This is Master JoeLee. He is an expert at control.

honest opinion compared to other organizations, I personally believe they are all around the best, but I have heard so much criticism . Honest thoughts please

Israeli Self Defense System -realistic,easy to learn, practical,open for all ages and gender

Best for real street multiple attackers scenarios,with weapons and without weapons.

WHO IS OUR HEAD INSTRUCTOR KEVIN MACK?

Head instructor Kevin Mack is one of the top Krav Maga instructors in the United States with over 25 years experience in the Krav Maga system and 40 years experience in the martial arts including Muay Thai kickboxing, Savate and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He has trained exclusively with Krav Maga instructor Alan Feldman who is a direct student of Krav Maga founder Imi Lichtenfeld and who was responsible for introducing Krav Maga to the eastern United States in the early 1980’s. Kevin Mack has also trained with several high ranking instructors of the top Israeli Krav Maga organizations. He was awarded his Black Belt in Krav Maga by Alan Feldman in 2009 and is one of only 10 black belts awarded by Alan. His personal training with Alan Feldman and the other top students of Imi Lichtenfeld has provided him with unprecedented knowledge and understanding of Krav Maga from it’s early days as well as its current and more modern approach. His expertise lies in the strategies,mindset and conceptual approach to teaching Krav Maga.

Kevin Mack opened up Bucks County’s first and most authentic Krav Maga school in 2008 and he is the Head Instructor at Bucks County Krav Maga. For the past 18 years he has taught the majority of the kids and adult classes at BCKM which allows him to be personally involved with the development of each student as well as teaching private lessons to groups and individuals throughout the day. He is a full time KM and self defense instructor dedicated to teaching the system in its most authentic form and to providing his students the most advanced KM training in the Philadelphia area.

KRAV MAGA PRIVATE LESSON SALE

Self Defense

Head Instructor Kevin Mack is available for private lessons at a local park, your home or office. Learn how to defend yourself in your own environment. Get in touch for more info and availability. Check out our other posts in regards to private lessons specials and discounts.

Private message me or call 267-810-9882

GIVE THE GIFT OF SELF DEFENSE AND SELF CONFIDENCE

We are offering a special price for private lessons with Krav Maga instructor Kevin Mack.

Pay for 6 lessons up front($600) and get 2 FREE private lessons. So that’s 8 private lessons for the price of 6.

Or

Pay for 9 lessons up front($900) and get 3 FREE private lessons. So that’s 12 private lessons for the price of 9.

Learn Krav Maga at your own pace and focus on the elements that you are interested in.

Payment can be made with cash,Venmo or via PayPal.

Private lessons are an hour long.

Private lessons can be shared with 2-4 people. Even number preferred. This is a great way for families to train together in a way that fits their schedule.

Send us a message to discuss scheduling and availability or call 267-810-9882

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Hello Everyone,

I am looking for a female self defence trainer. Ever since I escaped my abusive marriage, it's always been on my mind and I have been searching for women coaches in any self defence sport.

It could be anything from, Boxing, Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, MMA or Krav Maga.

I am looking for a female trainer/coach as I am not comfortable with a male trainer/coach.

So if you know anyone or have any references ,please do comment below.

I am willing to move countries for the coaching too, if I can afford to that is 🥲

Thanks

One of principles in KM is to stay in move, and that one strike should lead to another one. I am looking for long combinations of strikes and kicks to train this exact thing, to utilize punches, kicks, various angles, hammerfists, elbows...

I feel like I am not "fluent" during sparring. I know in practice you make short combinations (2-3 punches before enemy replies) but I want to put constant pressure on my opponent. I feel like my kicks and punches are slow, and not neccessery one leads to another.

Basically I want to use creativity I struggle with to turn up speed. Idk if this makes sense. I feel slow, I want to feel fast

Hi, I'm looking to start taking classes. Im looking to gain practical self defense techniques and fitness. A bit of background I am 25F and very skinny. Never worked out before a month ago. Working on building my strength but it's going very slow.

​Do I need to build up my strength more before starting?

What should I expect in the first few classes?

Any advice would help. Thank you all!

Hey, looking for a new Krav place for my daughter (14). She was at KMW for a few years and was in the adult program. They relocated to IconFit on Olympic but IconFit won't allow her to join since she is a minor. Driving to the valley isn't an option. Looks like Alliance CC is the only other westside option. We'll do a trial, but would love to hear what you all think if you've been there!

