Krav Maga Global Japan Will Help You Reach Your Goals
"Whenever I meet new students eager to learn self-defense, I feel a deep responsibility to help them achieve their goals to the best of my ability."
Gilles Isard - Instructor
About The Instructor
My name is Gilles Isard, and I am the founder and chief instructor of KMG Japan. With 10 years of experience teaching Krav Maga in Japan, I am dedicated to guiding you on your journey. If you choose to train with us, I will personally ensure you progress and reach your self-defense goals.
My journey in martial arts began at the age of 7, when I started training in Judo. For the next decade, I dedicated myself to the sport, earning a brown belt and competing extensively. The confidence Judo gave me led to several street fights as a teenager, which made me realize that boxing and kicking were more practical in real-world situations. This realization prompted me to train in kickboxing for a year before I took a long break from martial arts.
At 19, I joined the French army for a year, as service was compulsory at the time. Though the experience was valuable, I knew it wasn’t my calling. Instead, I chose to work with Doctors Without Borders, where I spent 25 years traveling and living in conflict zones like Somalia, Rwanda, Afghanistan, and Congo. In Congo, I experienced a violent home invasion, where the attackers were armed with AK-47s. The violence I witnessed during my career made me understand the harsh realities of danger and survival.
In 2004, I resumed martial arts, starting with Taekwondo. After six years of practice, I earned my second-degree black belt. While Taekwondo was a great experience, I realized it wasn’t ideal for self-defense, so I explored other systems like Hapkido and Wing Chun. Despite years of training, I still doubted my ability to handle a real-life aggressor.
Everything changed in 2011 when I discovered Krav Maga. It quickly became clear that this was the practical system I had been searching for. Krav Maga’s realistic approach to self-defense was exactly what I needed. After three years of intensive training, I traveled to Israel to train at Krav Maga Global headquarters under the guidance of world-renowned experts, including Master Eyal Yanilov. I returned home as a certified Krav Maga instructor and began teaching in Japan, my wife’s homeland.
Since then, I’ve continued training and expanding my expertise. In 2017, I earned a certification in VIP protection Instructor (third-party protection), and in 2019, I achieved the rank of Krav Maga Expert in Israel. Every couple of years, I return to Israel to train with Master Eyal Yanilov and his team, continually improving my skills.
Krav Maga has transformed my life, and I hope it can do the same for you.
Gilles Isard
Credentials:
Krav Maga - Self-Defense Instructor
Krav Maga VIP Protection Instructor
Krav Maga Expert (Black Belt)
About KMG Japan
Krav Maga Global Japan (KMG Japan) is a leading self-defense school dedicated to our students' success. Since opening in July 2015, we've dedicated ourselves to offering exceptional training and support. Join us to acquire self-defense skills that will stay with you for a lifetime.
Krav Maga Global Japan is part of Krav Maga Global (KMG), the leading organization for Krav Maga training worldwide. Headquartered in Israel, KMG operates in over 60 countries and is led by the renowned Krav Maga instructor, Master Eyal Yanilov. Eyal was the closest assistant to Krav Maga's founder, the late Imi Side-Or Lichtenfeld, for nearly 20 years, and has played a pivotal role in the global development of Krav Maga.
Founded in Tokyo in 2015, KMG Japan has since trained hundreds of students from diverse nationalities. At KMG Japan, we teach the authentic principles of Krav Maga as developed by Imi and Eyal. KMG's Krav Maga is utilized by police forces, law enforcement agencies, and military units worldwide, ensuring that what we teach has been rigorously tested and proven to be both effective and realistic. As a small Krav Maga school, we take pride in knowing each of our members by name. We care deeply about every individual and strive to create an environment where they can enjoy their training safely while also achieving their personal goals.
Imi Lichtenfeld
Founder Of Krav Maga
Imrich “Imi” Lichtenfeld, born in 1910, was a Hungarian-Jewish martial artist and the founder of Krav Maga. Raised in Bratislava, Slovakia, where his father was a police chief and gym owner, Imi became a skilled boxer, wrestler, and gymnast. In the mid-1930s, facing rising anti-Semitic violence, Imi led a group of Jewish men in defending their community, gaining crucial insights into real-world combat.
In 1940, Imi fled Nazi-occupied Europe, eventually reaching Palestine, where he joined the Hagana, the precursor to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). As Chief Instructor for Physical Fitness and Krav Maga in the IDF, Imi spent 20 years refining his self-defense system. After retiring in 1964, he adapted Krav Maga for civilian use, opening training centers in Israel and making the system accessible to everyone.
Imi emphasized using natural movements, decisive counterattacks, and mental readiness in self-defense. His teachings stressed respect, avoiding unnecessary force, and ethical conduct. Imi’s legacy lives on through Krav Maga Global (KMG), led by his top student, Eyal Yanilov, ensuring that Krav Maga remains a vital self-defense system worldwide. Imi passed away in 1998, leaving an enduring impact on martial arts and self-defense.
Eyal Yanilov, born in 1959, is a renowned Krav Maga master who studied directly under the system's founder, Imi Sde-Or (Lichtenfeld). As Imi's closest assistant and disciple since the early 1980s, Eyal was considered by Imi as family and the natural heir to lead Krav Maga. Imi awarded him the prestigious "Expert 8" rank, the highest ever given to a practitioner. In 1996, with Imi's support, Eyal founded the International Krav Maga Federation (IKMF) to expand the system globally.
Eyal played a pivotal role in modernizing Krav Maga by creating a comprehensive curriculum that emphasized both technical and tactical aspects. He taught Krav Maga worldwide, including to special military and law enforcement units. However, the structure of IKMF limited further development, leading Eyal to establish Krav Maga Global (KMG) in 2010. As president and head instructor of KMG, Eyal continues to oversee the growth and dissemination of Krav Maga, ensuring that the system remains true to its roots while evolving to meet the needs of military, police, special forces, and civilians globally.