Looking to learn Martial Arts in 
Bristol?
Try Krav Maga… First lessons Free!
Krav Maga was designed for the military in 1965 and has proven to be so effective that it has been adopted by over 500 law enforcement agencies and military organizations across the world.
Krav Maga has been so successful for the following reasons:
- Easy to learn – students can achieve a reasonable level of self defence skills with 6 months regular training
- Based on current crime statistics – multiple and often armed opponents and fighting from disadvantaged positions
- Proven to work – Krav Maga is used by over 500 law enforcement and military organizations across the world
- Simple to remember – no complex techniques that take months or years to master
- Accessible for people of all ages, shapes and sizes. Krav Maga was taught to conscripted civilians including men, women and children. We believe that EVERYBODY has a right to defend themselves.
Krav Maga uses a mix of boxing, muay thai, wrestling and Brazilian jujitsu alongside the self defence portion of techniques that are all based on the body’s natural instinctive reactions that the body undergoes during stress. For this reason the techniques that are used have to be easy to learn and easy to perform and remember under stress.
Within our schools we have no compulsory gradings, no belts, no kata, no techniques that do not work.
Training sessions incorporate fitness, combatives, self defence, tactics and pressure testing. Sessions are hard but fun. Krav Maga is a fairly robust system that addresses the actual violence encountered on the streets or in the home and so there is contact involved – expect sessions to be sweaty and expect the odd bruise! No-one is made to do anything they don’t want to do. We welcome all people of all backgrounds and aim to work alongside the student to develop them into the fullest self defence practitioner that we are able.
We also provide comprehensive back up for the student who wants to take their training one step further. For Programs, training videos and dietary planning check out our Fishponds website here.
Looking to learn Martial Arts in Bristol?
Martial Arts in Bristol
Krav Maga is a self defence system which prepares and teaches you to survive realistic and violent encounters. Krav Maga is not as well known as many traditional martial arts such as muay thai, boxing, karate, kung fu, bjj, aikido, ju-jitsu or any other martial art as it was solely used by the military until the 1960’s when permission was given for the Israeli martial art Krav Maga to be taught to civilians in Israel. It was then not until the 1980’s that Krav Maga began its recognition internationally as the leading form of hand to hand combat and self defence.
The British Krav Maga Association has clubs throughout the UK as well as several Krav Maga clubs teaching Israeli martial arts in Bristol.
Jim Halton teaches Krav Maga – Israeli Martial Arts in Bristol Speedwell
Our classes have a really friendly atmosphere, ego free and hard working. If you’re looking for a place to study martial arts in Bristol, if you want to be fitter, faster and stronger than ever before, then book yourself onto one of our FREE training evenings.
To learn more about Krav Maga or martial arts in bristol or to book yourself in for a free lesson please follow the above link or better still call me on 07813347795.
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Hi there! i just want to ask if you guys teach or has a training program for “Arnis”. I’m interested to learn that kind of arts which emphasize weapon-based fighting with sticks, knives and other bladed weapons, and various improvised weapons. Thanks!
Hi Jagger, we do teach how to fight with weapons although a large part of the emphasis in Krav Maga is to disarm the opponent. As its illegal to carry weapons of any type in this country I feel its better to work on sharpening the weapons that you are allowed ie your hands, knees, feet, elbows and your head – not just for headbutts but also for tactical awareness as well as understanding the psychology of combat and different ways of avoiding and de-escalating a situation. *If you carry an improvised weapon with you with the intent of using it as a weapon then it will still be classed as a weapon in a court of law.
Improvised weapons is something that we train also. Defence against edged weapons and bottles etc are generally taught to the student within the first month. (60,000 people a year in England and Wales are “glassed”) As statistics show that attacks with weapons are likely this is why the student is introduced to them early.
However, if you are looking to learn a system purely in weapon vs weapon for asthetic or for personal development reasons (highly unlikely in self protection scenario)…… I personally dont teach this but I think the Trojan Free Fighter club in Kingswood were running classes at one point. Not sure if they still are and I can’t vouch for them having not got round to meet them there yet but they do have a good reputation. I’m going on holiday for the next week leaving this afternoon but when I get back I will make enquiries. A couple of my students have trained extensively in Kali so they may be able to help too.
All the best. Jim
Here’s an article on various martial arts – Escima is ranked as #2. Have a read there’s videos on there as well.
http://www.cracked.com/article_16595_6-great-martial-arts-killing-man-with-your-bare-hands.html?fb_ref=like&fb_source=other_multiline
How does Krav Maga compare to the likes of MMA?
