Krav Maga is a military combatives art developed for the use of the Israeli Self Defense Forces. Martial arts historian Dave Coffman notes that it became widely practiced in the United States during an increase in the popularity of military combat styles during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Certified krav maga instructors can potentially make a decent living or supplement their current income by teaching classes.
Governing Body
As with other martial arts styles, no centralized governing body grants rank or instructor certification. Rather, individual organizations or even instructors promote students based on their own ranking systems. Two of the oldest and better-regarded Krav Maga organizations, the International Krav Maga Federation and Krav Maga Global, use identical criteria for promotion. Many other schools follow their lead and use similar systems.
Structure of Certification
The most common Krav Maga certification relies on a grade system, where patches work analogously to the belt grading system in traditional Asian martial arts. The grades comprise practitioner, graduate and expert. Each category is subdivided into five sublevels, labeled in numerical order. For example, a P5 is more experienced than a P1, and a G1 is more experienced than a P5. Instructors are typically of at least G level and receive additional instructor training to receive a certificate.
Skills
The skills of Krav Maga are based on applying simple concepts to a wide range of potential attacks. Students learn to strike with open and closed hand, elbow, instep, knees and head. Ground fighting is de-emphasized, with the majority of ground techniques focusing on how to resist takedowns and how to get back to your feet. Knife, gun and stick defenses and attacks are part of the standard curriculum.
Fraud
Due to the lack of centralized authority, anybody considering Krav Maga training should investigate a potential teacher before seeking certification. Coffman suggests that you ask a potential instructor which Krav Maga organization she is a part of and about the qualifications of her own instructor. A legitimate teacher will be able to discuss this smoothly and easily, and you should be able to verify her statements with some online research. Without this support, you may find yourself paying premium prices for what turns out to be a fraudulent Krav Maga certification.
References
- Dave Coffman; martial arts instructor; Hillsboro, Oregon
- "Krav Maga: How to Defend Yourself Against Armed Assault"; Imi Sde-or and Eyal Yanilov; 2001
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