The Commando Krav Maga Scam

Moni Aizik: Judo Instructor Special forces war hero and deadly Israeli Government Assasin...

Fact, Fraud or fantasy you decide.

Aizik is an interesting mix of talented martial artist, complusive liar and modest intellect. The results vary from interesting to catastrophic.

To be clear, I wrote this article as Moni Aizik and his claims directly effect me. This is not a vendetta, its not personal. I never met the man.

Moni Aizik is an Israeli Judo Instructor and charismatic conman who invented a Special Forces background to promote his 3 day £1300 courses.  Read the article that Aizik wanted banned - Commando Krav Maga Sucks..

However Aizik is a well known fraud. He made his special forces claims and background up. He then generates loads of "Instructors" who complete a long weekend with no prior experience. In summary ANYONE with the money, can teach Commando Krav Maga after 3 days.

These guys then leave Moni and claim to be real Krav Maga Instructors, not Commando Krav Maga Instructors. It effects all the real Krav Maga Instructors as we become confused with the standards, and amateurism of many of Aiziks Instructors.

This is bad for Krav Maga, bad for people who think they are training with a real instructor and bad for real instructors who are confused by Monis weekend instructor course.

I teach Krav Maga for a living. I trained with credible organisations - the International Krav Maga Federation and Krav Maga Worldwide. Both organisations have high standards, as do many others such as the F.E.K.M, the IKMA.

We investigate his claims to be the founder of the Hand to Hand system taught exclusivley to the Israeli Special Forces, the co founder of the Krav Maga system with Imi Lichtenfeldt and one of few survivors of an elite commando squad.

Moni Aizik has made some incredible claims. His claims were so impressive that people were  paying around $2000 or around £1320  for a 3 day "Instructor" certification Course.

No skills or experience were required, just the course fee and an agreement to do one of his courses a year.

Aizik portrays himself as War Hero, former Special Forces Commando, Former Major in the Israeli Special Forces, Co- Founder of the Krav Maga system and founder of the current Hand to Hand system used by the Israeli Special Forces. All this was seemingly impressive.

However fact was somewhat less impressive than Aiziks fiction...

I was used to Bullshit in the martial arts, but it became increasingly obvious that Moni was a compulsive liar.
- Stuart Mcgill (former UK CKM Director)

Aizik makes the following claims, though has taken some down from his site now:

1. He is a former Israeli Commando
2. He regularly teaches the Israeli Special Forces - and is flown over to teach them every month.
3. He founded the hand-to-hand system of the Israeli Special Forces.
4. He co founded Krav Maga with legendary founder Imi Lichtenfeld, spending a year 'improving' Imi's Krav Maga system.
5. He is a Counter Terror Expert
6. He survived an ambush of 1000/2000 Syrian commandos (figure changes) and was one of only 4/7 (figures change) to do so escaping from behind enemy lines after killing all the Syrians.
7. He is a former officer of the special forces (Claims different ranks in different versions)
8. Former Chief Instructor of Krav Maga in the IDF

We did some research on Moni Aizik and his extensive claims. We pieced together available information from a range of sources from the UK, Australia, Canada and Israel. We have been in touch with former/current associates of Mr Aizik as part of our research and some Israeli military insiders.

We believe Aizik fabricated his association with the Israeli Special Forces, his role in the military and his association with Krav Maga to dishonestly obtain money from the general public.

We can tell you that

1. Aizik has never been a certified Krav Maga Instructor.

2. He was not a Krav Maga Instructor in the army.

3. He was not an Instructor under Imi or any other reputable Krav Maga teacher.

Until his  claims to have co-founded the system no one had ever heard of him.

This is what we were able to find out. We add that these findings are provisional but we believe they are fairly accurate.

