I am currently in the police academy and doing defensive tactics. One of the other recruits mentioned a local gym that has Krav Maga classes. He said he takes it every week and a lot of the stuff they do was similar to what we were learning. I had never heard of it before but from what he tells me it is a fairly easy to learn and very effective. I am looking for ways to make myself stronger in defensive tactics so I have a better chance of coming home every night. Any opinions on Krav Maga?

I'll give you the big caveat first: I'm still a huge newbie to martial arts so some of my terms and views might be a little off. I started with Shaolin Kenpo beginning last year and quickly realized it wasn't quite was I was looking for. I started looking for more combative-type training and found a certified KM school a few towns north of me. Took it for about 8-10 classes before quitting, but only quit because I was driving 90 minutes to train for 45-60 minutes. The commute got old in a hurry but I still value the training and am trying to help them to open a school down here.

On the pro side, they taught efficient, common sense movements based on natural, human reactions to surprise and stress (no "flying-ninja-squirrel-stance" kata). Almost of the training was scenario- and stress-based - multiple attackers, lots of noise, sudden "lights out" sessions, etc. *Lots* of stress-based, hands-on (feet-on, knees-on, elbows-on....) contact with other students and instructors. There was none of the "traditional" formality I'd seen elsewhere and we trained in street clothes, rather than in a gi. There was a huge focus on reacting effectively, not just "correctly" - you aren't "wrong" if you use a palm-heel instead of front-two-knuckle, so long as you stop the attack - and constant drilling in of the concept of "don't quit - ever".

On the con side, it sometimes felt a little flashy and commericalized. There's a lot of "official" advertising, logo merchandise, etc. It never filtered into the training and we weren't pressured to buy anything. It was just kind of in-your-face. The pre-training cardio/workouts sometimes felt a bit more like an aerobics class (which I guess it *was*, in a way). There also wasn't a lot of coverage of the very basics - how to make a good fist, how to deliver a solid kick - but it's possible [big, fat ego on] I just knew how to do all that so they didn't bother me about it [/bfe off]. [;)] Also, there *was* supervision and correction when hits weren't getting delivered with enough targeting or force so....

YMMV, but I'd recommend at least stopping in on a class (or five) and deciding for yourself if it fits. My "try-before-you-buy" was one-on-one, so you might even be able to spend some time asking how they would handle specific scenarios you've already been in, are concerned about and/or already have an idea how to handle (for comparison to and compatibility with your personal style/abilities).

Good luck,
Keith C.

P.S. - You might want to check out www.kravmaga.com - maybe post on their forum for some "unbiased" [rolleyes] input.

If in Florida I would look at  http://www.fight2survive.com

Krav Maga in purist form is good.  KM International???.......  :(  $$$$$

You might want to check with your Academy instructors about the legal aspects of studying something like Krav Maga outside of your department. I know that a friend of mine's department, and have heard that this is common to many other departments, discourages its officers from taking martial arts classes that teach a lot of striking techniques because they fear it opens the officer and the department up to lawsuits. They are less concerned about grappling arts, though.

Krav maga is the 3rd martial art I have studied, and if you are looking for a practical way to defend yourself, I would recommend it.

I have to agree with KeithC's pro & con responses. The drills are very practical and I believe they would give you a very good chance to get yourself out of a bad situation if it came to that. As Keith said, "Never quit" is highly stressed. If you reach your endurance limit during a drill, the instructors push you to give a little bit more. It helps you realize you can always do more than you think you can.

I also agree that there wasn't a great deal of coverage on the basics, but since I had prior experience, it wasn't an issue for me. However,the instructors are always willing to answer questions.

As far as the law enforcement issue goes, many of our students and some of our instructors are LEO. Perhaps each region has different rules. If it were up to me, I'd try to gain as much knowledge as possible when it came to learning how to defend myself & worry about the lawyers later.