About Us
Who we are, our Mission and Methodology.
Our Backstory: Krav Maga With A Conscience
We've been around for over 11 years now, dedicated to providing the highest quality self-defence training in Wollongong, while doing it in a fun, inclusive environment. The majority of that time was spent under the Krav Maga Global (KMG) banner, where I (Coach Arthur) got my certifications and training, and under which I taught for over 8 years.
In early 2024, however, we left the organisation to avoid having any affiliation or financial connection to the state of Israel and their genocidal actions and aggressions in the middle east, an action that is now in compliance with International Law.
Our community has always been the most important thing for us - even more than expanding our business. Despite not doing any marketing for the last 5 years, we've got a great core group of students who have stuck with us (some for almost 10 years now), as well as some recent newbies, and now we're looking to slowly add to that group and share the benefits of self defence training with more people!
Our Mission
Our mission has three main elements:
Personal Safety:
We treat self-defence training a bit like being in the parachute business. We hope you'll never have to use it in an emergency, but we want to make sure that it's going to work if you do. So no cutting corners, vague promises or fluff.
Our mission is to answer the question in the back of your mind: "What if someone tried to attack me?".
You might have your own versions of this - for example:
- What if someone came at me with a knife?
- What if they were on drugs?
- What if a really strong guy tried to choke me etc.
Whatever your versions of this question are, our mission is to help you answer them: "I'd defend myself - I'd be ok."
You can read more about how we do this in the Methodology section below, but so far we've been pretty successful with our mission. We've had a student defend himself from a knife attack, and the attacker was a large man on ice. We've had another one defend herself from sexual assault, and we've had a student save a girl who was getting choked on the street.
For us, that makes it all worth it. But it's only half the story.
Personal Growth
The second part of our mission is to help people grow.
It turns out there are a lot of life lessons you can learn from regular self-defence training. Things like:
- the growth mindset
- how to face your fears
- being comfortable with asserting your boundaries
- developing leadership for yourself, and those around you
It's a shame that in our society, once you get stable in your job, you tend to stop learning and stop growing. Life becomes mundane - go to work, come home, do maintenance, maybe a bit of leisure... then rinse and repeat. This can get even harder when you have kids - as you end up spending all of your time in the roles of worker and parent.
Nothing ever really encourages you out of your comfort zone, which is really the only way to grow in life. And that's where we come in.
Our mission is also to help people grow through self-defence training - so they can access that lion inside and become more confident, more resilient, more of a leader and more prepared to live life on their terms.
Fun
Then there's the third part of our mission: to do the above two while having a lot of fun.
Like I said above, it's easy to get trapped in the roles of worker and family member - especially if you have kids. We all need a bit of me time, and for us - there's nothing better than coming to training, warming up with a fun game and then engaging ourselves with training that's tailored for our individual skill levels.
It's almost addictive - because every time you train you're learning something new, getting a little bit better, bonding with your classmates and taking the time to forget about the stresses of daily life and do something cool.
It also helps that I feel the same way about coaching. That's why I always bring a fun, positive energy to class and crack a lot of jokes while teaching - I enjoy coaching as much as our students enjoy training.
Our Values and Culture
Our culture is really important to us, and it can be summed up in one word:
Constructive.
We're not looking to find the biggest, baddest, meanest fighters to tear each other down. We're looking to take ordinary people and make them extraordinary through challenge, and through excellent training.
Everything we do is about building each other up - there's no competition here (or tradition for that matter) - just improvement and learning.
We value people that show Integrity (it's in the name), Mutual Respect, and contribute to a Mutual Exchange of Value. This is what our school is built on!
What We Teach
The system we teach is both very broad and deep, making endless room for improvement so you never get bored.
Here's a broad but not all inclusive overview of the topics covered in our Syllabus.
Communication
Strategy, avoidance, de-escalation, deterrence, compliance and intention checks etc.
Striking
Biomechanics, punching, kicking, knee strikes, elbows and hammers (all angles), striking to the eyes, throat and groin, strikes that work against drugged up attackers
Grappling
Repositioning, takedowns/throws, controls and restraints, integration of grappling and striking
Defending against unarmed attackers
Defenses against punches, kicks, elbows, knees, shirt grabs, chokes, headlocks, bearhugs, wrist grabs, takedown/throw attempts
Defending against Weapons
All knife attacks, knife threats, stick/axe threats and attacks, machete attacks, stone/glassing attacks, pistol and rifle threats, active shooter situations
Defending on the ground
Breakfalls and rolls, escaping various ground positions, dealing with ground grappling attacks (chokes, locks etc), striking on the ground, counterstriking on the ground (against a grounded or standing attacker), defending against weapon attacks on the ground
Using Common Objects for Self-Defence
Shield type (chair, bag etc), small throwables, stick type, sharp/pointy, impact type
Defending Against Multiple Attackers
All of the above against multiple attackers, tactics and strategy, mindset, maneuvering, using the environment, specific techniques for different situations
Fighting
All of the above against non-compliant skilled attackers, fakes, trapping and other fighting tactics
Environmental Training
All the above near or on walls, chairs, tables etc, close quarters environments, in cars or public transport, in water, in low light environments
Legal Considerations
Guidelines for staying within the law while practicing self-defence
Third Party Protection
All of the above in defence of a loved one(s), or considering bystanders
Fitness
Exercises to increase speed, power, balance, mobility, coordination, endurance and reaction time
Mental Training
Managing awareness, control of focus, calming down fear, increasing adrenaline, controlling aggression, quietening the mind, the growth mindset, deliberately choosing what role to play in life, overcoming long term fears, strategies for leadership
Our Methodology
Check out our 2 part blog series on how we achieve our mission:
Other Questions?
Check out our FAQ, or if you still have queries don't hesitate to contact us.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