Name: Pino ( AKA Moni) Aizik
Israeli Military identification number: 2166428
Date of birth: 26/06/54
Date of service: August 1972 to August 1975

1. It appears Moni was a NOT a Commando. Aizik did NOT serve in any Special Forces.

2. Aizik served briefly with a regular Infantry Brigade before being transferred to administrative duties.
3. Moni DOES NOT/ DID NOT teach Krav Maga or hand to hand combat in the IDF in any capacity, and is not qualified to do so.

4. Moni does not/did not teach Israeli Commandos. He has never done so in any official capacity. He ran a free seminar once which ciovilians and some military personelle may have attended. This came from a senior source within the Israeli Special Forces Training Division who actually teaches them.

5. His methods are not used or recognised by any branch of the IDF and never have been.

6. Aizik was not tasked with updating Krav Maga by the IDF. There was no year long project with Imi.

7.Imi retired from the IDF when Moni was only 10 years old

8. Moni was not an Officer in the IDF (believed to have left as an N.C.O)

In order to be fair and verify our findings, we contacted Moni Aiziks lawyers via email. We did this on two seperate occasions to give him the opportunity to respond to these findings. If he does produce reasonable evidence to support his assorted and extensive claims we will gladly retract this article. No evidence has been produced.

'Inspection of Mr. Aizik’s military discharge certificate will confirm that he did not serve in the Special Forces, that he has no background or certification in counter terrorism, that he had no contact or responsibility with Krav Maga in the IDF at any time during his service, and that he was discharged from service with the rank of Sergeant as opposed to the rank of Lieutenant or Major as he claims in various publications'
Lieutenant Yuval Aran, Israeli Defence Force
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Moni_Aizik)

The Advertising Standards Authority on Aiziks claims
Moni Aizik was challenged in the UK by advertising standards Authority on 2 fundamental points.

He was asked to provide evidence that he was;
1. A Former Special Forces Commando
2. A Counter Terrorism Expert.

Mr Aizik was 'unable to find his papers' and stated,

"documents that related to Moni Aziks military experience and counter terrorism expertise were considered classified by the Israeli military and were not readily available. Aizik said members of highly specialised units were not permitted to specify which unit they had belonged to or the duties they had performed; to do so would break the military code of conduct."

This is untrue. We found numerous cases of well known Israeli public figures who shared their military units. Including the 'highly speacilised' and counter terror units like Yamam. We also checked with an Israeli Military insider who confirmed this was untrue.

Former Prime Minister Euhud Barak's career and time with special forces - Sayaret Matkal ( A highly speacilised unit) is advertised along with some of his missions including raid on Entebbe, Operation Isotope. These were highly classified missions involving a man who became Chief of General Staff and the Prime Minister of Israel. They are available for inspection on the net. Its all quite legal and common practice in Israel. See ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehud_Barak#Military_service )

Numerous examples can be found in Israel and now on the net. Only Aizik claims he cant even mention the name of his unit.

Similar histories can be found for many public figures including Arial Sharon and his time and missions as a Paratrooper see (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariel_Sharon#Mitla_incident)

What do the Israeli's Military say about Moni and his claims?
One figure in the Israeli forces went on record officially with the following statement.

"Commando Krav Maga has never existed and does not exist in the IDF in any capacity. Not by name and not by form of strategies and tactics. Kapap included, it existed once from the 1930’s to the 1950’s and has never been used in any way in any area of the IDF since. Both of those systems negate what we teach here in the IDF. I’ve contacted Moni in regards to his claims, and he says he’ll call me when he’s in Israel next time to meet cause he would rather explain everything to me in person…so I’m looking forward to that meeting.
My last and final point I’m going to make here, for those who are interested in learning the official system of the IDF SF…..that system always has been and till this day is krav Maga…..and nothing else! “
SGT/MJR N
Chief Counter-Terror and Krav Maga Instructor
Israeli Defence Force, Special Forces Division
Counter-Terror and Special Operations School

Moni and Avi Nadia complained to the Military about this statement made by SGT./MJR N They complained he was making a public statement as an official quoting his rank and unit. They did not contest the accuracy of its contents in anyway.

