Kapap

Kapap

Palmach soldiers practicing Kapap stick fighting
Focus	Hybrid
Country of origin	Israel
Parenthood	Bare knuckle boxing, Greco Roman wrestling, knife fighting, judo, jujutsu.
Olympic sport	No

Kapap (Hebrew: קפ"פ‎, קפא"פ‎), often written KAPAP, a Hebrew acronym for Krav Panim el Panim (lit. face to face combat), is a close-quarter battle system of defensive tactics, hand-to-hand combat and self defense.

The Kapap system was developed in the late 1930s, within the Jewish Aliyah camps as part of preparatory training before their arrival in the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach and Haganah used Kapap as an ongoing combat development program for their recruits.

It was primarily considered a practical skill set that was acquired during the training period of the Palmach and Haganah fighters. The main focus was to upgrade the physical endurance, elevate and strengthen the spirit, developing a defensive and offensive skill set. It included physical training and endurance, cold weapon practical usage, boxing, judo, jujutsu, karate and knife and stick fighting.

In the early 1950s the term Kapap was used interchangeably with the term Krav Maga as elements of the syllabus altered. By the time the 1960s came, the term was used only within certain units who needed more than basic training in Krav Maga such as Unit 216, Sayeret Matkal (Ariel Sharon also served in this unit). Special units required skill sets that suited their function. Non-military special police units, such as Yamam, require more than striking and neutralization in their skill sets. It should also be noted that not all Special Forces fall under the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). Modern Kapap has evolved in units such as these and also at Lotar (Israel's school of Anti-Terrorism).