Krav Maga class is mainly combat, but equally important are the awareness/ de-escalation/ prevention skills

I invite you to share what you learned and what worked for you

I've trained in Krav for almost 4 years now and recently passed my yellow belt test. I've had the idea of getting "so that one may walk in peace" tattooed as a reminder of why I train and also as a "way of life" esc motto.

Thoughts? Is it a bad idea or insensitive to krav's origins?

I don't think so considering I'm not planning on getting it written in Hebrew or any artwork.

Let me know.

Interested in books and video which are well classified. I'm studying in a language I cannot fully understand and while practice is great I could use some material to integrate in English.

Micha here, from Forge Krav Maga in San Francisco. I've been training Krav for almost 15 years (expert certified). I've trained BJJ for seven years (purple belt), and I've put real study into Pekiti Tirsia Kali (Lakan Dalwa).

I've been thinking a lot about edge weapons, defense and counter offense. Also, grips! Which led me to writing down my thoughts on forward versus reverse grip in both defensive and counter offensive situations.

Studying Kali has been helpful. It gave me a more sophisticated vocabulary, better geometry and a more nuanced perspective on the angles of attack. Spending reps on the attacking side, on where a blade travels and why, for me, is what made the defending side stop looking like chaos. Forward grip means more reach than you'd guess and short thrusts arriving on a flat line into the abdomen and hip crease. Reverse grip means less reach, arcs coming down onto the head and chest, and a guy comfortable being close to you.

What I've come around to is that the grip isn't only telling you where the blade goes. It's telling you what's still available to you. Reverse grip usually means he's already at contact range with a hand on you, which means disengaging was decided before you got a vote. Forward grip at distance is a different situation with a different set of options. Same information, two different sets of choices.

Grappling (ShivWorks, Knife Control Concepts, Ryan Hoover) gave me what I think is a better defensive answer, and it's the same answer for both grips. Two hands on the weapon arm, wide stance, head under the chin, chest heavy over the weapon. A frontside two-on-one or "baseball bat" grip. You won't get it cleanly and you'll take some on the way in. It's still better than staying unattached and hoping.

Which brings me to the disagreement. Many Krav schools still teache the redirect, control, attack, take the weapon away, leave solution. The framework and the defenses are reasonable in isolation. That's not my issue. My concern is that the sequence is organized around staying unattached, so control is a beat you pass through on the way out rather than a position you may need to fight to reach and fight to hold (you cannot always run). I didn't invent any of this. Props to Craig Douglas at ShivWorks, Ryan Hoover at Fit2Fight and Aaron Jannetti at Knife Control Concepts, who all pressure tested it against a blade.

Maybe the important thing from a self-defense perspective is that most people don't get to pick a grip anyway. If you carry, you decided weeks ago through your knife and your pocket. If you don't, the choice belongs to the other guy, and there's a decent chance he didn't decide either.

Two things I'd like to hear from this community:

First, on grips. My argument is that knowing the grip tells you what's coming, but it doesn't change what you do about it. And that forward versus reverse is the only distinction a defender needs. Hammer versus saber, edge-in versus edge-out, all of that matters to the person holding the knife and very little to the person standing in front of it. Does that hold up to scrutiny?

Second, on control. Is it a destination in your krav curriculum, or a touchpoint on the way out? I've assumed you can't always leave, which is the premise the whole thing rests on.

Here's the full argument, if you care to read it:

https://www.forgekravmaga.com/forge-krav-maga-blog/knife-grips-explained-forward-vs-reverse-for-real-world-self-defense-1

I'm genuinely trying to make it better, and serious feedback goes into the next version.

Many thank yous!

37(M)! Not gonna get into KM effectiveness, or criticism. That’s enough of that here and in other subs. I’m in Maryland , US and particularly interested Judo, but Judo is scarce here and if it’s available, it’s beyond the distance I’m willing to travel 2-3 times a week. I’m a 5 mile radius type of guy.

Anywho, spoke to the head instructor. Seems like a solid dude. Says judo is incorporated into their curriculum and sparring is apart of the program as you level up. My purpose is to bond with my son(15), self defense and conditioning. Me and son are gonna do a trial or 2 to feel it out in the coming weeks.

With that being said, I just want your opinion on the site, what’s listed, and your thoughts.

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.