The founders of Urban Krav Maga can draw on many years of experience in the following fighting systems as well as various styles of Krav Maga:
- Karate
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Traditional Jiu Jitsu
- Aikido, Boxing
- Muay Thai
- Tae Kwan Do
- MMA
They continued training in some of these systems after we became instructors in various IFS - International Fighting Systems.This training continued to inform their teaching and this, along with their real world experience led them to adapt and modify techniques. They found that these modified and innovative techniques were working well for students - this was the beginning of Urban Krav Maga.
Basically we wanted to teach a system that:
- Combined the best elements of the systems referred to above with the Israeli mentality of "this is the problem - what is the solution?" as opposed to the more abstract, indirect approach of many traditional arts.
- Contained a range of techniques that were not dependent on punching power and/or brute strength. All techniques need to work against stronger, heavier, taller etc opponents. We also acknowledge that different students sometimes need different or modified solutions so there is a personal development approach for the student.
- Was genuinely collegiate and evolutionary in its approach. There's a very wide range of experience in the Technical Committee, everybody has a say in how techniques develop and, crucially, nobody is hidebound by ego or adherence to tradition - the one priority is to make techniques work as well as possible for as many people as possible. We also listen to students - the Genesis of the system actually lay in our observations re what worked for them under pressure, what didn't work and our debates re how we could improve.
- Recognised the importance of pre-emptive strikes for self-defence - action always beats reaction.
- Took a genuinely scenario-based approach. In Urban Krav Maga, the core syllabus is based around the disciplines and techniques needed to defend the 10 most common street attacks. These are listed in frequency order here.
The core syllabus also contains a range of techniques applicable to female self-defence, grappling (stand-up and on the ground), fighting/sparring techniques and weapons defences.