No-nonsense, reality-based self-defence…
…So One May Walk in Peace
Proud to be IKMF UK Club of the Year 2024
FAQs
Do I need to be fit to start Krav Maga?
You need a baseline level of fitness, but nothing too extreme. Like any martial art, some physical effort is needed, but I’m not running a bootcamp either! Generally speaking, if you can handle carrying the shopping home, or a couple of flights of stairs, you should be ok! We take everyone as we find them, and you can work at your own pace. You’d be amazed how quickly your fitness improves!
Can complete beginners join?
Yes, absolutely! No experience of Krav Maga or any martial arts is necessary. All levels train together, but new people are never left to struggle, with the classes structured to ensure some fundamentals are always being covered. Additionally, we have a brand-new beginners roadmap specifically designed to help you progress through your first few months of training, and track your proficiency in the basics.
Am I too old to start?
Provided you have the base level fitness discussed above, there’s no upper-age limit. We have people in the IKMF training and teaching into their 70s! We can work around existing injuries & health problems. Krav Maga is intended to work for everyone! And should we find the regular classes are a little too much, we can try private sessions instead - there is always a solution!
Do I need to bring anything to class?
For your first class, dress for exercise and bring water. That’s it! Any equipment you need is provided.
What can I expect in the first class?
I generally split the classes into three chunks (noting that Juniors classes are a little shorter than adults classes): we do a warm-up and exercises, working something related to the class or Krav Maga - think high-intensity striking, that sort of thing. I’ll then cover some foundational material: basic strikes or defensive work like kicking, or blocking a punch. Finally, we’ll cover some more technical material, deep-diving a particular technique or group of techniques, before then wrapping everything up with a summary drill. I have written a thorough breakdown of a typical class here.
Is Krav Maga dangerous?
Like any martial art, Krav Maga training carries injury risk. We’re training to encounter and survive real-life violence, after all! We are, however, very careful to minimise that risk as much as practically possible - injuries don’t help anyone. We practice with control and respect for our partner’s safety, and under close supervision from the instructor to keep things safe. The instructor is always first-aid qualified and fully insured, with a medical kit on hand for any mishaps that do occur.
Will I have to spar?
Krav Maga is a non-competitive system, but we do still spar on occasion as it helps us deal with unpredictability and a resisting opponent. However, I build this up slowly, starting with ‘tap sparring’ (basically playing ‘Tag’) to develop the basics without undue stress. When we do more freestyle sparring, it’s done with light power and control. As with injuries, a frightened or hurt student isn’t learning anything, and that is the key point of sparring: to learn, not to win. Read more about how sparring fits in for us here.
Is training full-contact?
Yes and no. Krav Maga is a full-contact system, but the training itself is better described as ‘semi-contact’. We do strike and grab one another, as this is required to actually learn our self-defence techniques - I can’t learn to counter someone grabbing me or striking me without actually receiving it. Some knocks and bumps are inevitable. However, striking especially is always done with control, and we never seek to knock out or injure one-another in training - we save this level of force only for the Real Thing (which we hope to never encounter). Our high-powered striking is done against striking pads so we can develop our strength safely. As always, the goal is realistic, but safe practice. The primary goal of every class is that everyone walks away unharmed (bruises don’t count!)