Not only does he teach students the highest level of the art, he teaches what it means to have to fight if one does get attacked, the concepts behind the physical training.

“Calling Krav Maga self defense is fine, call it whatever you want. Martial arts are defined as the arts of war. You have to think that way – your job is to survive no matter what.” – Rhon Mizrachi

Rhon lives by the code of a martial artist. While Krav Maga is the vessel that Rhon uses because of his skill and expertise, it is in fact helping people grow and change that he feels is the responsibility of a teacher.

His goal is to have students who are ultimately better Krav Maga practitioners than he, and believes that this should be the aspiration of any true teacher.

Born and raised in Kibbutz Gan Shmuel (his father an 8th generation Israeli and mother a holocaust survivor), like every other Israeli Rhon served in the IDF. He is a combat veteran, but he does not teach Krav Maga based on his knowledge of military applications. Training to be a soldier is not the same as training in the art of Krav Maga.
(He also chooses not to discuss his military experiences).

In 1980, Rhon took his full instructor course presided over by Imi Lichtenfeld. Rhon was made a Full Instructor of the art, certified by the Wingate Institute for Physical Education and Sports, a world-renowned training center for Israeli national and Olympic athletes and martial artists.
(Wingate is under the auspices of the Israeli Ministry of Sport and Education)

In 1990 Rhon established the first school in the United States affiliated with Imi’s organization, Israeli Krav Maga Association – Kapap.

Rhon tested through all ranks of Krav Maga attaining a 5th Dan from Grandmaster Haim Zut (the last rank based on material). In 2005, Rhon was awarded the title of Master Instructor by Grandmaster Zut, thereby ensuring his legitimate right to protect and uphold the future of the authentic art of Krav Maga.

He was awarded a 6th Dan for his lifetime commitment to the art by Master Uri Refaeli.

Grandmaster is a title used to describe or address certain senior and experienced martial artists. Typically these titles are honorific in nature, meaning that they do not confer numerical rank, but rather distinguish the individual as revered in their school and style.

Based on his insight in, knowledge of, and contributions to the art, Rhon has been recognized as Grandmaster of the Krav Maga Federation.  The belt that Rhon wears is unique – it is the physical representation of his standing in the Federation.

“He is not a Grandmaster because we say he is – it is a fact.” – David Weintraub

It has become increasingly clear that Rhon has carved out a unique place for himself in the art and it’s history. As a practitioner, as an instructor, as a guardian and as a pioneer in the art of Krav Maga.

Today what we, the Krav Maga Federation, are here to do is publicly recognize something which we’ve known to be true for a long time. That is to formally recognize Rhon as the highest authority on the art of Krav Maga.

We cannot make this so. We have simply observed it to be true. The place that Rhon has carved out for himself is entirely outside of what any ranking system could accommodate. This is not a promotion of any kind, it is a recognition of what already is.

We are recognizing Rhon’s enormous achievements, his personal sacrifices, and the depth of understanding and level of proficiency he’s learned. We observe Rhon’s skill as a teacher of this art to be unsurpassed as well.

Not every practitioner of Krav Maga around the world will agree with our observations or have seen what we have. Regardless of their reasons every student will be loyal to their own teacher and this is not a bad thing.

Rhon Mizrachi Krav Maga Federation and the specific curriculum taught in his schools is a distinct branch of the art. Once again, the fact that I’ve said this doesn’t make it so. I think it’s been true for a long time. This branch, which has very strong roots in the foundation of Imi’s art, will be distinguished by the aggression and depth of understanding of it’s practitioners as well as the respect that they show to other martial artists.

This is what I believe because of the example which Rhon has set that we follow.”
– Excerpt from a speech given by David Weintraub at the 2014 Grandmaster Ceremony

VLADIMIR ZOLOTTEV

3rd Dan Shotokan Karate
2nd Dan Tae Kwon Do
Krav Maga Black Belt & Full Instructor
Owner Westchester Krav Maga

“I started practicing Karate over 25 years ago. Shotokan Karate and the Romanian National Team awarded me the opportunity to travel, train, and compete in many places around the world. Because of this I have been fortunate to train under many great Masters. My journey ultimately brought me to New York.

I continued training and competing here in many tournaments in Shotokan and was looking for an additional way to improve my skills in the field of martial arts.

My first contact with Krav Maga happened seven and a half years ago. I was fascinated by the art, and the way Master Rhon explained and demonstrated his techniques was brilliant. I realized this is it. I need to do it. Everything made since to me from that point.

Having Master Rhon as my teacher and mentor in Krav Maga allows me to understand its beauty in its simplest form.
Rhon maintains his teachings at the highest level which allows us to master the art of Krav Maga. His superiority as a teacher translates to us, his disciples. We know and see his love for the art.

Krav Maga is not a sport; it is truly an art. It encompasses everything, mind ,body and soul.

My relationship with my teacher is purely Ishin –Denshin; from heart to heart, spirit to spirit, a sincere silent communication from one to another based on hard work, respect and dedication.”

