Krav Maga is today's cutting-edge self-defense and hand-to-hand combat system. It has international recognition from experts in Martial Arts and combat instructors as an innovative, effective, and highly practical self-defense and fighting method. Initially developed by Grandmaster Imi Sde-Or (Lichtenfeld) for the Israeli Defense Forces (I.D.F.) and other national security services, Krav Maga has been thoroughly adapted to meet civilian needs. The method was designed so that ordinary citizens, young and old, men and women alike, can successfully use it, regardless of their physical strength. The easily acquired natural techniques, combined with logically structured defense tactics, form a self-defense system characterized by simplicity; this is in fact the true secret of Krav Maga's effectiveness. The volatile Israeli reality gave the Krav Maga School ample opportunity to be tested in real-life situations, more fierce than ordinary street fighting, allowing it to be improved upon and refined accordingly. This is the first and only authorized, comprehensive manual on the Krav Maga discipline, written by its founder, Imi Sde-Or, and his senior disciple and follower, Eyal Yanilov. Illustrated with over 450 photographs and diagrams, this volume specifically addresses the facets of dealing with an armed assailant, and includes official Krav Maga techniques for coping quickly and efficiently with lethal confrontations. The book especially focuses on confronting an assailant armed with a sharp-edged weapon, a blunt object, or a firearm. Other, related subjects covered include: using everyday objects as defensive weapons, neutralizing a handgun or a hand grenade directed at a third party in a hostage situation, and modern and sophisticated training methods used in Krav Maga (including mental training). As Mr. Shimon Peres, one of Israel's foremost statesmen, wrote in his foreword to the book: "...Terrorism does not respect borders!"