Reasons Why Swiftkick Martial Arts San Diego is Superior To Learn Self Defense Over Krav Maga
Krav Maga is self-defense and combat training used for the Israeli military. Hollywood movie hype has spiked the popularity of Krav Maga in the US in recent years.
Although there are literally hundreds of different styles of martial arts practiced around the world, most styles can be categorized into three different primary schools of thought:
- Traditional Martial Arts (such as Tae Kwon Do and Karate)
- Reality Based Self-Defense Programs or “RBSD” (such as Krav Maga)
- Mixed Martial Arts (MMA gyms)
Adhering to only one of these schools of thought significantly limits the martial arts training experience for a client. At SwiftKick, we combine the best of all three schools of thought by teaching cutting edge mixed martial arts skills that are designed for practical street self-defense application. Additionally, we encourage traditional martial arts values such as respect, self-control, and honor and see the martial arts as a vehicle for personal development and self-improvement. This makes learning self defense at SwiftKick Martial Arts a completely unique and well-rounded martial arts experience.
Let’s compare and contrast between Krav Maga and SwiftKick’s unique mixed martial arts approach.
We teach clients to have an empowering attitude that is backed up by cutting edge skills
When faced with a self-defense situation your state of mind is critical. You should be prepared to fight back, fight for your life, and not give up or give in. Do not act like a victim. Be aggressive. This mindset is paramount. You could be the most skilled martial artist in the world but if you do not mentally make the switch to protect yourself, all your knowledge is fairly useless.
There is a downside to focusing too much on empowering attitude: not focusing enough on physical skills! Attitude is part of the battle, effective skills is another. Personally I’ve witnessed long-time practitioners place too much emphasis on their aggressive attitudes as opposed to developing a firm foundation of effective skills to back it up. While most Reality Based Self-Defense programs like Krav Maga teach clients to have an empowering attitude, SwiftKick takes that one step further by developing top notch mixed martial arts skills to empower our clients.
SwiftKick’s training encompasses skills in boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, wrestling, catch wrestling, and jiu jitsu all modified SPECIFICALLY for self-defense. Instead of focusing on competition, we are taking MMA to the streets.
We train with continuous resistance to provide a realistic experience
Many self-defense programs like Krav Maga teach clients a set of moves or responses to a single attack. An opponent will simulate a particular strike or grab while their partner responds with a set of moves specifically designed for that attack. While many of these skills can be effective, at SwiftKick we recognize there are major limitations in training this way. In a self-defense situation, an attacker will be a moving, grabbing, and hitting with continuous and unpredictable attacks. In essence, the combat situation will be constantly changing. No particular set of pre-determined responses could ever be learned to account for all the various ways in which the combat situation can play out. This is why our training approach involves a mixed martial art skill set designed for the street. We train clients to deal with an opponent who continues to fight back even after you’ve performed your initial strikes or techniques. We do this through sparring. There will never be a way to completely control or predict an opponent but a client can learn to maintain focus and control of themselves and respond intelligently and effectively no matter the circumstance. Our training environment builds the skill, confidence, and adaptability needed to do just that.
We practice progressive physical contact to keep clients safe and maximize skill development
Krav Maga is widely known for heavy physical contact. Heavy contact is definitely a good thing to do from time to time. It helps you put your skills to the test and allows you to closely simulate a self-defense situation. Done in the right way, it can mentally prepare you for what it feels like to get hit hard as well as give you confidence that you have developed the physical skills needed to protect yourself.
However, there’s an idea out there that insists that consistent heavy contact promotes “body hardening” making your body less resistant to injury and pain. The more you get hit and the harder you get hit will desensitize you to the physical and mental stress that is associated with combat. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Going full contact in every training session is likely to result in injury and probably prevent you from training the very skills you’re seeking to learn. Our bodies are not meant to withstand heavy contact training in every session.
Additionally, without years of training under your wing it’s likely that heavy contact training will result in developing bad habits and poor skills. For most people, getting hit hard is scary. When we are scared, we revert to our natural responses. The purpose of training in the martial arts is to develop a set of skills that can become our new natural response in a self-defense situation. It takes coaching, time, and lots of practice to develop those physical skills. Thus, simulating a self-defense situation through heavy contact early on in your martial arts training does not create a conducive learning environment and actually would be counter-productive.
At SwiftKick, we practice progressive physical contact training. In the initial stages of training, clients train with light and moderate contact in order to successfully develop the foundational skills needed for self-defense classes san diego. Our self defense classes are fun, intense, and practical without the hyper-competitiveness, ego, and aggressiveness often found in many martial arts programs. After you’ve developed both the physical and psychological confidence needed, we provide the option to participate in heavier contact training at the client’s discretion. We find this approach provides a much more enjoyable training experience and significantly reduces the risk of injury while still developing top notch skills needed for self-defense.