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About Krav Maga

Krav Maga is a self-defense and martial arts system that originated in Israel. It was developed in the mid-20th century and has since gained popularity worldwide due to its practical and effective techniques.

Krav Maga, which means “contact combat” in Hebrew, was initially created for the Israeli military and security forces. Contact Combat is any form of combat within arms reach where it would be difficult to access and use firearms or other self-defense tools without first diminishing or controlling the assailant. It was designed to be a practical and efficient system that could be quickly learned and applied in real-life self-defense situations.

The founder of Krav Maga was Imi Lichtenfeld, a Hungarian-Israeli martial artist. He developed the system based on his experiences as a boxer, wrestler, and street fighter, adapting techniques that were effective and discarding those that were not. Krav Maga incorporates elements from various martial arts, such as boxing, judo, jujitsu, and karate, as well as street fighting and military tactics.

One of the core principles of Krav Maga is the emphasis on real-world scenarios and practical techniques. It focuses on neutralizing threats and attackers quickly and efficiently, with techniques that target vulnerable areas of the body. Krav Maga training includes strikes, kicks, punches, knee strikes, and elbow strikes, as well as defenses against common attacks like grabs, chokes, and weapons.

Krav Maga also places a strong emphasis on situational awareness, aggression, and mental conditioning. It trains practitioners to react quickly and effectively under stress, simulating realistic self-defense scenarios to prepare them for real-life encounters.

In addition to its military and self-defense applications, Krav Maga has gained popularity as a form of physical fitness and conditioning. Many training centers and gyms offer Krav Maga classes for individuals who want to improve their self-defense skills while getting in shape.

It’s important to note that while Krav Maga is effective for self-defense, its techniques are designed for real-life situations and can be potentially dangerous. Proper training under the guidance of a qualified instructor is crucial to ensure safety and proficiency in Krav Maga.

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Best Krav Maga Classes in Virginia Beach, VA

Classes are one-hour long, fast-paced, and fun! We teach in small bite-sized chunks to keep classes moving and your heart rates up. We know you are here to train, not listen to someone talk about training (we have been in those classes). Here at Katalyst Krav Maga, we prioritize learning time-tested principles that will keep you safe, not memorizing techniques. Everyone is welcome, and we have a class to suit your needs!

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Katalyst Kids

Our Kids/Teen martial arts classes are specifically for ages 8 to 14.

Lil’ Sparkz Classes are for ages 5-8

Lil’ Sparkz Coming Soon!

The best Krav Maga classes in the Virginia Beach, VA, area of Hampton Roads will be available for children ages 5-7 soon.

We want to ignite a passion for fitness, martial arts, personal responsibility, and excellence. At Katalyst Krav Maga, we motivate our kids and teens to take responsibility for their training, personal excellence, and relationships with their Krav Maga training partners. We have a positive, fun class culture where there are clear and consistent expectations and enforcement of class boundaries. This is not a culture of yelling or harsh verbal boundaries but of quiet, consistent application of structure. Our instructor, David Bergman, wants to pass on the same passion and discipline that changed his life when he was 15.

Our program is grappling based with a sprinkling of basic striking

We believe that grappling skills are a safer more enjoyable way to introduce kids and young teens to physical contact and competition it allows for greater increases in balance and coordination without the risk of concussion from punching and kicking.

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Fighter Fitness

“I never went to the gym to work out. I went to learn. I ended up sweaty and tired, so you might say a workout happened, but it was in the process of learning”

Dr. Ed Thomas

Each Krav Maga class will definitely get your heart rate up as we drill specific skills that are required for self-defense. However if you want to build even more strength and endurance, we include with our basic membership 30-minute fighter fitness sessions throughout the week. We firmly believe that being more fit will help not just your physical skills, but also help build self-confidence and increase your self-esteem (a major deterrent for someone interviewing you for the position of a victim). We use a combination of Kettlebell, bodyweight, TRX trainers and sandbags to get you ready for whatever life throws your way!

1. We are different than the $20-a-month gym.
2. You are learning Krav Maga, a practical, self-defense skill.
3. We want to see you in class and will check in if you aren’t.

We stick with one program for 4 to 8 weeks to really see skill and strength develop. Then we change variables to challenge you further and provide you with a great workout that you w

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Curriculum

The curriculum here at Katalyst Krav Maga centers around two simple and battle-tested self-defense principles: hit hard enough to inflict damage, then disengage from the conflict, OR control your opponent and move into a more dominant position where disengagement is safe. We start with the basics of self-defense and Krav Maga training: punching, wrestling, chokehold releases, basic weapon defenses, and ground defense.

We offer a great workout and guarantee that you will be sweating by the end of every class. I have had clients train with me two to four times a week and see dramatic improvements in their physical and mental well-being. This is thanks to consistently attending our Krav Maga classes and conditioning classes where they master a skill and not just complete another set of burpees (though burpees are a class “favorite”).    

Katalyst Reviews

“Love going here. David is the real deal and is a very effective teacher. Finally getting into shape and learning self defense while doing it. Would highly recommend this place!” – Rick Pendzick

“I’ve known and worked with the head instructor for close to 5 years. He helped me train for the police academy and got me ready for the defensive tactics classes. David knows his material and is one of the best instructors that I’ve ever had. He is very thorough when teaching and then makes the training and treating as realistic as possible.” – Jon B

“AMAZING teaching and instruction from David. I love the mindset and atmosphere David creates with his dojo. He pushes you and encourages you. He’s here for serious training, but he makes it fun, inventive, and knows how to not take yourself too seriously either. He’s got an eye for technique, enjoys questions, and he’ll give you pointers on the exact way to do things if you ask him. He has an amazing way of integrating your training with what you’ll be doing out in the real world in a fight; EVERYTHING has a purpose. He also does unique workouts that are fun in the way you get to play and push your body in ways it’s not used to. Everyone in the dojo is super down to earth, friendly, and supportive. I HIGHLY recommend this dojo to anyone looking for Krav training.” – Josue Casanova

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