Moni Aizik, an ex-Israeli commando, plans to introduce the city to Israeli martial arts.
Moni Aizik, an ex-Israeli commando, plans to introduce the city to Israeli martial arts.
MUMBAI: Moni Aizik is fascinated by Mumbai. Maybe it’s got something to do with his Indian roots — his grandfather Suraj Chand lived here and served in the British army during World War II.
Aizik, an Israeli martial arts champion, former commando and now an accomplished trainer has developed and improved the hand-to-hand techniques of Krav Maga a form of martial arts that is still employed by the Israeli army. After introducing Commando Krav Maga (CKM) techniques on a commercial basis in 13 countries worldwide, Aizik plans to bring his expertise to the land of his ancestors. Soon, Mumbai will have its own CKM training centre, thanks to Mumbai-based Amar Sukhi, Aizik’s students, and the man responsible for bringing him to India.
Sukhi insists that the institution will be different from other sports clubs in the city, mainly because the training is stimulating and rarely repetitive. “The programme is the distillation of many techniques culled from a variety of martial arts. There’s some judo in it, as well as jujitsu and no-holds-bar fighting techniques which are very effective in real-life situations,” says the man who fought in the fourth Arab-Israel war (also known as the Yom Kippurim war where Egypt and Syria simultaneously attacked Israel) in 1973.
After the war, his next assignment was to develop a military version of ‘Krav Maga’. “The idea was to make it more adaptable for the army; more comprehensive, practical and straight forward.” What emerged was a martial arts form that is not only practical and easy to grasp, but has become quite popular with civilians all over Europe and the US. Aizik left the army in 1976 and started a school in Tel Aviv. He later migrated to Canada, where he now lives, and hopes to establish his schools all over the world.
“I’ve always taught my students to be flexible and to improvise on the spot. My goal is to teach them to survive.”
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