Who is Darren Levine? We’re glad you asked. Darren Levine is the chief instructor and founder of Krav Maga Worldwide. His contributions to Krav Maga have greatly influenced the expansion of this self defense system throughout the United States.
“Darren Levine has risen in stature and accomplishment in Krav Maga from a beginning student with me in 1981 to Chief Instructor and my representative in the United States.” (July 28, 1994)
- Imi Lichtenfeld, Creator of Krav Maga
Levine studied at Loyola Law School, and then became a Deputy District Attorney for the county of Los Angeles. While simultaneously studying Krav Maga, Levine accomplished a number of amazing things for the justice system. In 2003, Levine and his detectives built a case accusing Gerald Mason for several assaults, two murders, and a rape charge that occurred in 1957. Through Levine’s supreme investigation skills, the case was finally solved, and Mason was imprisoned with a life sentence.
Darren Levine’s amazing skills went beyond the courtroom. In 1981, Levine was chosen to travel to Israel in order to study Krav Maga. He was one of the first non-Israeli students to undergo training, and quickly developed a bond with Krav Maga founder, Imi Lichtenfeld.
After his training in Israel, Levine continued to work with Lichtenfeld. In 1982, the two traveled back to Los Angeles and Levine continued his training. Darren Levine’s dedication and physical strength paid off, and by 1998 Levine was the highest-ranking instructor in the United States. He expanded Krav Maga throughout the entire nation, building training centers in West LA, San Francisco, Boston, New York City, Chicago, and Philadelphia. All of this expansion made Krav maga for women and men much more widely available.
Darren Levine has been presented with several awards, including a Krav Maga Founder’s Diploma that was awarded by Imi Lichtenfeld himself. Darren’s wife, Marni Levine, was also incredibly influential regarding the expansion of Krav Maga Worldwide. Marni was very passionate about the involvement of children within Krav Maga, and developed the Krav Maga Youth program, also known as Km-X. Unfortunately, Marni died on August 31st, 2006 after a long battle with cancer. Her legacy will never be forgotten, and Darren credits a great deal of KMW’s success to Marni.
Darren Levine continues to expand Krav Maga Worldwide and works with individuals of all ages and fitness levels. He’s internationally known for being a self defense and counterterrorism expert, and therefore sought after by hundreds of police officers, military special operations units, anti-terrorist units, and other law enforcement officials for Krav Maga training. Levine is also an author on the subject of Krav Maga, and has co-written Complete Krav Maga, Black Belt Krav Maga, and Krav Maga for Beginners.
Levine’s passion for Krav Maga is exemplified in both his dedication to the self-defense system as a whole and the growth of Krav Maga Worldwide. His contributions have developed hundreds of Krav Maga opportunities for women and men all throughout the United States. He plans to continue the growth of this amazing organization, with the overall goal being to make the world a safer and more just place.
