How can I tell if this Krav Maga training center is legit?

[Ryan T]

http://www.maakravmaga.com/index.html

http://www.yelp.com/biz/martial-arts...ry:Krav%20Maga

So how can I tell if their Fremont location has instructors certified with organizations like the International Krav Maga Federation or Krav Maga Global? They have positive reviews on Yelp but other then that they don't say on their website whether or not their Krav Maga instructors have certification with reputable Krav Maga organizations.

I'm thinking if I ask them directly they'll just lie if they don't have certified instructors.

[oglenewinkel]

Hello Ryan

My suggestion on confirming the instructor credentials would be to ask the location in question who they affiliate with. I checked the following Krav Maga Associations and could not locate a licensed affiliate in Fremont California.

I checked on the Krav Maga WroldWide site, I checked on the Krav Maga Alliance website and I checked on the krav Maga Global Site and could not locate an affiliate center in Fremont. There are several other Krva Maga affiliate groups out there and some are pretty straight up , then there are some that don't resemble any form of krav maga.The idea is that going to a affiliate school means you should learn something very similur that you would learn at another affiliate school across the coast.

Now my last question is why the need to focus on your current programs affiliate status and not on the instructors credentials. If you think the instrutor is legit then take the class., just say no to long term contacts. Many martial artist may switch systems 4-5 or 6 times before settling on a style.If the class works for you then go, you can always cancel later.

[Ryan T]

That reminds me, after I was searching around on their site and apparently their Walnut Creek location has certified instructors because on the Krav Maga Worldwide website their Walnut Creek location is listed while the Fremont location is not. Also it says that all Krav Maga test dates are held in their Walnut Creek location. Does that mean that certified instructors from the Walnut Creek location rotate to the Fremont location? I'll ask what their programs are affiliated with, I'm guessing Walnut Creek is just their headquarters of sorts.

[KevinMack]

I think that is it. Their entire page is filled with the promotional materials that KMWW provides to their affiliates so if they are not a KMWW school then they should hire a lawyer. What you have here is just a business that is certified with KMWW which has several different locations from the look of things.
It also kind of looks like this is a chain of already existing karate schools that also function as Krav Maga schools.programs.

[Ryan T]

I'm just asking, so would a KMWW course teach me Krav Maga close to the level of Krav Maga the Israeli Military gets? Also I'm not really fit and I have limited knowledge in any form of martial arts, I know that its better to open palm strike people in the skull instead of punching them. Open palm strikes are better when you're hitting them in the skull right?

[bear34]

Originally Posted by Ryan T

I'm just asking, so would a KMWW course teach me Krav Maga close to the level of Krav Maga the Israeli Military gets? Also I'm not really fit and I have limited knowledge in any form of martial arts, I know that its better to open palm strike people in the skull instead of punching them. Open palm strikes are better when you're hitting them in the skull right?

No. KMWW is not the same as the Israeli Military and it shouldn't be. You need to be taught how to survive, not how to kill. KMWW will do that for you. Yes, it's better not to crash hard object against hard object.

[KMyoshi]

I believe most Krav Maga systems regardless of the organization they belong to teach civilian Krav Maga. That being said... it is not a "watered down" version. You don't need to learn how to attack with a M16 or any type of rifle. At least for KMW, when you reach the higher levels, they do teach defense against shotguns/rifles. Civilian Krav Maga teaches you how to defend against attacks most commonly seen on the street. Also check instructor credentials not necessarily organization affiliation.

[Ryan T]

So if I get more advanced will the instructors teach me how to fight multiple people at once?

[Eli]

Yes, multiple attacker management is a core Krav Maga principal.
My suggestion is to go take a trial class (almost all locations allow one freebie) and see what you think. Talk to the instructor afterwards about your concerns, but worrying about specifics like palm strikes and multiple attackers may not be the best thing for you to do now with you highly limited knowledge base: instead, empty your cup (as bruce lee would say) and run through the system. It's worked for us, and chances are it'll work for you. Just make sure that you have confidence in your instructors, and that that confidence is well-founded.
My best,
-Eli

[Ryan T]

Okay, I went with my Dad and we just watched through a lesson, I'm going to go through a month long trial and see if I like it. If not I'll try Jeet Kune Do, my Dad was a Kung Fu instructor when he was young and he said that the instructor knew how to fight but he wasn't going into enough detail about technique which was why some of the students faltered and that the class focused more on fitness than actual self-defense.