K.A.M.I. stands for the Israeli Krav Magen Association, which is a system of martial arts which has been adopted and popularized by the Israeli Army, Defence Force, Ministry of Education and Police. This system of self-defence if more widely known as Krav-Maga, and has been popularized throughout the world by practitioners of the influential system of martial arts. Nowadays, this system of self-defense can be found taught all over the world, with many benefitting from its use.
The Original “Krav Maga”
You may be wondering what the difference between K.A.M.I. and those who advertise themselves as practicing and teaching the commonly known Krav-Maga. The truth of the matter is that the term “Krav-Maga” has been taken out of the real practice and being used to label a variety of forms of martial arts that are not the real things. Krav-Maga is now used as a label and can be taught by anyone, including martial artists who have no real practice in the real system. On the other hand, K.A.M.I. is backed by the original association of Krav-Magen in Israel and is the only system officially given certification by the Israeli school. Krav-Magen Canada teaches the original form of self-defense, passed down from the founder of K.A.M.I. and are the only reputable source of Krav-Maga education in Canada today.
Origins of K.A.M.I.
The history of K.A.M.I. is long and complex, originating in Israel in the 1930’s when the original founder Imi Sade-Or created the system of self-defence based on the street fighting of the time. Imi Sade-Or went on to train the Israeli military forces in his new system of self-defence, founding K.A.M.I. as we know it today. The first student to receive a black belt in Krav-Maga and the founding father of K.A.M.I. was Eli Avikzar, who worked alongside Imi until his retirement from the Israeli Defense Force. Eli Avikzar proposed to change the name of Krav-Maga from the generic, which merely means “contact-combat” to Israeli Krav-Maga. Because Imi rejected this idea, fearing it would deter international students from learning the martial art in the future, Eli resigned from the Krav-Maga Association and went on to create “Krav-Magen Israel” which means “shield” or “defense”. This distinction allowed the new association to be more focused on the defense of the individual, which was Eli Avikzar’s original goal. He wished for students of his martial art to learn defense, not offense, while still being a part of the original Krav-Maga family of martial arts.
Today, K.A.M.I is the largest martial arts association in Israel which is subject to professional guidance and supervision from outside bodies. All of it’s trainers and coaches are qualified by the Israeli Krav Magen association, and are professionally licensed to teach the martial art. This is the primary difference between the generic term Krav-Maga and practitioners of K.A.M.I such as Krav-Magen Canada. Our technique differs from other traditional martial arts in that the tactic is focused on self-defense, and can be practiced by virtually anyone as it is based on the natural economy of the human body. We teach our students to employ their body’s natural reactions and movements in self-defense, thereby enabling them to react appropriately to a stimulus that would cause them harm. Our technique improves self-confidence and courage, teaches bodily confidence, discipline, and restraint while providing them with the necessary tools to defend themselves for the rest of their lives.
Self Defense for Everyone
As this technique is suitable for anyone of any age to learn it, we do not discriminate based on gender, capability, and age, and offer the same guidance to our less able students as we would able ones. With a focus on deterring violence, we find that anybody benefits from training and uses it to their advantage in daily life. K.A.M.I can allow you to be comfortable in your body, relaxed and self-restrained for the duration of your life.
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416-562-0670
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Our practice has over 40 locations throughout Israel and the rest of the world but holds only one in Canada, located at 411 Confederation Pkwy Unit #12, Concord, ON L4K 0A8. Our instructor, Sergey Baskin, holds the highest rank in Israeli Krav-Magen and has been teaching for many years. Classes are held bi-weekly and offer you the capacity to learn self-defence, enhance your confidence, build muscle and stamina and above all, protect you from physical harm. Call Mr. Baskin today if you have any questions regarding K.A.M.I or the classes offered at 416-562-0670. For more information, see our website at https://kravmagen.ca.