Police departments in Oregon are getting some tips from one of the world’s most highly trained fighting forces.

Clackamas County is making Krav Maga self-defense its official combat system. It’s the official martial art of the Israeli Defense Forces, incorporating some aspects of several Eastern martial arts with close combat fighting techniques.

But instructors say it’s not like other martial arts. Techniques focus on defenses using punches and kicks from all positions, and even disarming attackers using a knife or a gun.

Several Oregon agencies have begun using Krav Maga including Canby, Newberg, Lake Oswego, and Bend. Deputies said 400 agencies across the nation officially adopted it last year.

Clackamas County Sergeant Lynn Schoenfeld is one of the instructors at the KM school in Milwaukie.

Schoenfeld says that Krav Maga prepares officers mentally, helps heighten awareness and limits the necessity for higher uses of force in stressful situations.

Krav Maga means "Contact Combat" in Hebrew and was introduced as the official self defense and fighting system used by the Israeli Defense Forces. It has been taught to civilians and law enforcement for the past 40 years.