I think most beginners specialize too early, and I don't think it's bad advice or bad research that causes it. I think committing to one discipline just feels like progress, and staying uncommitted feels like indecision.

Some background: I've taught Krav Maga for about 15 years, trained BJJ for seven, and spent real time in boxing, Dutch kickboxing, and Filipino Martial Arts along the way. I didn't plan that path. It happened because I kept getting curious about whatever I didn't understand yet. Looking back, I think that's exactly what let me figure out what I was good at, instead of guessing on day one and hoping.

I've been thinking about it, and did some research before writing down my thoughts:

• Sport scientist Jean Côté studied how elite athletes actually developed as kids and found the ones who became great weren't specializing early. They were sampling. Playing multiple sports, mostly unstructured, well into their teens before narrowing down. Roger Federer didn't focus only on tennis until his late teens. Tiger Woods, who specialized almost from birth, is the exception, not the rule.
• Doctors go through something similar. Med students rotate through internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, psychiatry, and more before they're allowed to pick a specialty. Nobody thinks that's inefficient. It's how you find out what you're suited for (Admittedly not a doctor, I could have this wrong).
• I've watched a version of this in my other job too. Early-stage startups hire marketing generalists first, because that's the only way anyone finds out what the company needs more of before committing to specialists.

I suspect the same logic applies to a brand-new self-defense student deciding between Krav Maga, BJJ, Boxing, Muay Thai/Kickboxing or whatever. You don't know if you're going to hate grappling until someone's smashed you on the ground. You don't know if striking's going to click until you've thrown enough combinations to feel your own timing show up. Committing hard to one path before you've felt any of that is a decision made with less information than a med student has before choosing cardiology.

Curious what this (always opinionated) sub thinks. For anyone who's cross-trained across systems: Did sampling broadly actually help you find what you were suited for, or would early specialization have gotten you there faster? And for instructors: do you see this in new students, where the ones who commit hardest on day one aren't always the ones who stick around?

I wrote a longer version of the argument that gets more into the research and how it shapes training at my school (Forge Krav Maga in San Francisco). It's a true first draft, and I'd genuinely appreciate feedback....especially if you think I'm stretching the research further than it should go. As always, I am 100% committed to incorporating serious feedback into the next draft.

https://www.forgekravmaga.com/forge-krav-maga-blog/why-i-tell-beginners-not-to-pick-a-martial-art-yet

Many thank yous!

I’m curious whether this is normal in Bukan or if it’s specific to my school.
We train twice a week with our regular membership, but if you want to test for the next belt you’re required to attend additional paid classes beforehand. Then, when it’s time to grade, you have to wait until Yaron visits, and students pay for the grading, certificate, seminar, and effectively contribute toward the travel/hotel costs associated with the event.
Is this how Bukan operates everywhere, or is this something individual schools decide?
I don’t mind paying for a legitimate grading, but the total cost and number of mandatory extras make it feel like progressing through the ranks is tied more to additional spending than simply demonstrating your skills. Is this a normal experience?

Hey - I have no background in martial arts and just signed up for a year of Krav. The trial run I had the goal to work on getting into my fight response quicker. That seemed to start working.

But now I’m wondering what I want the goal to be for this next year. I’ll spitball below but I’m open to other POVs:

- punching and kicking form and strength
- using my voice quickly
- engaging fight response quickly
- focus/attention
- reaction time
- conditioning

I’m otherwise at a loss for ideas, open to ones you may have - also open to books to read outside my classes. I wanna make this year count!

For context I’m a mid thirties lady who is in and out of shape a lot. Normal weight. Not very sporty but smart, strong and scrappy.

Thank you! 🙏

Hi everyone! I’m interested in learning Krav Maga and was wondering if anyone can recommend a good trainer or gym in Quezon City, Philippines (or nearby areas in Metro Manila).
I’m a complete beginner and looking for someone who focuses on practical self-defense with a safe, structured approach.
Personal experiences and recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

People often ask what the best martial art for self-defense is.

