Ankita does not fear male aggression anymore. Since she started ‘Krav Maga’ lessons six months ago, the young Delhiite feels more secure walking on the streets of Delhi. .
“Earlier I was really worried that one day I would find myself alone in the streets after eight pm. But now I am sure I can defend myself,” she said.
Udit Bagga, director of the civilian sector of the Krav Maga Federation in India, told the story of a young woman attacked by a man. She was travelling by bus when he tried to steal her money. The girl had been practising ‘Krav Maga’ for a few years. She punched him and the blow was so strong that the man lost his teeth.
‘Krav Maga’ has provided women in Delhi a way to better defend themselves against male aggression. Statistics from the Delhi Police show 400 to 500 rapes per year, but the real number is much higher given most of the attacks are never reported. Delhi is known across the country as the ‘capital of rape’.
In July 2011 the Delhi Police Commissioner advised women against going out alone at night. His statement attracted much criticism from women who said the advice did not answer the problem of women safety on the streets.
A group of women found their own answer through ‘Krav Maga’.
‘Krav Maga’, which means ‘contact combat’ in Hebrew, is a self-defence and military combat program from Israel. “The method developed is not a sport but purely self-defence techniques,” Mr Bagga said.
‘Krav Maga’ is non-conventional and combines techniques from different combat sports. The goal is to fit the real conditions of a combat either in the street or on a battlefield where there are no rules.
“Among all the combat sports I have learnt, ‘Krav Maga’ is the only one that you can use in real fights, especially when your adversary is stronger than you,” said Vicky Kapoor, founder of the Krav Maga Federation in India.
‘Krav Maga’ was originally developed for military use. In 1948, Imrich Lichtensfield, a Jew Hungarian who had migrated to Israel, started training Israeli soldiers and police officers for 20 years. Then, in the 1960s and the 1970s he adapted and modified his self-defence and hand-to-hand combat techniques to civilian needs, focusing more on neutralization of attacks.
‘Krav Maga’ spread beyond the Israeli borders in the 1980s. The US was the first to embrace ‘Krav Maga’, followed by some European countries. Due to a growing popularity in the early 2000s ‘Krav Maga’ schools opened in various places, notably in Asia.
Mr Kapoor started the Indian branch of the International Krav Maga Federation in 2003. The first session started in Delhi with a few women. Today there are between 20 and 30 women in the Federation.
For the women program, Mr Bagga said the teaching was less focused on self-defence and more on getting out of the attacks. The important point is to be aware of the surrounding environment to reduce the risk of direct confrontation. But women also learn how to handle a confrontation if it is not possible to avoid.
“Krav Maga is best for girls because it is not a question of strength. It is rather a method to learn how to hit the weak parts of the body such as the stomach, the nose, the knees, etc.” said Anuj, a teacher in Delhi.
Despite that women and men do not learn the same techniques they are taking the lessons together. It is the only way for girls to learn how to defend themselves against male aggression in real conditions. Indeed practising directly against men who have various level of strength is essential to progress, Anuj explained.
Krav Maga lessons teach both self-defence and mutual aid and that could lead girls to be less vulnerable in Delhi.
Maina Fauliot
Jamia Percept 