Emrich “Imi” Lichtenfeld (26/05/1910 – 09/01/1998), creator of Krav-Maga, grew up in the city of Bratislava (now Slovakia), then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His father, Samuel Lichtenfeld, was head of the local secret service and self-defense instructor and immobilization techniques of the secret police. It was with him that Imi was first introduced to self-defense techniques.
In his youth, Imi practiced several sports and worked in the circus like trapeze artist and knife thrower. He distinguished him as a Greco-Roman wrestler, winning several national and international championships and in boxing, modality in which it was champion European in 1929, in the heavy-weight category. He also had the black belt in judo and Japanese jiu-jitsu.
Besides, he was an excellent swimmer and great waltz dancer. Imi also acquired knowledge of the human body by studying his uncle’s medical books. This diversity of knowledge, acquired through sport and books, enabled Imi to create the Krav-Maga.
In 1941, Imi joined the Czech Legion, which was part of the British Army and fought against the Nazi forces. After the end of World War II, he joined the Haganá (paramilitary organization, precursor of the Israeli Army).
The fighting in Israel was not technologically advanced because there was little availability of firearms and ammunition. For this reason, Imi began to develop techniques of how to eliminate and neutralize enemy soldiers using their hands, sticks, knives, ropes, etc.
At the end of the war of independence and with the foundation of the State of Israel, Israel’s Defense Forces were created and Imi became “Chief-Instructor of Self-Defense & Physical Preparation for Combat” (his official title in the Israeli Army) and remained in this role until his retirement from the Army.
Upon his retirement, Imi decided to create a brand-new Israeli martial art, dedicated exclusively to self-defense. In
1967, he opened two dojos in Israel, one in Netanya in the north of the country and the other in Tel Aviv in the center of the country.
Imi trained ten students in these two places, five in each city, and gave the black belt only to these ten students.
In the year 1977, Imi passed into the hands of Yaron Lichtenstein his academy in Tel Aviv. Soon after, the Bukan School of Krav Maga was created.