GRANDMASTER HAIM GIDON

Grandmaster Haim Gidon

Tenth dan and Israeli Krav Maga Association president heads the Israeli Krav Maga Association (Gidon System) from the IKMA’s main training center in Netanya, Israel. The IKMA is the original governing body for Israeli Krav Maga, recognized by the Israeli government and headed by Grandmaster Haim Gidon. Haim was a member of Krav Maga founder Imi Lichtenfeld’s first training class in the early 1960s. Along with Imi and other top instructors, Haim Gidon cofounded the IKMA. In 1995, Imi nominated Haim as the top authority to grant first dan Krav Maga black belts and up.

Haim represented Krav Maga as the head of the system on the professional committee of Israel’s National Sports Institute, Wingate. In June 1996, Haim Gidon received his eighth dan (black belt), when Krav Maga founder Imi Lichtenfeld also declared that ninth and tenth dans (red belt) were to come. The only other instructor to formally receive the eighth dan from Imi was the late Eli Avigzar. Following in Imi’s legendary footsteps, after Imi’s passing in 1998, Haim became the highest-ranking Krav Maga instructor in the world.

Grandmaster Gidon, whose professional expertise is in worldwide demand, has taught defensive tactics for the last thirty years to Israel’s security and military agencies. Grandmaster Haim Gidon is ably assisted by some of the highest-ranked and most capable Krav Maga instructors in the world, including Ohad Gidon (sixth dan), Noam Gidon (fifth dan), Yoav Krayn (fifth dan), Yigal Arbiv (fifth dan), Steve Moshe (fifth dan) and Aldema Zirinksi (fifth dan).