Learning Krav Maga as a second martial art self-defense system.

Many of us that have started training Krav Maga have done so with a clean slate, not having any other previous martial arts or combat sports experience. Others however, come from varying degrees of exposure to other martial arts, from taking a year of karate as a child, to competitive boxers, to black belts and instructors in other martial arts. So the question that often comes up is having a background in other martial arts an advantage to learning Krav Maga?

The answer is that the ability to learn Krav Maga is dependent on the person learning the system, and having previous experience can either be a benefit or a detriment, depending on the ability of the student to understand and integrate the new style. Although it may seem that a punch is a punch in every system, there are quite a few differences in the way the punch is delivered if you are wrapped up, taped up and wearing gloves to the way you would punch if you were punching to defend yourself on the street with bare knuckles, where the possibility of injuring your hand is much higher. Similarly the way you stand, move and defend are also different from style to style. A boxer’s stance is different to that of a Muay Thai fighter, because a boxer is not worried about being kicked. Likewise the MMA stance is different to a Muay Thai stance because MMA fighters have to account for the fight being taken to the ground. By the same token, we can say that the way we move, fight, strike and defend in Krav Maga is also different to that of other styles because we have to account for the fact that we have to be able to defend ourselves anywhere and everywhere, under different conditions and under any circumstances. This includes dealing with tight/restricted quarters such as a car or an elevator, or having to fight on uneven surfaces such as a gravel, a hill or a staircase. Or we have to assume that attackers will not be playing by the rules of conventional sports fighting systems, and will try to strike and grapple in ways that would be considered illegal in other fighting styles. Or worse yet, there may be more then one attacker and they may be armed. These and other factors contribute to the principles, tactics, techniques and mindset of Krav Maga that make it a unique discipline and a comprehensive system of self-defense and fighting.

So, because of the unique nature of Krav Maga, all students regardless of experience in other systems, start on the same level and learn the same system from the ground up. Just because you are a black belt in a particular martial art, it doesn’t make you an expert in Krav Maga, but it can help you learn Krav Maga faster if you come with an open mind to accept, understand and immerse yourself in the style. Simply put you already know how to punch, kick, move, grapple, etc., now all you have to do is take your experience and adapt it to the style, mindset and technical principles of Krav Maga.

Of course it is hard to break old habits. Both Veronica and I used to have old training habits from other martial arts we were studying earlier in our lives, and an outdated version of Krav Maga we were first introduced to, all of which had to be changed when we began studying the system we are teaching now. Although it was a struggle to avoid old habits, it helped us to understand the reasons behind why Krav Maga does things a certain way that made our transition easier. That’s why when we teach, we like to take our time to explain not only the how, but also the why behind each technique to help all students, regardless of previous experience, to better integrate and learn Krav Maga.

So our advice to those learning Krav Maga as a second martial art: be open minded about learning a new style. If all you want to do is revert back to the old training, then your time can be better spent going back and training that system only. But if you will truly try to invest your time and effort into learning Krav Maga, you will be a better martial artist for it in a long run and will be better equipped to defend yourself and loved ones if ever faced with a violent confrontation.