Krav Maga and PMA Frequently Asked Questions
How
Is Krav Maga Different From Other Martial Arts?
Indeed there are some similarities
between Krav Maga and other martial arts. However, Krav Maga was
developed in an environment where the Israeli military could not
devote many hours to prolonged hand to hand combat training for
their personnel. Therefore, the Krav Maga system was created with
great importance placed on bringing students to a high level of
skill in a relatively short period of time. There are no katas
(forms) or rules in the system. Anything goes when you are fighting
for your life!
Krav Maga is much more a survival system dealing with personal safety issues in the context of defending against both armed and unarmed attackers. It is considered to be a modern, highly refined, street fighting system, designed to be utilized against muggings, street attacks, and sexual assaults.
Krav Maga has received international recognition for its highly unique approach in bringing self defense to civilian and law enforcement alike. According to law enforcement trainers, among the most striking characteristics of the system are:
Krav Maga also teaches students to function
with their attention divided; while
fatigued; and when they are faced with a multitude of spontaneous
attack
scenarios. Return to Top
Who
Is Using Krav Maga?
Over four hundred Government
and Law Enforcement Agencies are now using Krav Maga. This unique
training method has received international recognition as an innovative
and highly practical self defense system and has more recently
been taught to U.S. federal, state, and local law enforcement
agencies, including, but not limited to the following:
Federal Bureau of Investigations
U.S. Army
U.S. Secret Service
Boulder County Sheriffs Department
Boulder Police Department
Larimer County Sheriffs Department
Fort Collins Police Department
Broomfield Police Department SWAT unit
El Paso County Sheriffs Department
Denver Police Department
Louisville Police Department
U.S. Airforce Anti Terroist Units
Illinois State Police
U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement
Alabama State Police
U.S. Treasury Department
Pennsylvania State Police
U.S. Immigration Service
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms
Los Angeles Police Department Academy
Drug Enforcement Administration Arrest & Control Unit
Texas Department of Public Safety
Ohio State Police
California Highway Patro
Santa Monica Police Department
Florida State Highway Patrol
El Segundo Police Department
Beverly Hills Police Department
U.S. Department of State
Burbank Police Department
U.S. Coast Guard – Port Security Unit Return
to Top
What
If I Have/Have Not Taken Martial Arts Before?
For many people, Krav Maga is their
first experience in martial arts. However, we also have many students
who come to train with us and have numerous years of experience
in other systems. In fact, most Krav Maga instructors have years
of training in a variety of systems. Therefore, Krav Maga has
proven to be a very open system and welcomes all who wish to participate,
regardless of background. Return
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What
Is Krav Maga?
Krav Maga is the official self
defense and fighting system used by the Israeli Defense Forces
(I.D.F.), Israeli Police and Security Services, and numerous U.S.
law enforcement agencies. It is also taught in institutions associated
with the Israeli Ministry of Education, and since 1964, Krav Maga
has been taught to civilians all over the world as well.
Developed and refined during years of conflict, Krav Maga emphasizes easy-to-learn techniques that have been battle-tested in real, life threatening confrontations. There is nothing flashy about this system.
Krav Maga is comprised of two main parts: self defense and hand to hand combat.
Self defense is the foundation of Krav
Maga. Students learn to defend themselves against hostile actions,
to avoid injury, and to quickly overcome their assailant. Krav
Maga defenses address a wide variety of aggressive acts, such
as punches,
kicks, chokes, bearhugs, headlocks, grabs, as well as defenses
against multiple assailants and assailants armed with a firearm,
edged weapon, or blunt object. Students apply the relevant Krav
Maga principles and techniques in a multitude of situations, even
in unfamiliar or adverse circumstances, such as dark surroundings;
from a sitting or lying position; with limited freedom or movement;
or under extreme stress and/or fatigue.
Hand to hand combat constitutes a more advanced and sophisticated phase of Krav Maga which teaches how to neutralize an opponent quickly and effectively. It embodies elements related to the actual performance of the fight: tactics, feints, powerful combinations of different attacks, the psychological dimensions of the fight, and learning how to use the environment to your advantage.
In addition, Krav Maga incorporates specialized
training methods to not only challenge students physically, but
to also instill into the student a special mental discipline meant
to strengthen the spirit and to develop the ability to deal with
violent confrontations under high stress. These training methods
have been used in Israel’s most elite units and have proven
themselves in real fighting.
Krav Maga is not merely another school
of martial arts based on traditional approaches. It is a modern
method characterized by a coherent and logical way of thinking
which builds up easy, natural, and practical techniques featuring
simple movements of the human body.
The lethal nature of the Krav Maga system
simulates real life situations. It teaches people how to save
lives and to cope with common street violence. To be effective
in the streets, Krav Maga cannot include rules and limitations.
Therefore,
there are no sport competitions for Krav Maga because it is designed
to remain a realistic fighting system. Return
to Top
What Does The Krav Maga Logo Mean?
The Krav Maga logo consists of
the letters K and M written in Hebrew, artfully combined to form
the symbol of Krav Maga. The K and M are surrounded by an open
circle because the system is open to improvement by adding techniques,
exercises, and training methods and by eliminating techniques
from the system when there is a better approach. Imi Lichtenfeld,
the Grand Master of Krav Maga, said of the logo’s open circle:
Good things can continue to flow into the system and flawed exercises
can flow out. Return to Top
Where
Did Krav Maga Come From?
Krav Maga was developed in the
1940’s by Imi Lichtenfeld, who carefully refined the system
during his career as Chief Instructor of Hand to Hand Combat for
the Israeli Defense Forces. Faced with the task of preparing a
wide variety of soldiers – from physically fit high school
graduates to out-of-shape forty year olds – Imi developed
a comprehensive system that relied on simple, instinctive moves
rather than rigid techniques requiring years of training. After
leaving the military, Imi continued to refine Krav Maga for civilian,
law enforcement, and military applications. Return
to Top
Do
I need to get into shape before starting somthing like this?
Not at all! Krav Maga classes
are all self paced. People from all walks of life with absolutly
horrible excersise histories constantly begin classes right away.
Our classes are specifically designed to challenge the couch potato
right along with the honed athelete. How? Like we said, all the
classes are self-paced. Everyone is allowed to stop and rest whenever
they need to during any of the drills, warm-ups, or excercises.
We are here to teach you self defense, and motivate you to get
into shape along the way (it's impossible not to!). Return to Top
How
young do you start kids training?
We have Premier Martial Arts
classes for kids starting at 3 years old! Even at 3 years old,
kids are learning some valuble skills like; teamwork, balance,
structure, flexability, concentration, perserverence, pride, and
self-control. Our Premier Martial Arts classes are divided by
level and by age, so everyone has thier own class of peers to
train with. Krav Maga self defense classes and our Conditioning
classes are for ages 13 and up only.