Krav Maga, for everyone

December 31, 2009 - 12:00 PM by Jessica

You’ve heard of it, maybe you’ve even tried it, especially if you’re a gnarly Hollywood type who’s gotta get into shape for your next flick. It, is Krav Maga, the Israeli-created self-defense training program honed in the IDF for battling the bad guys.

And yes, it’s been used by J. Lo for workouts, in action flicks such as The Bourne Ultimatum, and in video games GTA and Splinter Cell. “How I Met Your Mother” actor Joe Manganiello claims it helped get him a part in the recently cast “True Blood,” and Bionic Woman’s Michelle Ryan also used it to get in shape. And of course our very own Bar Refaeli uses it to keep her curves svelte.

But now anyone can try it online, and for much less than the cost of a single lesson with a personal trainer. Lee Rivnay and Amir Student, two Israelis who were looking for a good idea, launched KravMagaBootCamp.Com two years ago. They keep their site fresh with constant updates to the materials and methods of Krav Maga and offer instant access to Ran Nakash, who headed up the Krav Maga training division of the IDF.

What’s impressive about Rivnay and Student is not their Krav Maga skills; I’m not sure they have any. What they do have is ideas, as they’ve been clearly looking around for start-up possibilities, having first launched Girls Teach Guys, a website community that “facilitates communication and knowledge transfer between men and women. Trust me, it’s a lot raunchier than Krav Maga. But hey, it’s all about Israeli ingenuity. And Krav Maga is certainly one of those Israeli inventions that has found a global market.

Share with others