began with a light jog around the room, followed by some shadow boxing. Before long, the group of ten made their way to the Brickyard to begin the workout in earnest.

Woodward led the group through a series of anaerobic exercises, until all were panting heavily and gasping for air. Then came the Krav Maga . Woodward led the group through a series of simple defense rules to protect oneself from attack from the side and behind, in the case one is taken off-guard.

“No matter who you are … it’s extremely important to be able to handle yourself,” Evan Boucher, a sophomore in computer science and club member said.

As the session continued, passersby leaving the library would occasionally stop and inquire about the club.

Hristo Danchev , a sophomore in industrial engineering, said he used to practice Mixed Martial Arts, but it didn’t seem very practical. Danchev said the practicality is one reason he was drawn to Krav Maga .

Throughout the session Woodward stressed his desire for his fellow club members not to learn to fight an attacker, but to learn to defend oneself from an assailant, stating repeatedly it’s better to run and be safe than to turn to fight and risk coming into further danger or harm.

“Krav Maga can be an important tool,” Woodward said. “[It] encourages them to survive.”