As Krav Maga Self-Protect (KMS) is purely a system of self-defence, its emphasis is on technique and not on fitness or sports.
The classes are divided into basic (beginner) and advanced levels (see also the FAQ concerning the levels), with women and men training together.
Many techniques are learned in pairs, with a training partner. You practice strikes of maximum force on large kick shields in order to train to full effect. With increasing experience and skill level, the exercises will become freer and less regimented. However, the roles of the attacker and the defender are always clearly assigned.
This is also true of the weekly knife defence training, where only the attacker is armed with a knife, whereas the defender is unarmed. Thus, we do not train knife fighting (where both would be armed) but pure self-defence against an attacker armed with a knife or a knife-like object.
On the advanced level, techniques for defending and striking are combined piece by piece into training series, which enables each student to develop his or her own self-defence style. Head gear and boxing gloves are worn to avoid injury.
