New Student Guide toKrav Maga Training
Your first few classes will leave you exhilarated and empowered. Students leave their very first class with knowledge they could use if they were choked, picked up, or dragged. Here’s how to make your training as effective as possible.
People are more likely to achieve their goals when they’re specific about what they are. Take a few minutes to think through why you want to learn. Write it down and post it somewhere you’ll see it often — especially on days when you feel like staying home.
Learn Real-Life Self-Defense
Krav Maga is useful for anyone, no matter their size, strength, or fitness level. The system is built for real people facing real threats.
Improve Physical Fitness
Each class is a whole-body workout — warm-up, skill drills, and intense cardio bursts. Students who attend regularly report greater stamina, improved muscle tone, core strength, and reduced body fat.
Develop Confidence
Krav Maga changes your perspective on fear, makes you more willing to face challenges, and instills a confidence that carries over into every area of your life.
Increase Awareness
Training for real-life situations makes you better at reading environments and reacting with both body and mind. You learn to trust the warning signals that are there for a reason.
Aggression in Krav Maga means understanding you are too important to lose, you have confidence from your training, and no one has the right to threaten what matters to you most.
You won’t train long before an instructor asks you to repeat something with more aggression and more violence. Sometimes students feel confused — the act of striking is inherently violent. But aggression here isn’t anger. It’s the conviction that you will act decisively when it matters.
Fighting Stance
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Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, weight slightly shifted forward to the balls of your feet. Raise your hands to about eye level — this is your neutral stance.
Take a half step forward with your non-dominant leg and a half step back with the other. If you’re right-handed, your left foot is in front. Toes pointed forward toward your attacker. Knees slightly bent. Slightly more weight on your back foot.
Unless you’re striking, hands stay up — about where you could touch your cheekbones with your thumbs. Shoulders rounded slightly in. Core tight. Chin down. Eyes up.
Palm Strikes
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We often teach palm strikes first because they’re extremely effective and reduce your risk of hand injury. The bones of the hand are fragile — effective punching requires training. Palm strikes solve that problem on day one.
Start in your fight stance. You’ll make contact with the fleshy part of your palm just above the wrist. Flex your wrist, fingers curling slightly. Forcefully drive your palm into the target.
This isn’t just a hand movement. Picture the power coming from the ground, traveling through your core, then running down your arm. Your core is engaged. Your shoulder rotates forward as you strike.
Straight Punch
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Punching starts with the same stance and motion as the palm strike. Close your fists with your thumbs folded over your fingers. Always hit with the two knuckles on your index and middle finger.
Don’t bring your fist out and then swing in — that telegraphs the attack. Punches shoot straight from your core, with hand rotation happening at the very end just before contact. Elbow stays down, hand leads the way.
While videos are helpful for practicing at home, there’s no substitute for a live instructor. Videos show what a move should look like — they don’t identify what you’re doing wrong. Practice correctly so you don’t fossilize mistakes.
Developing Stamina
Even if you’re in good shape, Krav Maga is different from any other fitness class. It’s normal to find yourself out of breath, muscles begging for a break. With regular practice, you’ll quickly improve and find yourself in the best shape of your life.
Bruising
Krav Maga means contact combat. If you punch incorrectly or repeatedly without gloves, your knuckles will show it. Inside and outside defenses sometimes leave bruises on your arms. Your body will adjust — you’ll notice less bruising over time.
Frustration Learning New Techniques
New students often want to absorb everything at once. But there’s a lot to learn in Level 1 alone, and sometimes the brain gets tired. If you hit the wall, ask an instructor to walk you back through the demonstration. That’s what they’re there for.
Fear During Stress Drills
One of the biggest challenges you’ll face — the anxiety you feel during stress drills. Multiple attackers. Eyes closed. Unknown angles. It’s uncomfortable for a reason. Stress drills help you understand your body’s natural stress response and act even outside your comfort zone. They may be the most critical aspect of your training.
Ready to Start?
Show up well hydrated, wearing comfortable clothes. You don’t need any equipment or previous knowledge. We’ll help you learn at your own pace.