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As a survivor of rape and domestic violence prior to training in various martial arts for eight years, I finally feel “capable” of defending myself due to training at Krav Maga San Diego.
Dana Ben Kaplan is the best instructor I’ve trained with for a few reasons. He knows how to teach and break down techniques so that they make sense to everyone. He gives guidance in a way that makes you strive to make him proud of you because you know you’re on the same team. And his ability to train both a completely inexperienced student and a soldier who may be fighting terrorists within days is exceptional. This is evident by the sheer fact that although more advanced students have separate classes from beginners, so many still choose to attend the Level 1 class as well to review basics and assist new students.
I’ve never experienced or heard of such a helpful, teamwork-type atmosphere in traditional martial arts. There are no attitudes at KMSD. Students are respectful, helpful to one another and everyone works with everyone else.

I’ve found that training in an effective system requires being put in stressful situations that other systems have never put me in. This is the primary reason I feel more capable now that ever before. Attacks don’t happen in a clean studio with rules, martial arts uniforms and referees. At KMSD, we train indoors as well as outdoors with distractions of life going on around us, in clothing we might wear to work or the beach. When I began taking martial arts classes, after being attacked, I never really wanted “art” class; I wanted something effective. There’s a good reason Krav Maga is the official self-defense/fighting system of the Israeli army.

K.R. female student
Krav Maga San Diego

Being a United States Marine, I must be ready for any situation, whether in combat or in everyday life. In combat, there is confusion, fatigue, and fog of war. It is crucial to be able to adjust to any situation. By applying the techniques learned in Krav Maga, and especially the IKMF Military Seminar in San Diego, instucted by Eyal Yanilov, Dana Ben Kaplan, and Peter Lakatos, I believe that I (and the other Military members that attended) will be more prepared the next time they must react in combat.

Thank you, and I will be looking forward to continuing my Krav Maga training and attending more Seminars with
Krav Maga San Diego.

Sgt. "C. U."
Firearms Instructor
United States Marine
Krav Maga San Diego Trainee


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In addition to Krav Maga San Diego, I have been training in Soo Bahk Doo for over three years. For students that are green belts and above, my school has a tradition where you must spar with every member of the class including the instructor in order of their rank from lowest to highest on your birthday. In previous years, I have dreaded this day because I usually got hit a lot and got extremely tired and out of breath by the end. There was a year when I thought I was going to throw up on my master by the time I got to spar him. Today was my birthday and my experience was completely different. At first, I was a bit nervous. In past years my birthday sparring was with mostly white to green belt students with one or two advanced students, this year my birthday sparring was to be with a group of 23 students which were red or black belt. Only two students were junior to me and for a moment I thought I was going to get killed by the black belt students. Once I started sparring, the Krav Maga killer instinct took over. Using my peripheral vision, I was able to block almost all the kicks and punches that came towards me. Instead of doing jumping or fancy techniques that take longer, I stuck with short and swift attacks. My blocks usually had punches right along with them and even though I did not have breaks between my sparring sessions, I was still the aggressor and kept my fighting spirit alive. By the time I got to my instructor, I felt as though I had just warmed up. I fought him with the same spirit and level of effort as I had put forth with the first classmate. When I looked at the clock after I was done, I noticed that I had been fighting for over 25 minutes and I still felt great!

After class, many of the black belt students paid me compliments on my endurance, swiftness, fighting combinations and most of all spirit. Some said, they clearly noticed that I have gone up in higher level of confidence and skill even though I have not been attending class on a regular basis for some time now. I don’t think today would have been as fun of an experience if I didn’t have the last year of training from Krav Maga San Diego. I know that I still have a long road ahead of me for training, but I wanted to stop and say thanks for all the torture and physical madness that you put us through in our workouts every week.

N.U., Female Student
Krav Maga San Diego

It was my birthday on the day of my Practitioner 1 Exam ... I mean for real.
Obviously I am very glad to have successed that day. I am 46 years old now and I never really practiced any physical sport in my life. As a matter of fact, I initially subscribed to Krav Maga San Diego in order to protect myself against a specific individual. So you can imagine my humble satisfaction, even though this is only a first step.

I will attend Level 2 training next session and I will be proud to be part of your classroom again. Thank you!

