Krav Maga is the fastest growing self defense system in the world with clubs and instructors springing up all over the place. As with most professions some instructors will be very good (especially those already with experience), some average and certainly some that you would want to avoid. Knowing which is which unfortunately might take some time.
Regardless, most of the Krav Maga organisations have a very similar belt based syllabus which you need to progress through before perhaps getting to the more “advanced” techniques and defenses that you really want or need to know. There is nothing wrong with this at all. Especially if you have the time, belief in the system, and have an instructor that makes each technique relevant and practical.
However, do you really need to know 3 different defenses against a front strangle? With a different defense if the attacker was to your right? And a different defense if the attacker was to your left? And a different technique if their thumbs were crossed? No, it would be far better if you had one single technique that could be adapted to all of those situations. Then you would be able to make a positive reaction when attacked, and not be 5 times slower because you have 5 techniques to choose from, none of which have been practiced enough for you to do automatically.
The reality is that there are certain techniques in there that are definitely superfluous. There are also definitely techniques in there that simply will not work against a real life resistant attacker. Sometimes it will take an instructor years of teaching a specific technique before they suddenly realise, “this doesn’t actually work and I may as well strip it from the syllabus, or at least focus less on it”.
Original Krav Maga was designed to be taught in very short time frames. Simple, effective techniques, that work under pressure, combined with physical aggression and mental determination. As years went by the syllabus became enhanced, because students wanted more techniques and because Krav Maga became a business. Which is all fair and valid.
But what happens if you do not want to train for years in a system? What happens if you are under threat now, or are traveling to a dangerous place? Or if you just want to have a basic understanding of how to defend yourself? Do you need to jump into that system where the end is so far away that almost no one gets there, or that you have to give up because you moved, got married or something in your circumstances changed? No, there are other options. We are one of those other options.
There is another side of Krav Maga. The stripped down version where you can learn all the important effective techniques. But in, for example, 12 or 20 sessions. 3 months instead of more than 3 years. We have been teaching this way for 30 years. It works.
When people advertise that government security agencies, police and Special Forces around the world are doing Krav Maga..it is not always exactly true. And where it is true, they aren’t following the typical civilian syllabus. Because they do not have time. Unarmed Combat will be one module out of everything else that they need to learn. But it is the same for you. You have to work, shop, see family, friends, find time for fitness, to eat, sleep and watch television… there are only so many hours in the day. Short courses of effective, proven training are the best way to learn how to defend yourself.
With short courses you have a start and end date. You can allocate the time. You can focus on the training. It doesn’t become an effort. You don’t lose motivation. You believe in what you are doing. You know in advance what you will be achieving. Think about it like this, you can study for 7+ years and become a doctor. Others will choose to become paramedics in 1-3 years. But these are professions. A layman may need to learn first aid for work which could be a 1-day or 3-day course, or may choose a more advanced 5-day course as a first responder. My point is, do you need to train for 7+ years to save a life? No. Do you need to train to be a paramedic? Helpful for sure, but no. Can everyone help save a life by learning basic or advanced first aid? For sure.
Using the same analogy, some of our courses will take you to be a paramedic. For most people, being a good first aider will be enough for what they will encounter day to day. You can train your whole life and miss that one punch or one stab (sorry, but this is the reality of combat), but in a short course you can learn how to deal with 80% of common every day attacks and situations, and also how to avoid them. And there is always scope to learn more or to continue to practice the basic skills that you will need in any encounter.
To conclude, there will always be YouTube instructors saying how you can only be effective in self defense if you learn “Mixed Martial Arts”, or Brazilian Ju-jitsu together with Muay Thai plus some Krav Maga for weapons. In a perfect world, maybe. But you won’t have the time. And you won’t be able to sustain it. And unfortunately too much knowledge, certainly too many technical techniques, is not a good thing when it comes to fighting. Please check our courses and modules, and if you have any questions at all or would like to arrange a course then please let us know – we are happy to answer your questions.