“What is Krav Maga to me?
.
It’s the way to make the world better.”
Grand Master Kobi Lichtenstein
Kobi Lichtenstein was born in 1964 in the town of Rehovot, Israel. At the age of three, he initiated in Krav Maga, taught by the creator of the art, Imi Lichtenfeld (Z “L).
He literally learned to punch before he even learned to write. His life was dedicated to Krav Maga, his motives and instincts were shaped by the art's technique and by 15 years of age he began to give the first classes. In 1983, Master Kobi received from Imi the black belt, graduating as such by the Israeli Krav Maga Association and instructor at Wingate University, the biggest physical education university in Israel and considered one of the best in the world. Master Kobi also attended courses in Physiotherapy, first aid, special nutrition for athletes, in the same university. He was in charge of teaching Krav Maga in the center-south region of the country, working with thousands of students. In addition, he taught a number of specific groups such as women victims of sexual violence, teenagers considered juvenile delinquents, autistic and others, obtaining remarkable results and showing how Krav Maga manages to change people’s lives far beyond the techniques that are taught in class.
He participated in countless special missions of the Israeli army during the 1982 Lebanon War, worked in the National Security Service and completed a Masters in National Security and Terror at Hod Hasharon University in Israel, in partnership with Newport University, in California. Today, Master Kobi is a representative in Brazil of the United States Police Defensive Tactics Association, and a member of the International Bodyguard Association IBSSA.
During the 1980s, Imi, the creator of Krav Maga, selected a group of people who would be responsible for teaching Krav Maga in the future. They would be the ones who would take the Krav Maga to the world and to the next generations, and so Imi trained them. Master Kobi was one of the members of this select group
In 1989, Master Kobi received from Imi his newest and most important mission, which he embraced as a goal of life: to introduce the Krav Maga in Brazil and throughout Latin America, spreading the work of Imi with integrity and fidelity.
And so, he arrived in Brazil on January 18, 1990, establishing himself in the city of Rio de Janeiro. He founded the Brazilian Krav Maga Association and later the South American Krav Maga Federation of Krav Maga, recognized by the Secretary of Sports and Ministry of Education. As the first black belt to leave the State of Israel to diffuse Krav Maga and fulfill the mission entrusted to him, he began the work and was very successful, surprising even the army and police elites, for the objectivity and efficiency of Krav Maga and his understanding of the subject.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A
MASTER AND A GRAND MASTER
When I arrived in Brazil, I noticed how scared people were on the streets and I realized the difference that Krav Maga could make in their lives. So, I embraced the mission of teaching Krav Maga to more and more people, until one day everyone understood the values, philosophy and techniques of this art. When this day comes, Brazil and the world will no longer be the same.
Media records – press, TV and radio – document the stages of the work in continuing progress. The spreading and dissemination of Krav Maga in Latin America, since the first classes, in clubs and gyms, to the foundation of the Brazilian Association and later the South American Federation, the inauguration of the National Training Center (Top Defense), the courses given in several Brazilian states, the launch of 4 books in Portuguese language, the latter being also launched in 5 other languages.
As a master of Krav Maga and a security specialist, he has taught course modules for several military, police and private security agencies. The training for the security industry has achieved excellent results and courses have been requested in all Brazilian states and by countries in Latin America. Among the main units already trained are the Amphibious Commandos (The Brazilian Navy Seals) and the Federal Police which participated in the Rio 2016 Olympics against possible terrorist actions, personal security teams of the Presidency of the Republic and some several governors, Battalion of Special Police Operations (BOPE), Special Forces (FE) of the Army, Forest Warfare Training Center (CIGS, the Brazilian Green Berets), etc.
In March 2009, Master Kobi was awarded with the highest honors of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the Tiradentes Medal. In May of the same year, he was also awarded with the highest honor of the city of Rio de Janeiro, the set of medals Pedro Ernesto. In December 2010, he received the Legislative Merit Medal at the National Congress Palace.
In May 2010, he organized Krav Maga’s biggest international event, bringing to Rio de Janeiro the world’s foremost masters of Krav Maga and gathering delegations from 28 countries, during intense 5-day programming, including seminars, lectures, workshops, night of honors, and achieving the world record of the “Biggest self-defense class in the world”, conferred by an official auditor of Guinness Records, with 2212 people attending.
The magnitude of the event placed Rio de Janeiro on the world scene of the sport, praised for the hospitality and professionalism driven by Master Kobi’s work in Brazil and internationally over the last decades.
Also in 2010, Master Kobi received the Emeritus Collaborator Title of the Brazilian Army.
In January 1996, he was granted Black Belt 6th Dan from Imi, the creator of Krav Maga. In May 2011, he received the honor graduation 8th dan from the president of the Israeli Federation of Krav Maga.
Today, Grand Master Kobi is Krav Maga’s greatest authority in Latin America and one of the biggest in the world. Through South American Krav Maga Federation / Master Kobi Krav Maga, he commands and supervises his instructors and students, always with the concern of remaining faithful to Imi’s work, maintaining highly ethical and technical levels.