About Titan Self Defence

Imi Lichtenfeld
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About IMI Lichtenfeld, Founder of Krav Maga

The creator of Krav Maga, Imi Sde-Or (formerly, Imrich Lichtenfeld), was born in 1910 to a Hungarian Jewish family in Budapest. He grew up in Bratislava, Slovakia where his father, Samuel Lichtenfeld, was Chief Inspector of Bratislava’s Police Force.

Before working in law enforcement, Samuel Lichtenfeld was a former circus acrobat. As such, he also owned a gymnasium where many activities were taught, including self-defense. Because of his father’s influence, Imi became a very successful boxer, wrestler and gymnast, competing at both national and international levels.

In the mid 1930’s, anti-Semitic riots threatened the Jewish population of Bratislava. Imi became the unofficial leader of about a hundred Jewish young men, mostly boxers and wrestlers, who defended Jewish neighborhoods against racist and fascist gangs. Through these real-world experiences, Imi quickly understood that sport fighting had little in common with real combat.

Drawing from his knowledge — a combination of his father’s activities and teachings, his training in fight sports, and his experience with real street conflicts — Imi began to develop his own methods for self-defense and street fighting, building on natural movements and reactions, combined with an immediate and decisive counterattack, to create effective combat techniques.

He taught these techniques to his fellow defenders, honing them as he went along. These were the foundations of what would become Krav Maga, a complete system of practical self-defense for various conflict situations.

In 1940, Imi fled the Nazi occupation of his homeland and headed for Palestine, then under the British mandate, on an illegal riverboat name Pentcho. The boat shipwrecked on the Greek Dodecanese Islands, but Imi and some other passengers were able to get on a lifeboat which took them to Egypt, then under British control.

In Egypt, he joined and served in the Free Czech Legion. After he was discharged, he made his way to Palestine, which was then also still under British mandate. There, he was quickly welcomed into Israel’s pre-state Hagana military organization, as they recognized his fighting ability and ingenuity.

In 1944, Imi began training fighters in his areas of expertise: physical fitness, swimming, knife fighting, and defenses against knife attacks. During this period, Imi trained several elite units of the Hagana and Palmach (striking force of the Hagana and forerunner of the special units of the IDF), including the Pal-yam, as well as several groups of police officers.

In 1948, when Israel was founded and the IDF was formed, Imi became Chief Instructor for Physical Fitness and Krav Maga at the IDF School of Combat Fitness. He served for a total of 20 years, during which time he further developed and refined his unique method for self-defense and hand-to-hand combat.

In 1964, after retiring from the army, Imi began adapting Krav Maga to meet the self-defense needs of civilians, opening two training centers in the cities of Tel-Aviv and Netanya. His methods were designed to suit everyone – male or female, young or old — enabling them save their life or survive an attack while sustaining minimal harm.

For the remainder of his life and until his final days, Imi continued to develop Krav Maga techniques, concepts, and instructional methods with the assistance of his closest student, Eyal Yanilov. Imi always took great care to promote his universal principles of respect for others, avoidance of undue or unjustified use of force, modesty, peace-loving conduct, and strict adherence to fair play.

Imi passed away in 1998 at the age of 88. He is remembered for his great legacy and is considered a key figure in the world of self-defense and martial arts.

Imi Lichtenfeld
Imi Lichtenfeld

In 1940, Imi fled the Nazi occupation of his homeland and headed for Palestine, then under the British mandate, on an illegal riverboat name Pentcho. The boat shipwrecked on the Greek Dodecanese Islands, but Imi and some other passengers were able to get on a lifeboat which took them to Egypt, then under British control.

In Egypt, he joined and served in the Free Czech Legion. After he was discharged, he made his way to Palestine, which was then also still under British mandate. There, he was quickly welcomed into Israel’s pre-state Hagana military organization, as they recognized his fighting ability and ingenuity.

In 1944, Imi began training fighters in his areas of expertise: physical fitness, swimming, knife fighting, and defenses against knife attacks. During this period, Imi trained several elite units of the Hagana and Palmach (striking force of the Hagana and forerunner of the special units of the IDF), including the Pal-yam, as well as several groups of police officers.

In 1948, when Israel was founded and the IDF was formed, Imi became Chief Instructor for Physical Fitness and Krav Maga at the IDF School of Combat Fitness. He served for a total of 20 years, during which time he further developed and refined his unique method for self-defense and hand-to-hand combat.

In 1964, after retiring from the army, Imi began adapting Krav Maga to meet the self-defense needs of civilians, opening two training centers in the cities of Tel-Aviv and Netanya. His methods were designed to suit everyone – male or female, young or old — enabling them save their life or survive an attack while sustaining minimal harm.

For the remainder of his life and until his final days, Imi continued to develop Krav Maga techniques, concepts, and instructional methods with the assistance of his closest student, Eyal Yanilov. Imi always took great care to promote his universal principles of respect for others, avoidance of undue or unjustified use of force, modesty, peace-loving conduct, and strict adherence to fair play.

Imi passed away in 1998 at the age of 88. He is remembered for his great legacy and is considered a key figure in the world of self-defense and martial arts.

About Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art and combat sport based on ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, controlling one’s opponent, gaining a dominant position, and using a number of techniques to force them into submission via joint locks or chokeholds.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was first developed around 1920 by Brazilian brothers Carlos, Oswaldo, Gastão Jr., George, and Hélio Gracie, after Carlos was taught traditional Kodokan judo by a travelling Japanese judoka, Mitsuyo Maeda, in 1917. Later, they developed their own self-defense system and named it Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. BJJ eventually came to be its own defined combat sport through the innovations, practices, and adaptation of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and Judo, and became an essential martial art for modern MMA. Governing bodies such as the IBJJF work worldwide, and set the rules and standards to be held in sport BJJ competitions.

BJJ revolves around the concept that a smaller, weaker person can successfully defend him/herself against a bigger, stronger, heavier opponent by using leverage and weight distribution, taking the fight to the ground and using a number of holds and submissions to defeat them. BJJ training can be used for sport grappling and self-defense situations. Sparring, commonly referred to as “rolling” within the BJJ community, and live drilling plays a major role in training and the practitioner’s development. BJJ can also be used as a method of promoting physical fitness, building character, and as a way of life.

Neil Tan - Titan Self Defence
Founder of Titan Self Defence & Krav Maga

Neil Tan

Neil Tan is the Founder of Titan Self Defence & Krav Maga based in Hong Kong.

  • Krav Maga Instructor
  • Brazilian Jiujitsu (BJJ) Black Belt
  • MMA (BJJ, Boxing, Muay Thai)
  • Self Defence & Grappling Expert
  • First Aid Emergency Care & Safety
  • Speaks English, Mandarin, and Cantonese

Neil is the first Krav Maga Instructor in Asia ex Pacific to also be a certified Brazilian Jiujitsu Black Belt and joins a very Elite Group of individuals globally with this dual qualification!

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