Registration is open! Don't miss the best weekend of hand-to-hand combat, live fire training, and simunition stress drills that you'll ever experience. This year, we have special guest Nir Maman, Israeli counter terrorist operator and instructor!

To register, click here.

For Warriors, By Warriors

Training and Certification for Today’s Armed Professional

When John Whitman approached me about becoming the Director of KMA Force, I have to admit, I wasn’t keen on it. Besides the fact that I wasn’t even part of the Alliance, I was fairly busy with my full time job as a Los Angeles Police Officer and my duties as the Lead Instructor for Simi Valley Krav Maga as well as Vindico Training Group. It wasn’t the bright flash of enlightenment that brought me around; it was the gradual realization that even though we weren’t part of the same organization, our approaches and our training concepts were just about identical. Together, the Alliance has the opportunity to transform the way Krav Maga’s life saving skills are delivered to the people who need them most: those that are sworn to defend us.

It begins with you, the Affiliate… We are embarking on a rigorous program of Civilian Law Enforcement and Military Certification that will enable you to confidently establish a Law Enforcement or Military program of your own. Would you like to approach your local agency about conducting seminars or classes? Good! We encourage it! After successfully completing our Civilian LEO/MIL Certifications, we are confident that not only will you be prepared to train today’s Peacekeepers and Warfighters; you’ll do a damn fine job of it. John and I don’t have the time nor do we have the inclination to conduct all of the Force training. We will give you the tools to do it and then get out of your way. We want you to grow the system the way it was meant to be grown -- locally.

Several Affiliates have contacted me about KMA Force certifying some of their students that happen to be full time LEO/MIL. That course is now a reality and will be scheduled shortly. This will allow Affiliates to build their own KMA Force training cadre in order to expand their role in local Police and Military training. We will also continue to expand our program of agency instructor and operator certification, although our main focus is on you, the Affiliate.

Also, expect to see several other Certifications opening up soon. I am in the final stages of developing a Stress Based Firearms Instructor course that will allow you to provide a safe, realistic firearms training program for your own students. We teach them to take the firearm during the defense: it’s about time we taught them what they hell to do with it! There are also several other courses that are being developed to help you expand your business and to keep the training we provide at the cutting edge.

In order to ensure that the training and certification programs remain forward-thinking and relevant, we have instituted very strict guidelines for our “train the trainer” cadre. Every member of the KMA Force Mentor Instructor Cadre was handpicked by me and vetted by John. All are full time, Sworn LEO or Military. There are no exceptions to this rule. In addition, all hold the rank of at least Brown Belt in Krav Maga. Furthermore, all must have a significant amount of relevant field assignments, to include SWAT, Counter Terrorism, or high risk warrant service. Military members must have actual, verifiable Combat action.  Finally, all are Agency and POST certified instructors in related fields, including Arrest and Control, Firearms, and Tactics.  There are many “Krav Maga Force Trainers” that went through a week of training and got a shirt. These are not the people you’ll be learning from; you deserve better than that. At KMA Force we are dedicated to providing you with the tools to ensure the mission success of today’s warrior. From the Cop on the beat to the forward deployed Soldiers and Marines, we intend to live by our motto, “For Warriors, by Warriors”.

The Krav Maga Alliance is proud to announce an Instructor Course at Wingate Institute in Israel.  The course will be held 19-26 September, 2011.

We will also sponsor a Tour of Israel from 12-18 September.

To get more information on both, click on the Instructor Certification page on the Alliance website and choose "Wingate Instructor Certification."

See you there!

The Krav Maga Alliance is beginning its affiliate teleconferences this month. Our first monthly conference will be Wednesday, March 16th, at 10:30am Pacific time. The topic is "How To Run A Successful Intro Seminar." The conference will be facilitated by John Whitman and the material will be presented by James Hiromasa of Colorado Krav Maga.

Our teleconferences are designed to be like Krav Maga: short, punchy, and to the point. There will be time for Q&A, but if all you want to do is join in, here the presentation, and then jump out, no problem!

For information on how to join, email john@kravmagaalliance.com.

I was talking about weightlifting with a colleague who said the biggest frustration with Olympic lifts was the need to push to failure. In weightlifting, the whole point is to see how much heavy stuff you can lift off the ground. It stands to reason, therefore, that you won't know how much until you reach a weight you can't lift; i.e., until you fail. This person doesn't like failure (which is why we are colleagues) and insists on pushing through it (which is why we are friends). On a rational level, she gets it, but on a visceral level, she dislikes it. She insists on pushing through it, and finding some new level.