After about 15 years teaching Krav Maga, seven years training BJJ, and spending time in boxing, Dutch Kickboxing, and Filipino Martial Arts, I think that question points us in the wrong direction.

I think the better question is:

"What problem are you trying to solve?"

• Boxing was designed to produce exceptional punchers.
• Kickboxing develops complete strikers who can manage distance with both their hands and legs.
• Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu develops exceptional grapplers who become incredibly difficult to control.

Krav Maga tries to prepare ordinary people for the uncertainty of civilian violence, which means it spreads its training across striking, grappling, awareness, weapons, protecting other people, verbal de-escalation, and decision-making.

None of those systems are trying to solve exactly the same problem. That's why comparing them as though they're competing for the same objective often feels unproductive. A boxing coach should optimize for producing outstanding boxers. A BJJ coach should optimize for producing outstanding grapplers. A self-defense program should optimize for helping ordinary people navigate civilian violence.

That's also why every system—all of them—makes tradeoffs. A boxer accepts less grappling in exchange for becoming a far better puncher. A BJJ practitioner accepts less striking in exchange for becoming exceptionally difficult to control another human being. Krav Maga accepts less specialization in exchange for preparing students for a much broader range of problems. The things you spend thousands of repetitions practicing become your strengths. The things you spend less time on naturally receive less emphasis.

Personally, I think instructors and practitioners make a misstep when we engage in the "which art is best" discussion instead of asking which capabilities we want to develop.

I'm curious whether people agree or disagree with that framework.

Are there systems you think genuinely are superior across the board, or do you also think every system is making different tradeoffs based on the problems it was designed to solve?

I ended up writing a much longer comparison of Krav Maga, Boxing, Kickboxing, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu that expands on this framework. I'd genuinely appreciate feedback from people who teach and train—especially if you think I missed something, oversimplified something, or got a tradeoff wrong. It's a first draft, and I'm committed to taking thoughtful criticism seriously and continuing to revise it.

https://www.forgekravmaga.com/forge-krav-maga-blog/how-to-choose-between-krav-maga-boxing-kickboxing-and-brazilian-jiu-jitsu-if-youre-training-for-real-life

Hi everyone,

In 2023, I sustained an injury lifting weights that resulted in two mild disc compressions in my cervical spine. Because of this, I have to be incredibly careful with my neck and posture.

I currently live in Bangladesh, where the security situation is increasingly volatile (mob violence, robberies, and aggressive altercations are common). Furthermore, because of my background as an activist and writer from a marginalized community, my vulnerability and profile are unfortunately much higher. We have no Krav Maga schools here.

I know you cannot truly master Krav Maga without a gym or live partners. However, I firmly believe that some learning is better than no learning. Even if I can only adapt the basic strikes, situational awareness, and tactical mindset to accommodate my neck injury, it will vastly improve my confidence and safety.

Because bad technique easily becomes a bad habit that is difficult to unlearn, I am looking for a virtual training partner.

You don’t need to be an instructor—a fellow student who knows the basics would be amazing. I am hoping to find someone I can show techniques over video calls to review form, check alignment, and keep each other accountable.

If anyone is willing to co-train or jump on a video exchange basis, please let me know or shoot me a DM!

Thank you so much.

Hi everyone,

I'm interested in learning Krav Maga for self-defense, but I have a mild cervical disc compression (neck). I am a man in my mid-thirties for context.

I live in Bangladesh and my doctor has advised me to avoid lifting weights and activities that place excessive strain on my neck. Other than that, I can carry out normal daily activities without any significant problems.

My main question is whether Krav Maga training can be adapted for someone with this condition or not? If so, how can it be modified?