We have been in touch with Sgt Maj N. He is not allowed to make further comment on Moni Aizik but confirms he did make this statement and stands by it.

Moni Aizik on Imi the founder of Krav Maga
(Statement from a CKM Instructor)
In October 2006 he told me that he was “not impressed” with Imi Lichtenfeld when he trained him. He said that he “bounced up and down a lot” and was quite limited as a Martial Artist.

This is untrue. The 2 men never trained together - Aizik more recently retracted this to He had met Imi once.

Statements Moni made to his Trainee Instructors - Many not in print. We have retained documentry evidence from witnesses

(Statements from various CKM Instructors and yes we have evidence.)

1. The defence against a downward “ice-pick” style knife stab had changed considerably from the defence that I had learned 1 year previously on my Level 1/2 CKM instructor course. Moni Aizik told me that he had been thinking about this situation on the plane over to the UK and had made up the technique actually on the plane. Later on in the same course I learned that Moni had been talking to other students on the course about the origins of the technique and had told them that he had been developing it Israeli Special Forces people for the previous 6 months.

2. When I first spoke to Moni Aizik about coming down for a seminar (summer in June 2006), I asked him what training he had in Krav Maga. He stated that he had collaberated with Imi Lichtenfeld many years prior and he did some refining of the system. 'That he was a Chief Instructor in Krav Maga."

3. When asked about his Krav Maga background, he said that the Krav Maga we would be exposed to is the graduate level of Krav Maga. I specifically asked him if Imi Lichtenfeld gave him his certification test and he said yes that they had worked together to get this certificate. Note I believe Eyal Yanilov (IKMF) introduced Graduate levels after Imi's Death -

4. Moni Aizik stated to me that and he was the driving force behind Krav Maga in Israel and was a Black Belt in Krav Maga and Judo. I found out later that Aizik never trained in Krav Maga a day in his life.

5. In that time I trained, he said he was a Major with a Special Forces Unit in the IDF called Sayeret Golani 13. He said while he was in the unit they were sent behind the lines of a Syrian force 1000 strong. In that battle he told me he was wounded and that all but 4 others and himself were killed. His wounds consisted of a piece of shrapnel in his eyes.

A source contacted us saying there is no Sayaret Golani 13. There is a Golani 13 which is an Infantry Batallion - not a commando or Special Unit. Aizik may have served there pror to working a Fitness Instructor. The source also informed us Aizik was definatley not in Sayaret Golani during the Yom Kippur war as they had spoken with Officers who had served then.

6. In our first meeting Moni told me and my colleague that he flew to Israel once per month to teach elite Israeli Special Forces.  We believe Aizik visits family.

7. I met him at Heathrow airport, his having arrived from Israel. I asked him who he’d been training in Israel – he answered “Yamam” a Special Unit of the Israeli Police Force. I asked him how it went; he said it went well then talked about how he was a little uncomfortable with their right wing and vehemently anti-Arab views.

An insider source told us the Yamam have had no dealings with Aizik and had never heard of him.

8. In our course held in 2008 he briefed the students extensively about the history of Commando Krav Maga and they were asked questions about it as part of their test. This included Aizik being asked to devise a new self defence system for the IDF after the 1973 Yom Kippur War in partnership with Imi Lichtenfeld.       Imi retired when Moni was 10. They never trained together and certainly never did a 12 month project at the request of the IDF. In this time Imi was working refining civillian Krav Maga with his senior instructors - none of whom ever saw or heard of Aizik.

9. In our UK courses he talked continually about how his handgun defences had taken 20 years to develop within the IDF and how he had played a part in that development. Aizik has never trained the Special Forces and does not train the IDF in hand to hand combat.