That's what I like about her, and many of the other friends I've made in Krav Maga. It's what I want the Krav Maga Alliance to be about: a group of people striving for new and better training methods.

In the book Complete Krav Maga, I wrote that "techniques are the beginning of your understanding of self defense, not the end." It's a good policy, as far as it goes, but it's perspective is limited to actual self defense. I have a broader saying that I've adopted for myself, and for the Krav Maga Alliance: our achievements aren't pinnacles, they're platforms. They're the launch pads for our next endeavor.

Krav Maga Alliance announced today that Jeremy Stafford has been named Director of the Krav Maga Alliance Force Division. As head of this division, Stafford will be responsible for developing and implementing training programs for law enforcement and military services under the Krav Maga Alliance banner.

Stafford’s credentials are impeccable. He is a Black Belt in Krav Maga and is the lead instructor at Simi Valley Krav Maga in Simi Valley, California as well as the President of Vindico Training Group, a full service tactical and firearms training company. He has been an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department for 13 years, where he has served as a Field Training Officer, a Narcotics Investigator, and a Counter Terrorism Operator. He currently works as a Senior Instructor in the Firearms and Tactics Section where he serves as a mentor instructor and works on program and curriculum development. Stafford has served in the U.S. Marine Corps, including a combat tour in Iraq, where he received a Bronze Star with a ‘V’ for valor.

John Whitman, founder of Krav Maga Alliance, believes Stafford will bring a whole new dimension to the Krav Maga Alliance’s programs. “We didn’t want to activate the Force Division unless we could make it great,” says Whitman. “But making it great meant having the right person in charge. Jeremy Stafford is that person.”

Jeremy added “Police Officer deaths are up 37 percent in just the last year and our Armed Forces are entering the 10th year of a Global War on Terror. All of this is happening in an environment of budget cuts and a reduction of manpower across the board. More and more is being asked of our nation’s warriors at home and abroad, and we intend to give them more. You can expect to see an aggressive program that not only addresses traditional defensive tactics, but also addresses the realities of moving from less than lethal force all the way up to and including lethal force. I am especially looking forward to working with our affiliates and small school owners, helping them to provide world class training on a local level.”

Krav Maga Alliance is expected to announce a schedule of upcoming law enforcement and military courses soon.

Krav Maga Alliance is a global network of Krav Maga school owners and instructors dedicated to making their communities safer through Krav Maga training for civilians, law enforcement, and military personnel. The organization’s headquarters is in Los Angeles, California, with affiliates around the United States and in eight countries around the world.

For more information, please email info@kravmagaalliance.com

We are sponsoring a tactical firearms course with IMS Security and its chief instructor, Aaron Cohen.  Aaron served in the Duvdevan unit of the IDF, a very high speed anti-terrorist unit.  The course will include Israeli-style tactical firearms training, room clearing, transition from carbine to pistol, and much, much more!  The cost is $299 before March 1, and $399 on March 1 or after.

To register, please email info@ims-security.com.

We are very excited to be working with his team, and bring to the KM Alliance the very best training possible.  We hope to see you there!

The Krav Maga Alliance is proud to be a part of Winter Camp 2011 in Denver, Colorado.  For the last few years, James Hiromasa and his crew at Colorado Krav Maga have put on one of the best training weekends you'll find anywhere, and John Whitman has had the honor to teach at each one of them. The streak continues this year.  Winter Camp is not to be missed!  Training is February 18 & 19, 2011.

PLUS, there is a school owner's meeting on Thursday, February 17. We encourage all KM Alliance schools to attend this meeting of the minds to gauge performance, find new ideas, and plan to make 2011 a huge success!

See you there!

We are proud to announce that Krav Maga Alliance now has an affiliated school in the city of Brisbane, and another instructor across the country in Perth. Last week, we conducted an Instructor Certification, two civilian seminars, and a seminar for law enforcement and military personnel. All participants did a great job. The instructor group was talented, but at the same time we like to think that KM Alliance has shown them a slightly different, more aggressive and intense approach to defensive tactics training. We are looking to helping Krav Maga grow in Australia!