JUAN BERRIOS

4th Dan Black Belt Katsugo Kickboxing
Krav Maga Black Belt & Full Instructor
Owner Englewood Krav Maga

“In 2001 I was introduced to Krav Maga. My great friend Pete Malino invited me to go with him to a class. I went with this “ok kind of, and…” approach. Another so called self defense class or workout. I already had a pretty extensive back ground in martial arts.

I went to the back of the class with my friend Pete to be anonymous. Here came out this man in uniform smaller than I am who told us to line up by rank. It was nice to be bigger again. I looked at him and there was this confidence and IT factor that I never saw in someone besides my brother. We warmed up and it was great the rush that I experienced.

He then demonstrated a headlock from the side and I was captivated by the way he knew that that person was going down and there was nothing he could do to prevent from being taken down. Mind you I knew how to do this technique but his way made more sense. I at that point saw someone who knew what I knew and more, and I wanted to know what this man knew.

To me I met Bat Man. I met this man who knew how to truly defend him self and do it easily and even with my EXTENSIVE martial arts background I would lose in a fight if I came across this man. I knew I wanted to learn everything I could from this man.

As I continued my search in this new self defense art, I saw the little that I knew, and humbled myself to learning and grabbing all that I could from this man that I categorize as Bat Man.I categorize my teacher as Bat Man because he, like batman, has all these wonderful toys to defend himself, with a confidence and ease that makes self defense very captivating. Not until quite sometime did anyone know that I had any martial arts experience.

My purpose there was to be a student and not someone who, because they had some form of martial experience, was going to come in with a chip on my shoulders. And by the way that chip would crumble quick knowing my teacher for this long period of time.

As I continue my training under my teacher GrandMaster Rhon Mizrachi from day one and throughout out the years, the amount of respect that I have for my teacher and Krav Maga is inexpressible.”

ROB BAICCO:

4th Degree Black Belt Tae Kwon Do

“I watched one class with Rhon Mizrachi, and I knew within the first 10 minutes I was going to train with this man.

When you’ve studied martial arts for over 30 years, it gives you the ability to immediately recognize authenticity and substance. I knew instantly that Rhon was the real deal, a guy who lives and breathes the art. His every word, his every movement is the essence of Krav Maga.

And after a little research, I found out about his rich pedigree. He came from the homeland of the art, trained with the founder. He is a true first-generation Krav Maga expert. And let’s face it, so few things in our hype-filled world get anywhere near this level of authenticity.

I knew it was a rare and special opportunity to train with him.Also, I knew immediately that his skills were devastatingly street legit. This meant less to me in the traditional arts I studied, but for Krav Maga it meant a lot because it is the whole purpose of the art.

We are also the exact same age. I think that creates a certain simpatico. It also inspires me each day to see someone the same age as myself do the things Rhon does. It leaves me no room for any bullshit excuses about my own age.

I hold a 4^th-Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do under Grand Master Kwon, Jae-hwa, one of the original five masters to leave Korea and take TKD to the world. Under Master Kwon, I traveled through Korea, Germany, and the US performing demonstrations, and participating in seminars.

I also studied under Master Robert Summers, a top student of Park, Jong Soo, another of the five original Koreans TKD Ambassadors.

In addition to the two above masters, I have trained under several others in Buffalo, NY, as well as one in Madrid, Spain. I also taught TKD for 6 years in and around NYC.

I have studied Krav Maga for over five years now, and am currently a blue belt under Master Rhon Mizrachi.”

Breo Vazquez

2nd Dan Black Belt Tang Soo Do
1st Dan Black Belt Tae Kwon Do
Brown Belt Japanese Jiu-Jitsu
Brown Belt Shotokai

“I have trained with GrandMaster Mizrachi since 2007. Firstly and foremost, as a Martial Artist of 32 years experience, if I had to pick one individual to have my back, with my life on the line, it would be Rhon.

More importantly, he is by far the best instructor I have ever had. His knowledge of the most intricate details of any technique/situation is beyond measure. I have had conversations that have blown my mind away on the details and intricacies of the fighting arts. After more than three decades in Martial Arts, I am amazed on how much I still learn every day from him.

Rhon is not there to ‘give you a belt’. His focus is to make sure that you learn the Art properly and you can defend yourself. Period. There is none of the typical ‘give me $5,000 and I will give you a Black Belt”‘ that is so prevalent in today’s Martial Arts World. I can honestly say that he cares more about the art and his students than the business. (I have seen Krav Maga Masters who would offer experienced Martial Artists the opportunity to become ‘Krav Maga Instructors’ and open their own school under their federation with only a 3 week seminar and a few thousand dollars payment).

In his classes, Rhon achieves the seldom accomplished perfect blend of seriousness and pushing you to your best, and keeping the class relaxed and engaging. He is also very sensitive to his students’ different athletic abilities and/or physical limitations and works with them to ensure that they develop a training regime and style that maximizes their abilities (as opposed to a one-size-fits-all approach).

Both my 8 and 10 year old daughters are part of Rhon’s Federation Family, as well.”