Krav Maga Program
Get in Great Shape and Go Home Safe at Krav Maga Maryland!
Krav Maga is not your traditional martial art. Developed in the 1930s by a wrestler & boxer named Imi Lichtenfeld, Krav Maga was originally taught to Eastern European Jews defending themselves against fascist regimes at the time. Lichtenfeld later moved to Israel, where he taught Krav Maga to military forces that later became the IDF. In the 1980s, Krav Maga was brought over to America by Krav Maga Worldwide founder & Chief Instructor Darren Levine, who was selected and trained by Imi Lichtenfeld himself.
It was developed in a hostile environment in which combatants could not devote many hours to hand-to-hand combat training. Therefore, the Krav Maga system was created to bring students to a high level of proficiency in a relatively short period of time. There are no forms (katas), rules, or set combinations as reactions to attacks. Instead, Krav Maga training focuses on teaching simple self protection techniques which are specifically catered to reality based attack situations.
The art of Krav Maga is much more of a survival system that focuses on personal safety. It is considered to be a modern, highly refined, street fighting system, designed to be used against armed and unarmed attackers. Krav Maga teaches students to instinctively respond to a wide variety of aggressive acts which include punches, kicks, chokes, bear hugs, headlocks, grabs, as well as defenses against multiple attackers and assailants armed with a firearm, edged weapon, or blunt object. Since many attacks end up on the ground, or other awkward positions, upper-level classes include practice and response to many real-world situations under a variety of conditions.
Krav Maga training stresses the ability to react when surprised. Techniques and training methods emphasize the ability to function from a poor state of readiness, and to move from a passive to aggressive state immediately in order to fight back and survive. Training methods teach students to react effectively under stress and to move efficiently from a position of disadvantage to a position of advantage.
In addition to self-defense, Krav Maga teaches hand-to-hand combat. This is a more advanced and sophisticated phase, and shows how to neutralize an opponent quickly and effectively. It embodies elements related to the actual performance of the fight including tactics, feints, powerful combinations of different attacks, the psychological dimensions of the fight, and learning how to use the environment to your advantage.
Krav Maga includes specialized training methods to not only challenge students physically, but to also instill a special mental discipline meant to strengthen the spirit and to develop the ability to deal with violent confrontations under intense stress. Advanced classes and seminars will address a wide range of topics that are from today’s crime headlines; and show how professionals are taught to respond to such situations. These seminars include, but are not limited to:
Active Shooter Scenario Training
Multiple Attacker
Hijacking & Carjacking
Women’s Only
Knife & Edged Weapons Defenses
Improvised Weapons