10. Moni stated that one of the Special Forces tests that he’d undergone was to stay underwater for 12 hours breathing through a long straw and occasionally that salt would be pushed down the straw by the Instructors; he explained that the only way to counter this was to swallow the salt. ? Our sources say there is no such test. As a diver I would add that this would be highly unlikley given the diameter of the pipe and likleyhood of inhaling the salt. (Paul Grey)

"When all this came out, I knew logically I had been lied to about everything and that Moni had no credibility left at all. But he is so charismatic we all wanted to believe him."
Former UK Commando Krav Maga Instructor

But I have seen the pictures on his website...
Interestingly some of Moni's images were lifted directly off a website about Israeli special forces called, isayaret.com You will also notice many pictures of Moni in one (now removed) he can be clearly seen wearing a white undershirt. We have been informed this was the uniform of a non-combatant such as worn by a trainer, cook, clerk, and physical fitness instructor. Combat troops are not allowed to wear white.

Moni Aizik with the non combatants white undershirt.



These images had been removed from his websites but some can still be found on the net.

Not a single military source has come out on Moni's behalf from the military he claims to have taught. This in its self is remarkable. Not one single person. . However several have emailed us privately stating that none of Moni's claims are untrue.

But it was on Human Weapon, it must be true
We were informed the Human weapon team chose Moni Aizik as they saw/read his extensive claims on his websites. They did not verify them. They saw his marketing and agreed to feature him.

You will note that Moni is the only person to teach on the episode with no students, or school and selected an isolated location away from from the public. For the person claiming to teach the special forces he had no soldiers, no acces to any military base/equipment

But he survived an ambush by over 1000/2000 Syrians (numbers change in accounts)

We looked into this. There is no such battle documented in any account of the war by anybody on either side. Also the nearest major battle we could find was a tank battle.

So we spoke with a current Israeli Military insider about it. He told us there that the IDF had no history or records of such an event. More so, if anything so significant had happened it would be made a case study to learn from for the future. There is no such case study.

Chief Instructor of Krav Maga..

Moni states he was asked to help Imi revamp the Krav Maga system as Moni he had the combat experience Imi lacked.  Imi was a soldier in WWII seeing action across the Middle East with the Chezk legion attached to the British Army. This was on top of his life experiences in Middle Europe and the Nazi gang violence Imi endured on the streets. Extreme voilence where Jews could be beaten stabbed or shot with impunity, This is the gritty, ugly background from which Krav Maga evolved.

This is a million miles from the glossy Black Belt Magazine, Walter Mitty history with Moni in the starring role.

So why this article.
Moni tried to re write history and to  make it reflect on him as the real creator of the Krav Maga system, and of course a war hero. Someone even tried to rewrite the Wikipedia Krav Maga page one several occassions. CKM has a huge publicity machine, a huge budget utilising viral marketing techniques on on the net, on internet forums, on youtube and in print.

To Commando Krav Maga Instructors

I am honestly sorry to have to write this article.  But guys, come on be honest. How much credibility can you expect from a 3 day course ? You cant compare a long weekend to the real thing.

Commando Krav Maga in a nutshell
CKM is a civilian system created by Judo Instructor Moni Aizik. Aizik attempted to associate him self with both Krav Maga and the Israeli Military via his fictional military exploits.

Not quite as sexy as the story Moni tells is it.....

Best Wishes.
Paul Grey


We are prepared to stand behind this article as a true and fair account of Moni Aizik. This article represents our honestly held beliefs. After researching Aiziks public claims, we believe he has been dishonest and mislead people for his own emotional and financial gain.

Further more we believe our article reflects a reasonable and fair account of the reality around his claims.

Our sources are varied and researched and are prepared to make formal legal statements if needed. We believe it is in the pubIc Interest to share what is a reasonable and fair account of Mr Aizik and his claims.

Paul Grey

ASA Judgment article on Commando Krav Maga is here

ASA Judgement here

More information can be found here at an American Forum

Former Instructors speak out here

More on another Forum here