Krav Maga Cambridge Blog: What Differentiates Civilian, Law Enforcement and Military Krav Maga Training?

In this article I will look at the key difference between Krav Maga taught to civilians in self-defence lessons at clubs such as my own at Krav Maga Cambridge and Krav Maga taught to Law Enforcement agencies and the Military.  Many of you may be surprised by how similar they really are.

Krav Maga is a highly effective and brutally efficient self defence system.  It was originally developed for the Israeli Defence Force as its close quarters battle and self defence system, but it has since found favour with other military units, law enforcement agencies and civilian self-defence clubs globally because it is based on tactics and techniques that are proven equally effective on the battlefield and in street conflict situations.

As a reality-based self-defence system based on core principles and simple building blocks Krav is highly adaptable and relatively easy to learn.  It is also a highly practical because it is based on simple instinctive defensive movements, meaning it is easier to recall when you are fully adrenalised and under pressure and need it most.

It is also continuously adapting to meet evolving and emerging threats, so it ensures maximum utility across the full spectrum of threats both armed and unarmed.  Because of these obvious advantages, Krav is a highly appealing self-defence system for civilians, law enforcement and the military alike.

So, what are the differences in each context? Well, not as much as you might think.

Krav Maga training for civilians, law enforcement and military personnel is based on the same techniques and principles and shares the same aim: to protect the Kravist from the threat, whether it be armed or unarmed, so they may survive a conflict situation and get home safely to family and loved ones.

The main differences between each is:

• the desired end-state or finish
• the use of weapons, particularly firearms
• the amount of kit and equipment worn.

The most significant of these is the finish which is based on the desired end-state.  The tactics and techniques are often the same or quite similar for each context, but because the desired end-state is different there is a different ending or the finish to the technique.  For example:

In a Civilian context then the desired end-state would be to:

• Stop the threat
• Incapacitate the attacker with immediate aggressive combatives
• Disengage as quickly as possible and when safe to do so, get home safely, call the police as necessary

In a Police/Law Enforcement context the desired end-state would be to:

• Stop the threat
• Incapacitate the attacker with immediate aggressive combatives
• Control, apprehend/arrest and detain the attacker (possibly terminate in some circumstances)

In a Military context the desired end-state would be to:

• Stop the threat
• Neutralise the attacker with immediate aggressive combatives
• Terminate the attacker if their intent is to use deadly force against you and your rules of engagement allow

Military Krav and often Law Enforcement Krav, especially outside the UK, usually involves the use of firearms.  This is very different to the civilian Krav, especially in the UK, because firearms are not freely available to civilians here.  That said, the basic self-defence techniques against firearms are often taught for interest to civilian classes but not to the same extent as they are in Military Krav.

In order to train realistically, Military and Law Enforcement Kravists need to replicate operational conditions which involves the wearing of their operational weapons, kit and equipment whilst practicing techniques.

This can seriously restrict movement and therefore the techniques available for them to use in certain circumstances because some techniques are simply not practical when wearing operational gear and carrying operational loads.

Civilian Kravist are rarely so restricted.  Military and Law Enforcement Kravists will also train to utilise their weapon/s as part of their Krav technique and learn life ending techniques.  All of these elements are rarely taught in a civilian context for obvious good reason.

In this article I looked at the key difference between Krav Maga taught to civilians in self-defence lessons and Krav Maga taught to Law Enforcement and the Military.

The difference is not as significant as many may have assumed.

The basic Krav Maga is the same for all, the key difference is how the technique finishes which is based on the desired end-state and is different in each context.

The use of firearms and the encumbrance of wearing operational kit and equipment is also different and rarely replicated in civilian classes because in the end, that’s not your reality.  Firearms and operational kit and equipment are not part of your everyday life and therefore you’re unlikely to find yourself in a conflict situation where you need to know how to use them so training with them in a civilian context can only really be for interest and experience.