Is it just an older more traditional version of what has been re-badged as MMA?
Wow, great question!
There are some similarities as well as differences between MMA and Krav Maga. The prime similarity in my opinion is that both have evolved since their beginning and both continue to evolve. The difference being that the goals are different but both accepted that in the key to success your training has to be progressive. MMA has changed greatly since its beginnings and evolved into a pure sport whereby every athlete nowadays has to have groundskills, takedowns and defences, stand up striking kicks, punches, elbows, knees, clinchwork and a knowledge of locks, throws and submissions. An MMA athlete would also need to have good conditioning, a basic strength foundation and good endurance/stamina also not forgetting footwork, movement, strategy, good cornermen/coaches, nutritionist and so on.
Krav has changed – certainly within our organization – our focus is on self defence so it isnt relevant to us to teach something if it doesnt work – also what we teach changes in accordance with current crime statistics relevant to this country.
However MMA and self defence are massively different. Firstly, Krav and MMA aren’t really comparable in that MMA is a sport. A great one at that, I’ve competed in amateur full contact and really enjoyed both the training and the fighting. I love to watch it and probably watch MMA more these days than I do boxing. But MMA is a sport. People talk about being pressure tested in the ring but MMA will never be anything like the street for these reasons:
Rules, classic saying – on the street there are no rules. seriously, anything goes. its about winning, survival. In the ring you have rules set out to protect the fighters. No small joint manipulation, no eye gouging, its always one on one. No direct throat strikes. The fight stops if someone taps, is knocked out or can even be stopped by the ref if someone is cut badly.
In sport fighting you go into a fight facing your opponent, you will have weeks or even months of notice and know if they a better grappler, you will know if they are a southpaw, you will weigh pretty much the same weight.
At no point during a mma fight will your opponents mates turn up to help him out.
You will never have your kids or wife with you.
You or your opponent will never be drunk or high on drugs – which can have a great affect on pain threshold as well as balance, confidence and aggression.
You start the fight facing each other, on the street you might not know you’re in a fight until you’ve been punched in the back of the head, beaten to the floor or maybe even cut by a knife. (groundfighting changes massively when your opponent has a knife or you are outnumbered)
The ring will be clear of obstacles and will have a soft floor not like the hard concrete of the street.
The person choosing to assault you on the street chooses their opponent, the time, the place, the circumstances – they will likely choose someone who they stand a high chance of beating – someone smaller, intoxicated – an easy victim. Typical street predatorial types dont want a fair fight, they dont want to risk losing. If you want a fair fight like a real man then you step in the ring but predators want easy victims who they can easily beat, mug, rape and get away with it so they can do it again.
Training to fight one on one is great fun and good for sport and hobby but this is where Krav differs greatly from anything else I’ve ever seen. Training from a disadvantage because likely this is where you’ll start a fight from. I’d love to live in a more chivalrous society where all violence is conducted by a set of agreed rules. Even better, I’d love to live in a world with no violence at all. If I did then I’d still train in combat because I love it, I find it challenging and I know I’m the fittest I’ve ever been because of it.
I think comparing Krav to MMA is a similar argument to those who compare boxing to MMA – its two very different games. Both are great but be successful the training has to be specific for the goal. For an MMA fighter to dedicate any of his busy training schedule to multiple opponent strategy, de-escalation, edged weapon training etc would be crazy but for those who are interested in surviving a street fight those are skills that can make a massive difference.
There is a saying in self defence:
It is better to avoid than to run; better to run than to de-escalate; better to de-escalate than to fight; better to fight than to die.
In MMA a tactical apology isnt going to do you much good but in a road rage incident it might stop the fight from ever happening. (from a self defence perspective I’d call that a win)
All the best. Jim
Hi, I am seriously thinking about starting a martial art, and Krav Maga seems to be, from what I have heard, read and seen, the ideal one for me.
I already have some competence at fighting, but am not so keen on karate etc, I find them to move at too slow a pace. Does Krav Maga have that edge over other fighting styles?
Thanks for your help.
How does Krav compare to other fighting styles? Hard to say – in a one on one controlled and referreed fight you still have to remember that a lot of the deciding factor would come down to the actual fighter – how experienced they are, how fit and strong they are, if they have experience recovering from concussive blows et etc.
