Martial Arts Of The World - Webs

Krav maga has been called the “first unarmed combat system of the
twentieth century.” This is meant to convey the fact that it developed in this
century with the understanding and awareness of modern combat. Firearms
are the weapons of choice for twentieth-century warriors, and terrorism and
sudden violence often define the battlefield of this century. Imi Lichtenfeld
took this situation into account when he developed the art, and the current
instructors use this understanding as the basis for further refinements of the
system. Just as karate was developed for self-defense when weapons were
banned for use by civilians on the island of Okinawa, and certain forms of
jûjutsu were developed as auxiliary weapons when a Japanese warrior lost
his weapons in battle, krav maga was developed as a way for modern warriors
to defend themselves against the unpredictable nature of modern combat.
It is not intended to reflect a cultural background or a way of life, but
simply to be studied as a system of effective self-defense. In this respect, krav
maga is also one of the most universally applicable martial systems. Although
a recent arrival on the martial arts stage, krav maga has become a
very popular style. As the demand rises for soldiers to fight in unconventional
contexts, as well as for civilians to be able to cope with dangerous situations,
the demand for krav maga will likely rise as well.
Gene Tausk
References
“Krav Maga: A New Twist on Street Fighting.” 1998. Let’s Live, November,
68.
Lichtenfeld, Imi, and Eyal Yanilov. 1998. Krav Maga: Self Defense and
Fighting Tactics. Tel Aviv: Dekel.
Kung Fu/Gung Fu/Gongfu
Kung fu (often romanized as gung fu or gongfu) is a Cantonese phrase meaning,
depending on context and the connotations an interpreter applies to the
term, “hard work,” “human effort,” “exertion,” or “skill”; especially in the
context of the martial arts, gong carries the meaning of “inner power.” In
contemporary Western usage, kung fu has been used as a generic term for
Chinese martial arts ranging from what have been labeled the “soft” or “internal”
arts of taijiquan (tai chi ch’uan), baguazhang (pa kua ch’uan), and
xingyiquan (hsing i ch’uan) to the so-called hard or external arts of Northern
and Southern Shaolin. The term kung fu has been associated particularly
with those martial systems that tradition claims are descended from the
Shaolin Temple arts. In addition, the label kung fu tends to be more strongly
associated, outside China at least, with the forms of Chinese martial arts that
are presumed to emphasize striking over grappling techniques. According to
some sources, the term originated as an admonition to practice diligently and
was associated, in Hong Kong and Taiwan, with wugong (fighting skill).
Kung Fu/Gung Fu/Gongfu 313