Kapap
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kapap (Hebrew: קפ"פ, short for Krav Panim El Panim - face to face combat) is an Israeli combat system of defensive tactics, hand-to-hand combat and self-defense, employed by the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Police, and their special operations and anti-terrorist units Yamam.
It originated in the 1940s battle tactics used by the Palmach. The founder of the modern Israeli martial arts system of kapap is Lieutenant Colonel Chaim Peer, a former member of the special forces unit Sayeret Matkal.
Until the year 2001 Kapap was unknown outside of Israel. In the spring of 2001 Sergeant Jim Wagner of the Orange County Sheriff's Department (California) was invited to Israel by Major Avi Nardia to train Israeli police and military personnel in his unique brand of knife survival tactics and Close Quarter Battle (CQB) at the Israel Police Operational Fitness Academy Havatselet Hasharon through the permission of Academy Coordinator Colonel Gidy Lind. Sergeant Jim Wagner also trained under Lieutenant Colonel Chaim Peer at the Tel Aviv University Sports Club Jiujitso-Multifight Club and trained some of Lt. Col. Peer's students as well in his own system (soon to become Reality-Based Personal Protection). Sergeant Jim Wagner then invited Major Avi Nardia to teach Kapap in the United States to American police and military units. Major Nardia made several trips to the United States during 2001 - 2002. On several of the courses Major Nardia was assisted by Sergeant Uri Kaffe (a Reserve Israeli police sniper).
In December 2003 Jim Wagner, after having served as a counterterrorist agent for the United States Federal Air Marshal Service, was again invited to Israel, only this time to train at the Wingate Institue for the Israeli Defense Force (Bagad 8). Jim Wagner taught 100 soldiers several Defensive Tactics techniques and combat drills. In addition, he also trained some of Lieutenant Colonel Chaim Peer's students again in Tel-Aviv and interviewed the colonel about the origins of Kapap. While in Netanya, Israel Jim Wagner suggested to Major Avi Nardia that he create a civilian version of Kapap and offer it to the martial arts community. Jim Wagner had left full-time law enforcement and his Reality-Based Personal Protection system was spreading worldwide, and he believed that Kapap could likewise be popular. A few months later Major Nardia took Jim Wagner up on his idea and created a civilian version of Kapap which he first offered to the public in Los Angeles, California, USA.
Black Belt Magazine and Budo International Magazine first introduced the system of Kapap to the west through Jim Wagner's first articles in 2003. Up until then the world outside of Israel only knew about the Israeli martial art of Krav Maga. It was War Arts that produced the first Kapap video and Budo International Magazine produced the second video to ever be made about the system. This video, now made into a DVD, stars Major Avi Nardia and the introduction is made by Jim Wagner. Major Avi Nardia is the only authorized international instructor on the system outside of Israel and he is well supported in the United States by USADojo.com.
The Kapap Academy was appointed by the Kapap Federation to certify kapap instructors worldwide. The genuine Kapap-Lotar system is introduced through the first level courses to the International markets by Israeli Special Forces Instructors.
In 2006 Major Avi Nardia and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu expert John Dodsworth Machado worked together in Los Angeles, California to bring a wider variety of ground techniques into the Kapap system. Today Kapap is a growing martial art, and is practiced in several countries.
