An experienced senior administrator and computer scientist, Otis Benjamin Young (commonly known as Benjamin or Ben) drives digital development as the chief innovation officer of Sworkit in Washington, DC. Although he is currently sidelined due to an injury, Mr. Young is a longtime practitioner of Krav Maga in DC.
Imi Lichtenfeld, the major force behind the creation and development of Krav Mag, hails from a Hungarian-Jewish family in Bratislava, Slovakia. He was a wrestling and boxing expert who learned police-style defensive tactics from his father.
Living in an extremely tough neighborhood, Lichtenfeld learned to combine a range of martial arts techniques to defend himself on the streets. He immigrated to Israel after the formation of that country in the wake of World War II and accepted a commission from the Israeli military to refine its official hand-to-hand combat system.
In the 1930s, Lichtenfeld developed his system under the name of Krav Maga (or “close combat”). This martial arts style borrows techniques from multiple traditions, including aikido, judo, jiujitsu, boxing, and Muay Thai kickboxing.