Long story short at a beach side club, with my friend’s friends while my friend was away

Suddenly the guy ive been sitting with most of the night (very remote aqquaitance) probably surged by drugs & alcohool started to lock-in on me for stealing his precious lighter

I thought he was joking by how serious he was by all of it. He started pinning me to a wall, collar grabbing me and padding my pockets dead-serious look in his eyes

For 30 seconds i laughed it off, thinking it was some kind of a joke.. i coudlnt believe someone can act like thisfrom a lighter

.. and the lighter disnt come out, i looked for it, it was not coming (i was also under stress) but the guy kept pinning and mangrabbing me (he was very tall), and i could see some people started throwing concerned looks our way

Thats when i realised im in a threat and i knew i had to use Krav Maga to get out

I didnt respond right away i weighted my options

1. Locked in where the door is
   
2. Mentally rebearsed i will strike and go through that door
   
3. Some 5-10 seconds of ‘spooling up’ when i knoew its coming but i didnt pick an exact moment
   
4. Huge groun kick (i was still being grabbed by the tshirt) and snapoed out his grip during the movement
   
5. Fly through that door

I could recall two things in the strike momwnt

a) i saw him remaining still, like painting with his hands still cocked (from holding my tshirt) - with the corner of my eye
b) i hit hard his pelvic floor with my knee, and i didnt feel a big feedback (probaly from adrenaline?) and felt like i struck so lightly - but in retrospect i think groij shots in reality without the groin guard feel this way

I never looked back, dont know what happened to the guy, i broke contact with those friend group and never saw em again

I mention i was not actively training at that time, for 1-2 years

How it couldve been improved
- earlier threat detection
- no more mental rehearsals and ‘cocking up’ willpower, just relying on pure instinct. This delayed

Now i train again krav maga

Every other thing i wouldve done differently than Krav Maga teaches would have been bad ( sitting in prlonged combat, with his full circle of friends, not escaping asap, or.. letting myself be ragdolled and the faith decided by a drugged individual)

Its not gloryfing anything, it was a negative experience, and cut my vacation early. But im proud, because my old self would have lost, my krav maga self won.

I want to repeat drills from this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMQX19LrL1k

My coatch is against it, because there is big risk of injury (like breaking one's eye) and I understand him. We have helmets, but they are similar to football ones (that means they have metal cage which barely protects eyes, especially from fingers). However, I insist on trying, and I plan to get protection for me and my partner to try these drills.

What equipment do I need? We have shin guards, mma gloves, but my crotch guard still hurts with powerful kicks (it's plastic cup worn under pants), and I am afraid of fucking up one's knees or elbows.

What would you recommend (and possibly cheap as I buy those for my money)? Is there knee guard which helps from bending knee the wrong side? A helmet with good ventilation and piece of plastic instead metal mesh? Possibly something for forearms and elbows, so we do it as safely as possible, yet as hard as possible?

What should I take in consideration?

Hi everyone,

I wanted to ask if there are any self-defense training classes in Mumbai specifically for adult women and preferably run by female instructors. I’d feel more comfortable learning in that kind of environment.

If anyone has recommendations, personal experiences, or knows of any good academies/groups, please share.

Thanks in advance!

I trained karate the last few months and (from my street fighting background) have already far surpassed his skill level of my “sensei”. Thinking of trying my hand at Krav Maga because i need a new challenge. Karate is a big sham anyway. I wanna learn to enhance my abilities as a knockout artist and am wondering is this the thing for me? Thank you, and no trolls plz (libs)

Sorry if this is a super obvious question, but I recently started Krav. There is a guy who lives on my street who can be very aggressive, and I notice I can feel myself freezing just from hearing that. Obviously I'd like to not feel that way.

So far the training has been learning moves with some light sparring.

Does Krav help one habituate to that kind of thing, and if so is shouting etc typically included in training/grading?

