Krav Maga is not your kid’s karate lesson. Its fitness benefits are unlike any other martial arts form, but it’s not an exercise fad. You will learn how to defend yourself against armed and unarmed assailants, but it’s not some tedious seminar about self-defense. Classes are taught by highly trained instructors, but you can pass this practice onto your children.

Image borrowed from ikmmichigan.com

So what is it?

Krav Maga is a hand-to-hand combat and self-defense system developed by the Israeli Special Forces and adopted by militaries worldwide. It teaches practical disarming techniques combined with immediate, precise offense. Its spread was rapid given its accessibility and effectiveness. Krav Maga provides the confidence to protect oneself when confrontation cannot be avoided. The goal is to disarm and control completely, but not injure unnecessarily.

Why should you care? Here’s seven reasons it’ll benefit you and your kids:

Your Personal Safety

Life gets chaotic. If you are among those with longer to-do lists than hours in the day, the last thing you might think about is honing your self-defense skills. Krav Maga is different from other practices. It offers simple tactics for self-defense in real-life situations, so the material is always relevant, always interesting, and just a single class could be beneficial. Although created for military purposes, it is a practice anyone can grasp and benefit from. Martial arts has long been seen as a boys’ arena, but Krav Maga is accessible to all bodies as it focuses not on brute strength, but rather efficiency and heightened awareness.

It’s a Killer Workout

Classes utilize strength and conditioning as a baseline. From there, you’ll practice strikes (punches, kicks, and jabs to the more sensitive areas such as eyes, throat, and groin) in intervals — and we all know intervals are the body’s favorite way to burn fat. This type of all-out effort followed by rest is the perfect excuse to step away from the exercise machine and try something new.

It’s a Social Activity

Classes center around disarming assailants. To truly simulate this you’ll practice on someone else. If you’re feeling like you’ve hit a wall in your fitness routine, Krav Maga is a great way to get up and moving with friends while gaining valuable self-defense skills.

You Can Pass These Self-Defense Skills Onto Your Kids

For parents, Krav Maga offers more than just benefits for you. It’s a great practice to share with your children. They will learn about personal safety and defending themselves against attackers that outweigh them in size and strength, which is added peace of mind for you.

It’ll Make You the Cool Parent

The nature of this practice requires you to lead by example, and what better way to teach your children the importance of awareness, the ethics of using just-enough force, and the long-lasting habit of staying active than by living these things yourself?

It Widens Cultural Views

The universality of this practice is also a great lesson for kids to learn about the acceptance of other cultures. Krav Maga is a great example of a form that overcomes differences in politics, race, or religion. All people are people just like you when the focuses are human anatomy and safety. Krav Maga is a great opportunity to teach this lesson in empathy.