08Krav maga is everywhere these days. What started out as a system for hand-to-hand combat practiced exclusively by the IDF is now a household name, and people can see it in action everywhere from their local gym to their UFC pay-per-view subscription, and even at their local movie theater.

It turns out that krav maga and the movies go together like peanut butter and chocolate. Big studios know to move with the times, and krav maga is the name of the game for both fitness and self-defense. From being utilized in awesome action scenes to making for top-flight physical conditioning for movie stars, Hollywood can’t get enough of it, and it’s only set to get more popular as time goes on. Here are the ways krav maga and film have formed a symbiotic relationship over the years, and why it’s the perfect time for you to get in on it as well.

Kicking Butt and Taking Names

The first and most obvious reason krav maga is in movies so frequently is that it’s efficient and effective, and that's evident when seen on the big or small screen. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Tom Cruise hit Collateral. Director Michael Mann hired a former SAS operative to teach Cruise everything from how to quick-draw a Glock to authentic close-quarters combat.

Cruise is an actor known for doing his own stunts and demanding military precision from his action roles, so naturally, he picked the best and most modern form of self-defense tactics to make his role as lethally accurate as possible. When Vincent (his character) disarms and neutralizes a security guard attacking him with a baton, that’s authentic krav maga in action. Movies are well served by incorporating it into their roles, and viewers get to see just how well these techniques can really work when put to use.

Some films don’t just drop it into one or two scenes, though, but use it as the baseline for all of the choreography. In the hit blockbuster Enough, Jennifer Lopez was enthusiastic enough about it to let krav maga explicitly define her character’s fighting style. Enough is a movie that utilizes krav maga in nearly every one of its fight scenes, and given that the movie is about a woman learning to take back her life from an abusive husband by any means necessary, we have to commend the screenwriters for picking the perfect form of self-defense for getting the job done.

Building a Hero’s Body

Of course, krav maga plays a big role behind the scenes as well. Turns out this practical self-defense tool is also the perfect thing for getting a glamorous celebrity fighting fit. Movie stars use krav maga to condition themselves for tough roles all the time. Leonardo DiCaprio used the discipline in Blood Diamond not only to get himself in shape for the role but to put him in the mental state of a mercenary who would have been fighting in Sierra Leone’s civil war. Krav maga is about training the mind as well as the body, after all.

But sometimes it even shows up in the making of movies about a totally different fighting style—boxing, for instance. Million Dollar Baby isn’t about krav maga, but the movie demanded a lot of physicality from lead actress Hilary Swank. She found it to be an invaluable resource not only for getting her body to look like that of a rising boxing star but, once again, to put her in the state of mind of a natural born fighter.

What Does This Mean for You?

If you think this stuff is the purview of stunt coordinators and Hollywood icons exclusively, think again. Enough might be a work of fiction, but it’s based on problems and dangers lots of real people go through every day. Krav maga is used in movies so often because it adds a sense of reality, and even more importantly, it works. When there are no options left, it’s one of the best ways to get yourself out of a dangerous situation. It’s used every day by everyone from soldiers to yes, housewives, who want to feel safer and more powerful in their environment and in their own bodies.

You don’t need a Hollywood-expensive personal trainer to get into the art of krav maga yourself. The demand to learn this skill has grown exponentially over the decades, and that means there’s probably a gym in your town or close by that can help get you started on the path to mastery. As awesome as krav maga looks in movies, watching it in motion on the silver screen can’t compare to the feeling you get from knowing you can do all those moves yourself. With some training and perseverance, you’ll soon realize you don’t have to be an action star to have the skills and fortitude of a blockbuster hero.

What Are You Waiting For?

Krav maga is a skill anyone can learn. Since it’s a self-defense system and not a martial art, you don’t need to have an aggressive personality to use it to your advantage if trouble comes knocking. If you think krav maga is cool in movies, wait until you see what it feels like to actually train in krav maga! Just because it’s become a Hollywood mainstay doesn’t mean it’s too good to be true for people like you and me.

Give us a call at 1-800-KRAV-MAGA if you’re ready to stop looking and start doing. We have training facilities all around the world that are ready to help give you the expertise and safety training you need to start being the best version of yourself today. It’s only going to get more popular as krav maga links to movies more and more frequently as time goes on, so don’t get left out! You can start bringing a little Hollywood bravado into your life right now, and it’s only a phone call away.

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