Eli Avikzar
World's first Krav Maga black belt · 2nd Chief Instructor IDF · Father of Yehouda
The first black belt in history
On May 1st, 1971, in Israel, Eli Avikzar received a black belt in Krav Maga from Imi Lichtenfeld's own hands. He became the first person in the world to hold this rank — a historical milestone that marks the formal codification of Krav Maga as a complete martial system.
Eli had trained directly under Imi since 1964, when the founder of Krav Maga retired from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and began teaching civilian students. Eli was Imi's most dedicated student during this critical period of the system's civilian adaptation.
2nd Chief Instructor IDF
After Imi's retirement from active teaching at the Wingate Institute, Eli Avikzar was appointed the second Chief Instructor of Krav Maga for the Israeli Defense Forces. He was responsible for training elite units, instructors, and shaping the official IDF combat curriculum from the 1970s through the 1990s.
Under his leadership, Krav Maga became the official hand-to-hand combat system across the IDF, refined through real-world feedback from combat scenarios and adapted for soldiers, officers, special forces, and police units.
Founder of KAMI
In 1978, Eli founded KAMI (Krav Magen Israel), the official Israeli Krav Maga association. He chose the older Hebrew name "Krav Magen" (defensive combat) over the commercial "Krav Maga" to emphasize the system's defensive nature, true to Imi's original philosophy.
KAMI represented a return to pure Krav Maga as Imi conceived it — refined through biomechanical efficiency, free from the commercial dilutions that began appearing in the 1980s. KAMI continues today under the leadership of Yehouda.
Family transmission
Eli married and had several children. His son Yehouda began training under him at age 4, in the family dojo in Netanya. Eli personally trained Yehouda for over 20 years, transmitting not only techniques but the philosophy, the history, and the spirit of Krav Maga as Imi intended.
When Yehouda received his black belt from his father at age 14 — making him the youngest black belt holder in Krav Maga history — Eli ensured the lineage would continue, unbroken, from Imi through himself to his son.
Legacy
Eli Avikzar passed away in 2004. He was posthumously awarded the 10th Dan, the highest rank in Krav Maga. His funeral was attended by military leaders, students, and family from across Israel.
Today, his methodology lives on through the Avikzar System, taught by his son Yehouda — the only direct biological descendant in the original Krav Maga lineage. When you train with Yehouda, you train with what Eli taught, what Imi taught Eli.
Honor the lineage
Train with the son of the world's first Krav Maga black belt.
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