Krav Maga Glossary

Hebrew terms, federation jargon, and curriculum vocabulary — defined plainly.

Krav Magaקְרַב מַגָּע/krahv mah-GAH/: Literally "contact combat." The self-defense system founded by Imi Lichtenfeld and adopted by the IDF in 1948.
Retzevרצף/REH-tsev/: "Continuous" or "sequence." The doctrine that once an engagement begins, the defender attacks without pause until the threat is neutralized. See the dedicated article.
Kapapקפא"פ/kah-PAHP/: Krav Panim el Panim — "face-to-face combat." The pre-state Haganah hand-to-hand program from which Krav Maga partly descends. Now also the name of a related modern Israeli combat system.
Lochama Zehiraלוחמה זעירה/loh-CHA-mah zeh-EE-rah/: "Small-unit combat." Israeli military doctrine surrounding small-team close combat, in which Krav Maga is the empty-hand component.
Tirkulimתרכולים/teer-KOO-leem/: "Complexes" — the linked drill sequences used in modern KMG training that chain multiple techniques into a continuous flow under increasing pressure.
P1–P5 (Practitioner): The five-level civilian-practitioner grading band used by KMG and most IKMF-derived federations. Each level is a graded curriculum block tested under instructor pressure.
G1–G5 (Graduate / Expert): The five-level advanced grading band that follows P5. G1 is the entry point to expert-level material — weapons, third-party protection, stress integration.
360 defense: The forearm-redirection family used against any hand strike at one of eight numbered angles. The foundational defensive system in modern Krav Maga.
Plucking: The two-handed defense against a front choke — both hands explode up the centerline and pluck the attacker's thumbs off the throat in a single motion.
Bursting: Closing the distance to an attacker with maximum aggression, typically as the first beat of a counter-attack against a longer-range threat.
Defensive position: The on-back position used in ground survival: one knee high to protect the groin, one leg extended to kick the attacker, both arms framing.
Stress drill: Any training drill that imposes physiological stress (burnout, disorientation, surprise) before a technique is tested. The signature pedagogical tool of Krav Maga.
Retzev counter: A sequenced counter-attack performed without pause — typically combining a strike with a follow-up knee, elbow, push-off, and disengagement.
Third-party protection: The specialized curriculum for defending a non-combatant (child, principal, partner) while engaging a threat. Distinct from solo self-defense.
Disarm: The final step of a weapon defense in which the weapon is removed from the attacker's control — performed only after counter-strikes have neutralized resistance.
Imi: Imrich "Imi" Lichtenfeld (1910–1998). The founder of Krav Maga. Referred to in the community by first name only; "Imi" alone is unambiguous.
IKMF: International Krav Maga Federation. Founded 1996 by Eyal Yanilov with Imi's endorsement; today one of several major federations.
KMG: Krav Maga Global. Founded 2010 by Eyal Yanilov after he left IKMF; the largest international federation outside the Americas.
KMW: Krav Maga Worldwide. The dominant US federation, founded by Darren Levine who brought Krav Maga to America in 1981.
Bukan: Haim Gidon's federation; widely considered the most technically conservative continuation of Imi's original Israeli school.
Simultaneous defense and attack: Krav Maga's signature timing principle — the defensive movement and the counter-strike leave the holster on the same beat, not in sequence.