Krav Maga Yashir Boston offers authentic Israeli Krav Maga training, emphasizing instinctive movements to prepare individuals for real-world self-defense situations. Unlike traditional martial arts or MMA, Krav Maga focuses on simple, direct techniques that are effective under stress. Our head instructor, Gershon Ben Keren, a 5th Degree Black Belt inducted into the Museum of Israeli Martial Arts, ensures genuine training directly from Israel. We provide comprehensive instruction in unarmed and armed defense, including strategies against multiple attackers and techniques adaptable to various scenarios. Our curriculum also covers de-escalation, violence prediction, and the use of environmental advantages. We maintain strong connections with Israeli Krav Maga experts, offering seminars and training sessions to keep our instruction current and effective. For those interested in beginning their Krav Maga journey, we offer beginner and introductory classes. To see the next dates of these classes and to register for one of them, please use the button below.

Beginner Class

What is Krav Maga & What Makes it Unique

Krav Maga is a practical and effective self-defense system developed for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and designed to prepare individuals for real-world scenarios. Unlike traditional martial arts, which often involve elaborate techniques or focus on sport-based competition, Krav Maga emphasizes simplicity, efficiency, and adaptability. Its primary goal being to equip practitioners with the skills needed to protect themselves and others in violent, high-stress, and sometimes life-threatening situations.

The name "Krav Maga" translates to "contact combat" in Hebrew, reflecting its focus on close-quarters engagements. It incorporates elements from various martial arts and fighting disciplines, such as boxing, wrestling, judo, jiu-jitsu etc. However, what makes it unique amongst martial arts and self-defense systems is that its foundations are a set of concepts and heuristics upon which techniques are built/constructed and/or adapted etc. This eclectic approach allows Krav Maga to be versatile and adaptable to any situation, whether dealing with unarmed attackers or facing threats involving weapons. It also allows for solutions to evolve as new threats/dangers arise.

One of the core principles of Krav Maga is instinctive movement. The system is built around natural reflexes and responses, enabling practitioners to react quickly and effectively without the need for extensive training or memorization. This makes it accessible to people of all ages, fitness levels, and backgrounds. Krav Maga prioritizes techniques that can be learned and retained rapidly, making it particularly effective for those who may not have years to dedicate to traditional martial arts training. Krav Maga is ostensibly about what you will do when attacked rather than what you might want to do or think you will do.

Krav Maga is designed to neutralize threats as quickly as possible. This often involves targeting soft and vulnerable areas of an attacker’s body, such as the eyes, throat, groin, or knees. These techniques are not intended for sport or competition; they are meant for survival in dangerous situations. In saying this Krav Maga also teaches the use of concussive force and how to generate powerful strikes and punches using the entire body. The system also teaches situational awareness, encouraging practitioners to recognize and avoid potential threats before they escalate into physical confrontations.

Another key aspect of Krav Maga is its emphasis on real-world scenarios. Training often simulates high-stress environments, such as being attacked in confined spaces, dealing with multiple assailants, or defending against armed threats. This type of training helps students build confidence and learn how to perform under pressure. Practitioners also learn how to use everyday objects as improvised weapons, as well as how to escape and evade dangerous situations when fighting is not the best option.

Krav Maga’s origins in military training have led to its adoption by law enforcement agencies, security professionals, and civilians worldwide. Its practical nature and effectiveness have made it one of the most popular self-defense systems globally. Many people are drawn to Krav Maga not only for its self-defense benefits but also for the physical fitness and confidence it provides. Overall, Krav Maga is more than just a martial art; it is a comprehensive self-defense system designed to prepare individuals for the realities of violent encounters.

History of Krav Maga

The roots/origins of Krav Maga did not take place in Israel but instead lie in the tumultuous history of Central Europe, where its founder, Imi Lichtenfeld, first formulated its principles. Imi Lichtenfeld was a Hungarian-born Jew and accomplished athlete, excelling in boxing, wrestling, and gymnastics. During the 1930s, as anti-Semitic violence escalated in his hometown of Bratislava (now in Slovakia), Lichtenfeld began using his fighting skills to protect the local Jewish community. However, through these experiences, he realized that traditional combat sports were inadequate for the unpredictable and brutal nature of street fights and that those trained in combat sports, such as boxing and wrestling, along with those skilled in traditional martial arts such as Japanese Ju-Jitsu, failed to apply their techniques and skilled when faced with violence that occurred in a real-life context. This insight became the foundation of Krav Maga, emphasizing practical techniques, which were adaptable, and efficient, and which relied on natural, instinctive movements rather than constructed techniques and solutions.

In 1940, Lichtenfeld fled Nazi-occupied Europe and eventually arrived in British Mandate Palestine. There, he joined the Haganah, a paramilitary organization that later became the backbone of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). During his service, Lichtenfeld refined his self-defense methods to meet the needs of soldiers operating in high-stress and life-threatening environments. The system he developed combined instinctive movements, rapid decision-making, and brutal efficiency—qualities that remain central to Krav Maga today. In 1948, when the State of Israel was established, Lichtenfeld was appointed Chief Instructor for Physical Fitness and Krav Maga at the IDF’s School of Combat Fitness. Over the next two decades, he further honed the system, incorporating techniques from various martial arts and combat disciplines, including judo, boxing, and aikido. The focus remained on simplicity and practicality, ensuring that techniques could be quickly learned and effectively applied by soldiers of all backgrounds and skill levels.

By the 1960s, Krav Maga began to spread beyond the military. In 1967 Lichtenfeld retired from active duty and began adapting the system for civilian use. He established a training center in Netanya, Israel, where civilians learned techniques to defend themselves against common threats such as street assaults, muggings, and sexual attacks. This civilian adaptation retained the core principles of efficiency and adaptability while removing some of the more lethal aspects designed for military use. In the 1980s and 1990’s, Krav Maga gained international recognition, with training centers opening in Europe and the United States. Its practicality and effectiveness quickly made it popular among law enforcement agencies, security professionals, and civilians seeking reliable self-defense training. Organizations such as the FBI and various special forces units adopted Krav Maga, further solidifying its reputation as one of the world’s most effective self-defense systems.

If you are interested in experiencing authentic Israeli Krav Maga for yourself and seeing why it is such an effective system of self-defense you can register for one of our beginner classes using the form below.

Beginner Krav Maga Classes