The Fight Requirement
In order to receive a Black Belt with the Krav Maga Alliance, both students and instructors must participate in at least one ring fight.
The primary requirements are that the fight must be against an opponent you do not know (i.e., not from your own gym or a friend), that the person is genuinely willing to do damage within the context of the sport, and that there is a crowd watching.
This fight can be a smoker, amateur, or professional fight.
The fight can be boxing, kickboxing (no point fighting), Muay Thai, or any variation of MMA.
Events that do not count: BJJ and wrestling formats (i.e., grappling without striking); taekwondo style tournaments that do not allow punches to the head; karate tournaments with stoppage after a point.
However, karate tournaments with full contact, punches to the head, and continuous fighting, DO count.
The fight must be organized with all standard safety requirements.
Formats that allow headgear and shin guards DO count.
You don’t have to win, but you have to give it your best!
You can enter a pre-existing event, or you can organize a fight between your school and another school. Especially for older candidates, you can arrange a fight with someone of a similar age and experience.
If you’ve done a fight in the past that meets these requirements, it counts. You just need to provide us with any reasonable confirmation.
Law enforcement officers and combat veterans are exempt from this requirement.
We are simply asking you to function during the stress of a fight, and a ring fight, although not a street fight, is the best way to experience this stress.
Krav Maga Alliance is composed of Krav Maga schools, instructors, and students dedicated to improving themselves and each other through realistic training and the continuous exchange of ideas. We have affiliates all over the world, from Australia to Italy. We provide training, certification, and ongoing to support in all aspects of Krav Maga training. We provide curricula, lesson plans, and monthly updates with new training drills and scenarios to our affiliates.
The Krav Maga Alliance was created by John Whitman, a sixth degree black belt in Krav Maga. John is the former president of Krav Maga Worldwide, and earned instructor degrees from the Krav Maga Association of America, Krav Maga Worldwide, and the prestigious Wingate University in Israel. He is the only person to have earned a Senior Instructor diploma from Wingate. He has trained thousands of civilians and hundreds of law enforcement and military personnel, including the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations Antiterrorist Specialty Team. John is the co-author of COMPLETE KRAV MAGA and KRAV MAGA FOR BEGINNERS. He was a leading participant in the creation and refinement of the Instructor Training Program used by Krav Maga Worldwide, a program he headed for 7 years.