How to find a good Krav Maga School

Guidence from the British Krav Maga Asociation

We get hundreds of questions about Krav Maga each month. Many  revolve around how to find a good Krav Maga school. So, we decided to post a general guide on ‘How to find a good Krav Maga School’.  Obviously we run Krav Maga Instructor Courses, and license Krav Maga Schools, but the advice on this page relates to any Krav Maga Instructor, school or organisation.

British Krav Maga also produces a more indepth Krav Maga Beginners Guide, this can be downloaded below.

The Sunday Times

‘The most realistic self defencesystem on the UK today’

Combat Magazine

‘Krav Maga has more self defence cred than any other system we know about – and we know quite a bit about the subject!’

GQ Magazine

‘Best in the world for self defence. Totally practical, no flashy kicks or great spiritual angle.’

Understanding the martial arts industry

British Krav Maga® Certified Training Programmes

Krav Maga Instructor certification has become highly desirable, with many Instructors wanting to deliver a Krav Maga programme. However many instructors are not prepared to go through the rigours and testing of a credible instructor certification opting instead for a 3 or 5-day “Instructor course”.

Over the years we’ve seen the rise of these short instructor course, online instructor certifications and the number of people claiming to be qualified by us that we’ve never met. The net result is a deteriationin the standards of those claiming to be Krav Maga Instrictors.

Our objective is to steer you away from these individuals and point you toward the credible Instructors teaching real Krav Maga. Training with badly trained instructors will waste time, slow your progress and the level of coaching will be inferior.  To add insult to injury they’ll charge you the same amount of money as aa proper Instructor.

So invest a few minutes and find out how to get the best possible start in Krav Maga.

The Industry is unregulated

As an unregulated industry, the martial arts industry has few consistent standards and even fewer legal requirements.  Any individual can claim to teach Krav Maga or any other martial art should they wish.

This leaves the martial arts sector vulnerable to unscrupulous individuals who claim whatever they please to benefit financially.  With no regulatory body, there is no agency to enforce any consistent standards or monitor those breaching them.

Find a credible organisation

The standard of Krav Maga is considerably higher in the major Krav Maga organisations. Typically these organisations train an instructor over 18 – 23 days.  They also have the appropriate skill set to assess their instructors against their curricula.

The Main UK organisations are British Krav Maga, the International Krav Maga Federation & Krav Maga Global. Smaller credible organisations in the UK are the British Federation of Krav Maga (FEKM), Haim Zut Krav Maga & Israeli Krav Maga Association.

Avoid generic Martial Arts schools

Avoid martial arts centres teaching lots of martial arts programmes. Typically you will see a Krav Maga sessions sandwhiched between Kickboxing, MMA, Kids classes and what ever else is the ‘on trend’.

These are commonly referred to as McDojos on account of the franchised commercial approach and vanilla martial arts training.

Check out the Instructor

After you have identified the nearest Krav Mag School check them out on the net. Where did they train ? How long is the Instructor course. Look for reviews and any feedback written by customers.

Check out popular sites like free index or simply Google the school/instructor name and add the word review.

TIP: Avoid schools where the Instructor is vague about the background. Instructors are generally proud of their training and certifications unless there is something they dont want you to know. Dont be misled by claims – who taught the instructor and what is the link to Israel. If in doubt, walk away.

Where did the Krav Maga come from

Students come to Krav Maga for a reason. Some people are attracted by the reputation and the history. Others are attracted by the practical etchos and emphasis on simplicity.

Whatever your reason, if you want real Krav Maga stick to your guns.

Find out where the Krav Maga came from, and how credible the instructor course was, rule of thumb 5 day certifications are not a good sign. If in doubt – walk away.

Check out the training ethos

After you have identified the nearest Krav Mag School book a trial lesson. Try the class. Are the students friendly? Is there an atmosphere of comradeship in adversity – do they other support each other.

Krav Maga should be tough, you should be pushed mentally and physically byt the environment should be challenging and positive.

Certified Training Programmes.

British Krav Maga® Certified Training Programmes

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