The meteoric rise of Krav Maga

Israeli Golani infantry soldiers take part in a training of Krav Maga, the close-combat method conceived in secrecy by the Israeli military, in the Regavim army base, in northern Israel. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Krav Maga, the close-combat method conceived in secrecy by the Israeli army, has kicked its way firmly into civilian life and with Hollywood's help, has become the ultimate form of self-defence.

"The idea is to be able to quickly hit the aggressor's vulnerable spots and to defend yourself with whatever is available－a beer bottle or a stick," explains Elad Nimni, who teaches Krav Maga in the Israeli army.

"Or, if you're doing military Krav Maga, you can use a gun instead of your body, because your body can get damaged and that hurts," he tells AFP, wearing military fatigues, his muscles rippling under a tight black t-shirt.

Although Krav Maga－which is Hebrew for "contact combat"－borrows techniques from boxing, wrestling and jiu jistu, it differs from all other combat sports in one way: there are no rules.

Krav Maga is all about saving your own skin, and anything goes.

But interest in the streetwise style of fighting has stretched far beyond Israel, notching up diehard fans from Hampstead to Hollywood, among them A-listers like Angelina Jolie and husband Brad Pitt, whose daily workouts reportedly caused him to bulk up his muscles and "dramatically" lose weight.

It has even been adapted by one young Israeli from Canada who teaches women how to use their stiletto heels to fight off an aggressor in a method she developed after being sexually assaulted.

And in France, there has been a surge of interest in Krav Maga since the November attacks on Paris, with regional groups reportedly clocking up record numbers of new students.

In the gym on a military base in northern Israel where Nimni works, the pungent odor of sweat mixes with loud techno music, as infantry soldiers carrying all their gear simulate realistic hand-to-hand combat situations.

From the sidelines, instructors scream at them, pushing them harder in order to both raise their heart rate and increase their stress levels.

The idea, says Nimni, is for soldiers to learn to defend themselves when they don't have the time, nor the opportunity and in situations when they can't use their weapons.

In recent months, instructors have introduced long plastic knives into the training following a surge in Palestinian knife attacks across Israel and the West Bank.