1981 - Darren Levine Attends First International Instructor's Course For Krav Maga Held In Israel

In 1981, the Krav Maga Association of Israel an the Israeli Ministry of Education held the first International Instructor's Course at Wingate Institute for Physical Education. A generous philanthropist in New York, S. Daniel Abraham, sponsored a delegation of 23 members from various cities in the United States to attend the course. This course was supervised by Imi himself, who was then 71 years old and retired from his military career. The course was taught by Krav Maga lead instructors Shike Barak, Eyal Yanilov, and Ruevin Moimon. Darren Levine was selected to be part of the delegation because of his martial arts and boxing background, as well as his involvement in the physical education program at the Heschel Day School near Los Angeles, California.

The course was a 6 week intensive course consisting of 8+ hours of training per day, six days week. It was a strenuous and exhausting 6 weeks, and by the end of the course only a few people passed. Darren Levine was one of them.

Imi Befriends Darren

During the course, Imi befriended Darren. At the conclusion of the course, Imi told Darren that he would come to the United States the following summer to teach and train him. True to his word, in the summer of 1982, Imi came to Los Angeles and spent many weeks with Darren and his family while instructing Darren in Krav Maga.

Every summer after Imi's visit, Darren would either go to Israel to train in Krav Maga, or Imi himself would return or send a top military or civilian instructor to the United States to train Darren.

1982 - Krav Maga Arrives At The Heschel Day School

After returning home form Israel, Darren began teaching Krav Maga at Heschel Day School as an elective class. The class became so popular that it was incorporated into the physical education program.

1983 - Krav Maga Association Is Formed

At Imi's request, Darren, Joel Bernstein (one of Darren's students), and other prominent members of the Jewish community in Los Angeles, formed the Krav Maga Association of America, Inc. The Association's goal has always been to help promote: (1) Krav Maga in the United States and (2) Good relations between the United States and Israel.

1984 - Imi Passed On His Black Belt To Darren

At the end of 1984, Darren received his first degree black belt in Krav Maga. At the belt ceremony, Imi passed on his own black belt Darren.

At the same time, Darren received his Full Instructor's Certification from Wingate Institute for Physical Education and Sport as well as the Krav Maga Association of Israel.

1987 - Krav Maga Introduced To U.S. Law Enforcement

In 1987, Darren and his top students began teaching Krav Maga to law enforcement in the United States. Under Imi's guidance, they adapted Krv Maga to suit the needs of U.S. law enforcement and military personnel. The first agency to adopt Krav Maga into its force training curriculum was the Illinois State Police in 1987. When Darren taught that course, Imi, then 77, flew in from Israel to attend.

Krav Maga moved to the University of Judaism

Due its growing popularity, Krav Maga's main program moved to the University of Judaism in Los Angeles while still maintaining a program at Heschel Day School.