In a street fight, assault or mugging the chances of getting mugged by a someone who has trained to a decent degree in a martial art are quite slim. You are much more likely to be attacked by someone who is untrained and either in an emotional driven assault (such as road rage) or by someone who has spefically chosen you as a victim (predator/prey). In my experience guys who actually know how to fight – the guys who go and get in the ring and spar every week, spit blood and sweat – these guys are the most peaceful and probably your smallest threat (unless you really piss them off)
Taking this into account in Krav we look to prepare the student in ways other than simply fighting. There are verbal methods to diffuse and de-escalate situations. There are preventative measures you can take for your saftey. Learning to recognize how to avoid conflict is massively important.
Personally I don’t think having the edge over another style is as important as being able to handle a situation where you find yourself against 3 drunk untrained youths who may or may not be armed. This in my experience is where martial arts often fall down in that they over prepare you for a one on one attack from a talented martial artist – an attack that on the street is not going to happen.
And of course we also have to remember that in comparing styles (NB Krav Maga isnt actually a style or a martial art its a self defence system) – that the capability of the practitioner will always vary. Two people may study the same style for the same amount of time but…. well we all may drink from the same well but some more than others if you catch my drift
To summarize: Krav Maga is one of the most proven systems of self defence out there. It is used by over 500 Military and Law enforcement agencies across the world. Why? Because it works. First lessons free, you might not like it, you might love it – come down and see if its for you, no pressure sales, no bullshit – just hard work and great results.
geoff thompson says “a right cross to the jaw area hit hard is all you need in a altercation” i accept that as the man is experienced what do you think to what he said, im not asking you to make any comments about him unless you wish to, he also says martial arts like aikido and wing chun and others is support system which i find odd to be honest
Totally agree with him on that – in a street fight/altercation being the first to strike is massively important and will have a great affect on the fight. The moments that lead up to the altercation are, however, in my opinion equally if not more important than the moves you use in the fight itself.
True self defence should not be glamourous and showy it needs to be gross motor skills, ingrained as subconcious reflexes that you are able to perform under pressure. Training needs to reflect real life scenario’s as much as possible. The student needs to not only learn how to strike but also needs to be exposed to aggression and pressure. The moments that lead up to an altercation – being able to avoid the situation in the first place if possible….. if not, then being able to pre-emptively strike the opponent is critical.
Interestingly – in our club we train a lot of pre-emptive strikes from aggressive encounters – most people have problems in real life with pre-emptive striking. I’ve spoken to people who say they would rather take a few strikes first so that they know the attacker is serious on intent. Obviously this is a rocky road especially if the attacker has a knife or has no problems with kicking you in the head once on the floor. Part of the problem lies in that most of us are raised and taught not to hit people. For a lot of people even being aggressive can be hard – dealing with it and not freezing can be even harder.
I think all martial arts have their place but for many I think that place is in the safe confines of the dojo with a compliant, non aggressive partner where fancy stuff works. Geoff Thompson has a great deal of very valid experience in the world of real life violence where attacks are always closer, more aggressive and much faster than most martial arts clubs will put their students through in class – this is one of the reasons why professionals (Close Protection Officers, Doormen, Military etc) who actually deal with violence in the real world don’t rate “black belt’s” as meaning much. I’ve trained with Black Belts who, although nice guys, wouldn’t be able to handle a real fight as it is so massively detached from what they’ve experienced in the dojo.
Why pressure train? We know that pressure reduces performance. The ability to throw a complex strike pattern, joint locking or flashy typical martial arts moves falls apart under the affects of adrenaline. Check out these figures released by the NYPD:
1991 to 1993 on nearly 1,000 shootings the average number of shots was only 4 per officer and the average hit rate was16%
How relevant is this? These guys are trained, are mentally prepared for the situation often as is in response to a call out and so are expecting the worse, weapons already drawn and yet hit rates are still very low. Pressure reduces performance. Keep techniques as simple as possible, train under pressure, gross motor skills burned into your soul that you can use subconciously, pre-empt when possible.
To summarise (bit passionate so I tend to drift) if you can hit first, then yes a right cross to the jaw can have a great affect. Is it easy to implement without good training behind you and experience with aggression? Think of it this way, technically, to get in the ring with a 20 year old in his prime Mike Tyson all you would have to do to knock him out is catch him with a good right cross on the jaw. Implementing this when he’s slipping, weaving, ducking and hitting you back is another thing. Good thing about street encounters is its not a sporting event and you can still catch someone off guard so long as you know the signals, have the tools to use and don’t freeze up.
Hi jim,
My friend and I would like to start training at your fishponds class, can we just drop in or do we need to book?