Steps to take when choosing a Krav Maga school (Part I)

I’m writing this because the average person here in the States barely knows what Krav Maga is, and if they do know, they aren’t really familiar with what to look for when choosing a school. And so I would like to share a little about my thoughts as a Krav Maga practitioner that I think would help you when searching for a Krav Maga school to train in.

This article is broken into 2 parts. In part I we will be discussing what to consider first when looking to train Krav Maga. Specifically, our personal reasons behind wanting to train Krav Maga and whether these motives coincide with what the system has to offer us. Next month, in part 2, we will focus on ways to ensure that the school and the instructors you choose represent Krav Maga well and will provide you with the best possible training.

1. Evaluate your motives for learning the system.

When committing to doing anything you should always assess your motives for why you are doing it. If you are clear on what your motives and goals are, then you’re more likely to be successful at achieving them. You will be more likely to get what you want instead of aimlessly practicing and wasting time on something that isn’t going to help you get closer to your desired outcome. Check your motives first and see if they align with the goals of the Krav Maga system.

Some common goals that align with the Krav Maga system:

• To defend yourself and those you love against any attack. This is the biggest, and best reason.
• You would like to exercise and get/stay fit. Krav Maga is a great way to stay all around functionally fit and also learn valuable knowledge at the same time!
• You want to workout in a group environment and be part of a community that is committed to something bigger than just working out. Because Krav Maga is more than just a workout! And often times schools have a unique uplifting community that is enjoyed just as much as the workout itself.
• You want to boost your self confidence and get better at conflict management. Krav Maga often has benefits that carry over to all aspects of your life. Even as simple as problem solving. People also report being able to handle conflict better in all areas of their life; at work, at home, in social situations. Both verbal and physical conflicts and confrontations, in addition to self defense.
• You want to be a distinctly tough person. Because people who train Krav Maga learn how to be tough, not only physically but also mentally.  But we don’t flash it around saying we can beat anyone in a fight. The idea with Krav Maga is something like what Imi (the founder of the system) said “so good you don’t have to kill”. Basically you know you have trained hard enough and long enough that you are able to defend yourself in a physical confrontation, but you also try to avoid it, unless it is necessary, and when necessary, don’t do more than is needed. We don’t go looking for fights or trying to prove how good we are, we simply know that we are ready for anything because our training has prepared us for it.

Some common goals that DO NOT align with the Krav Maga system:

• You want to learn how to hurt people. Krav Maga is a system of learning how to defend yourself and learning how to overcome problems and conflicts, and at times may involve having to hurt people in the process. But only as much as you need to in order to get out safe. The goal itself is not to actually hurt people. This should not be your goal, and if it is, Krav Maga is not for you.
• You want to do martial arts for the sake of the art, with fancy moves and lots of extra complicated movement. Although some styles of martial arts are beautiful and well-choreographed, they are not designed with the end goal of saving your life on the streets. Krav Maga is simple, direct and is definitely not choreographed. If the art is your interest behind learning Krav Maga, then you are probably better off checking out other martial arts systems.
• You want to train in order to compete in MMA, boxing, or in any other regulated sports fighting system. Krav Maga is based on the fact that we are not bound by any rules. As soon as anything is regulated, it can’t be Krav Maga. You should probably seek out some sort of competitive sports fighting system that will be better suited to specifically prepare you for competition and is less focused on the unpredictability and chaos of street altercations.

Now that we established why we want to train Krav Maga in the first place, next month, stay tuned for part 2 of this article. There we will discuss what to look for when choosing the best Krav Maga school and instructors.  

by Shannon W.

Shannon has been training with us for nearly three years. She is very dedicated to Krav Maga and has lately been involved in teaching the women’s courses, as well as other workshops, private and small group classes at Impact.

Please feel free to share your thoughts about her article.