Krav maga is not useful? I wanna try bjj actually but i have 2 disc hernia and that can be bad for my body. I learned about krav maga but does it teach submissions and chokeholds? Idk how to grapple even i did boxing for 6 months. I do not feel safe in the street. I do not wanna choked out or have my arm broken in a street fight for nothing. On the internet I always see bjj coaches saying krav maga is not legit.

I've been doing Krav Maga for just over two years. I still enjoy training and love attending classes, but I don't feel like I'm progressing as quickly as I expected. Definitely have students who've been training less time that seem to pick up quicker than me.

At the two-year mark, I thought I'd be more confident with the techniques, but I still struggle to recall them under pressure. My biggest challenge seems to be retaining the knowledge rather than learning it.

I know grading can measure progress but I've hated the grading process. I find it overly intense, which makes it something I endure rather than look forward to.

Two years feels like a bit of a crossroads for me. I enjoy the training itself, but I'm questioning whether I'm improving enough or could defend myself in a street situation. If I'm not making much progress after this amount of time, I'm trying to figure out why and what I need to change. Are there other martial arts or training I should look into? My main goal is self-defense.

Hi, I'm looking for some advise from more experience practioner. I am about to grade for the p2 level but I am feeling mix confidence. I think I know most of technique but if someone ask for the technique according to name on syllabus maybe I get confuse and can't demonstrate it. I am petite girl so maybe sometime the multi opponent drill is overwhelming. I prepare with my grading partner for several weeks but still not feeling complete confident, in fact maybe even I hate training and dreading it. Should I just keep taking the class or can I sit this out, I am starting to hate going to class and scared of the grading.

I started thinking in advance what I want to get out of each practice, what is the one thing I want to focus on and improve. Do you do something similar? If yes- what are the goals you set to yourself?

I just started at a gym that offers both Krav Maga and Muay Thai classes. There is a dedicated sparring “class” specifically for Muay Thai techniques that is open to students at all levels. However, there is no such option offered for people wanting to spar using Krav Maga techniques. The rationale of the head instructor is that since Krav Maga is essentially a no-holds barred defence system, it would simply be too risky to allow for Krav Maga-based sparring. Did I just join a McDojo?

Soy chilena y estoy buscando un arte marcial para la defensa personal.

​

Muchas artes marciales no sirven de mucho para situaciones de supervivencia (como aikido o karate)

​

Si bien krav maga esta enfocado en sobrevivir, e escuchado que es difícil encontrar un buen lugar donde lo enseñen de forma realista.

​

Las MMA son más completas que cuanto a pelea.

​

Según sus experiencias, ¿Cual creen que seria la mejor opción para la supervivencia?

¿Y como selecciono un buen lugar?

When we have 360 defence against knife it requires wrist to wrist hit. I find it incredibly painful and therefore I kinda hesitate during trainings to do it with full power (also broken friend's wrist this way once). It's hard bone-to-bone strike.

Is there anything to do it less painful? Can forearm be somehow conditioned? Are there any guards for it?

I know it's still better than getting stabbed, but it makes me hesitate from going as hard as possible

Hey guys this is a video I did with Mark Mireles. He’s a 5th degree black belt under Jean Jacques machado. He knew Darren Levine personally too. He also has 30 years of LAPD experience and some of the stuff he was talking about how he would subdue suspects using judo was very interesting to me. I come from a krav Maga background and it really got me thinking about the value of mastering throws. I hope you find something useful from this video.

I want to learn martial arts because I live in India and all of you know India is not for beginners. So, I started learning krav maga and work hard for 1 months but, I left it because learning martial arts online is like learning to dance.

I am in high-school, I don't have parents that would allow me to learn in any academy. I have to wait for atleast 4 years or 6 years , if I want to learn anything offline then I will not have time too.

So, I want your help to make a decision or is there any art like weapon or body anything that I can learn.

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

Hey guys, I’m just reposting this because I feel like there’s a lot of things in this that the community would enjoy. Let me know what you think. Kris has a lot of background in various styles of Krav maga including Kpap.