The skill to protect oneself from physical danger is something most parents want for their kids. Typically they will do a search for a local ‘self-defence’ school or martial art club to start their kids on that journey.

It’s great that parents are proactive about giving their kids the chance to learn the skills that will last them a lifetime. We believe having this training is just as important as learning how to read, write and do math – it is a crucial life-skill (one they may never need to use, but one that they cannot afford to be without).

As a parent though, how sure are you that what your kids are learning is actually practical for the realities of violence? How confident are you that they have the skills to talk their way out of conflict, have awareness and preventative tactics, and have a holistic understanding of danger?

From BJJ to Taekwondo – the shining benefit for joining is that your kids will learn ‘self-defence’. While they will certainly gain great athletic skill – are you sure they will truly be prepared for the real threats that they could face throughout their lives?

Krav Maga is a system entirely devoted to preparing your children for the reality of violence they could face throughout their lives. It isn’t focused on learning fancy kicks or winning competitions. It’s practical, it’s effective and it is the best solution for their self-defence.

If your goal is to truly have your kids learn reality-based self-defence skills, then Krav Maga is what you’ll be looking to get them on the path.

Have a read of some of the obvious benefits your children will receive when training in Krav Maga.

From standing to ground assaults – they’ll learn how to handle them all.
Krav Maga is holistic – rather than focusing your child on only ground related techniques or kicking related techniques, they will learn the practical skills to handle themselves in all major situations Krav Maga keeps only what is practical for the unpredictable nature of real violence.

On-top of the set techniques in the curriculum, Krav Maga gives your child the invaluable skill of discernment and adaptability. This is important so they know how to modify what they learn to fit the myriad of unknown circumstances that can result from real violence.

Training focuses on what happens in reality.
The techniques your kids learn in Krav Maga are solutions that solve real-world problems. From getting pushed and shoved or punched by a bully, to being grabbed and taken away by a kidnapper – Krav Maga cuts the B.S. and gets straight to what really matters.It’s important to point out that other martial arts may also provide solutions to these practical problems, but where they often fall short is the methodology behind the solution. Krav Maga provides a solution that follows all or a combination of the following:

Based on natural instincts/reactions/movements
Takes the most efficient route (i.e. why take someone to the ground when you can kick them in the groin)
Limits injury to the defender
Employs appropriate response to the attack (i.e. once the threat is no longer an immediate danger, disengage and get away)
Avoids putting the defender in a more dangerous situation than they started in

They don’t need to be athletically gifted to train.
Krav Maga is designed to work for anyone; no matter their height, fitness level, sex or physical conditions. It is based on a set of moves that work off of natural reactions. It isn’t necessarily about them pulling off the ‘perfect’ technique or putting on an impressive performance.

The main requirement they must pass is “will the way they’re doing the technique save them from the real threat?” When they’ve reached a point where the answer is consistently ‘yes’ then they have acquired the skills to protect themselves. From there it is just a matter of practicing and learning how to do what they’ve learned in more unpredictable ways and situations.

GOOD Krav Maga training mixes focus with fun.
There are Krav Maga schools out there (and even just general martial art schools), that take the attitude of ‘disguising training with games and fun drills’. At Krav Maga Systems, our focus is on giving your child a realistic expectation of what they are doing and why they are doing it.

We know your child has the capacity to understand what is being taught, it just needs to be delivered in the right way. Classes are engaging and challenging for the child; children learn differently to adults, so it’s important to keep them focused in the right ways.

*There are definitely other schools that have the same ethos for training children, you just have to do a bit of browsing around – but don’t assume because they teach Krav Maga that they are all going to learn the right way.

They learn how to work with and get along with different personalities.
Self-defence is something every child needs to know, and because of this classes attract many different kinds of personalities – each bringing their own ‘flare’ to the training floor. This diversity puts your child in an environment where they learn to respect the differences in others and also see the commonalities they share.

Kids gain loads of confidence and learn to go beyond their limitations as they progress through training.
Through the challenging nature of learning self-defence skills, children gain huge amounts of self-confidence. They start believing in themselves more and more as they progress through the curriculum and experience themselves doing things they may have thought they couldn’t do at first. This self-belief is a crucial quality for any person as they go through their lives. There will come many times when your child will experience hardship and challenges, and it’s important that they have the mental strategies to go beyond them.

This is one of the major skills they develop through training. When they are being pushed/encouraged to go beyond their current point of skill with no option to give up, they exercise the ‘creative problem-solving’ aspect of their minds which carry them to new heights and abilities.

If you are in Sydney, Australia – check out our Kids classes and give your child one of the most important life-skills.