Moyal, though, is very particular about the focus of Krav Maga, the martial art technique improvised by the Israeli military. “I don’t like it when people term it as a sport. It’s a self-defence technique that uses the body’s natural reflexes. It’s a serious art,” says the gaunt six-footer, who is a co-director of the International Krav Maga Foundation that has its headquarters in Israel.

His own experiences can vouch for that. In his career spanning three decades, Moyal has specialised in VIP protection, training personnels of the Israeli Prime Minister’s office among other things. In 1996, when Israel was beseiged with numerous homicides and attempted hijacking and robbery of taxi drivers , Moyal was roped in for a project to instruct taxi drivers in self-defence techniques. Likewise, in 1998 when Tel Aviv saw crimes against women by the infamous rapist Beni Sella, Moyal was called on to impart Krav Maga lessons to women. “In real life one needs to respond to the moment. There’s no time to plan out actions,” he says.

Moyal’s job has taken him across the globe — from sensitive cases in Israel to managing unruly crowds at basketball games in the US — it’s been an eventful journey. For someone used to handling terse situations, it comes as little surprise that Moyal found his stint as the head of security for Madonna and Michael Jackson, drab. “It was rather boring working for Madonna, particularly the interminable parties and promotional tours. Michael was a nice guy, gentle and quiet. In both cases, we had to work in a way to ensure they had maximum exposure, without compromising on their safety,” says Moyal.