Krav Maga teaches self defense skills Published June 19, 2009 By Airman 1st Class Peter R.O. Danielson 55th Wing Public Affairs OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. -- There's a man who wants Offutt members to hit each other. He encourages them to come to the Offutt community center, ready to have knives and guns pointed in their direction once every week. Participants will have to don the pads first, though. The 55th Force Support Squadron offers krav maga lessons lead by Mike Kassebaum, master instructor and owner of Kassebaum's American Taekwondo Association Black Belt Academy & Krav Maga Center, Tuesday nights at 6:15 p.m. Krav maga translates from Hebrew as "close combat." It was originally developed by Imi Lichtenfeld, an Israeli wrestler from Bratislava in the former Czechoslovakia during the 1930s. During that time, an anti-Semitist movement threatened the Jewish neighborhoods of Bratislava. Despite his training as a sport fighter, Lichtenfeld felt that he needed a more realistic hand-to-hand combat system. Because he wanted to share krav maga with local residents, he focused on creating something that could be learned quickly and be effective for different ages and genders. Compared to other martial arts, krav maga is more focused on practical scenarios, said Mr. Kassebaum. The fighting system is designed to be used as a real-world defense against multiple armed and unarmed attackers, he explained. Traditional martial arts are usually technique driven and do not allow for the realities of varied attacks, opponent reactions, environments and other variables in a violent encounter, said Mr. Kassebaum. "I love it because it goes hand in hand with taekwondo training methods and adds even more real self-defense to my training," said Mr. Kassebaum. What makes the system effective is its quick changes between attack and defense, its strikes to vulnerable areas to produce maximum damage with minimum effort, and its reliance on using natural reflexes, he said. "Every 10 to 12 weeks, students will have an opportunity to participate in a progress check to get feedback on their strengths and weaknesses, as well as progressing to new material," said Mr. Kassebaum. The cost of the class is $40 a month. New members are welcome to start attending during any session. "This is a great opportunity for Offutt, not only to offer training in the future of real self defense, but for members to be taught in a safe, structured environment with professionally certified instructors," said Mr. Kassebaum. For more information or registration for krav maga sessions at the Offutt community center, call 294-6247.