P.M.
Krav Maga San Diego

I've been attending Krav Maga San Diego classes for almost one year now. The benefits have been immense. I started as a 50 year old, overweight, health professional, plagued by occupational, repetitive injuries involving my back & shoulders. Initially, the work outs and drills were tough, but instructors Dana Ben Kaplan & Jennifer Ross are both infinitely knowledgeable and patient. Within several months, I had shed the weight and had improved both muscular tone & flexibility to the point where I have very little trouble with the back & shoulder pain. In addition, I've learned and become comfortable with invaluable defense techniques that could save my life & others close to me.

Unlike other self defense courses, in Krav Maga San Diego classes, the emphasis is on safety, and all the students work together & help each other in an atmosphere of camaraderie, rather than competition. There are very few people who wouldn't benefit from this experience. Thanks again, Dana & Jen.

S.Z., Dentist
Krav Maga San Diego

I started attending classes at Krav Maga San Diego because I had been attacked. I wanted to learn how to defend myself, and to never be a victim again. After two years of classes, I found myself in a situation where my resolve to not be a victim was put to the test.

I witnessed a man pulling a woman out of a car that was stopped in front of my car. He was hitting her, and would not stop when I honked my horn. I stepped out of my car and yelled to him that I was calling the police. He turned and looked at me, released the woman he was beating, and came straight for me. Just like the instructors tell you it will happen in class, my reflexes took over. I defended myself without getting hurt. I didn't even have to think about what to do. I then got back into my car and called the police.

The gift in this experience was that never once, during the whole episode, did I feel like a victim. While I am not an aggressive person, I feel pride when I realize that I can take care of myself. I have grown physically in class, but even better, I have grown as a person.

T.B., Female Student
Krav Maga San Diego

In addition to being a former United States Marine, I have been a martial arts student for nearly 20 years and have trained in everything from boxing to karate to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. While those were very valuable experiences that have enhanced my combat skills, I can honestly say that it was not until training at Krav Maga San Diego that I became truly confident in my ability to fight and defend myself in a real-life violent confrontation.

I unhesitatingly recommend KMSD to both beginners and experienced martial artists as a very efficient, effective, and enjoyable means to develop true confidence in your self-defense abilities. Many thanks to Dana, Jen, and my fellow students.

S.G.
Krav Maga San Diego

For as long as I can remember, I've had a fear that if someone were to attempt to harm me that I wouldn't know what to do or how to defend and protect myself. If I was on a run and someone jumped out of a car to grab me, what would I do? If I awoke to find someone standing over my bed, what would I do? A number of scenarios of everyday activities could pose as situations that I wouldn't know how to protect myself. When I finally shared these fears with my husband, he suggested that I learn self defense and suggested that I take Krav Maga. He heard about the benefits of Krav Maga San Diego from fellow Officers at other agencies and even saw demonstrations of it. Well, after 6 months I finally worked up the courage to sign up for classes with Krav Maga San Diego. Having never participated in any contact sports or martial arts, I was very hesitant about how I would do. However, Dana, Jen, and the other Instructors offered easy-to-learn instruction, and the feedback helped me feel at ease in class and have fun. After a few sessions, I feel confident that I can defend myself adequately. I know a number of escapes to use if someone were to grab me while I am out exercising (which I am frequently).

I truly believe that Krav Maga San Diego has set me free from my fears and helped me gain confidence that I never had before. I tell all of my friends (male and female) to take the classes and I eagerly look forward to my next session. Thank you Krav Maga San Diego instructors for the invaluable techniques you've taught me and for teaching in a way that made me feel comfortable, part of the group, and let me have fun.

D.P., Female Student
Krav Maga San Diego

I started attending Krav Maga San Diego for personal enrichment, but it also provided the perfect training for when I attended United States Coast Guard Officer Candidate School. When I reported there, I was in better shape than most and scored very high in the physical ability assessment. In addition, I had the confidence and skill to do well in all exercises.

If you're looking for a practical and challenging, well-run program conducted by instructors who will work hard to see that you meet the standards, I highly recommend KMSD. Thanks again to Dana, Jen, the other Instructors, and all the students. I look forward to continuing the training.

J.D.
United States Coast Guard
Krav Maga San Diego


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