About Krav Maga

About Krav Maga

Krav Maga differs from most other martial arts and self-defense systems in that it is founded upon concepts and principles rather than on techniques, such as traditional martial arts like Karate and Tae Kwon Do etc. Whereas these systems are constrained by the techniques they teach and are unable to adapt to new threats and attacks – which is why they are referred to as “traditional” martial arts – Krav Maga can use its framework of concepts and principles, to both evolve existing techniques, and create new ones etc. It is this flexibility, which has continued to make it an effective system of self-defense for the past 70-years. One of the other reasons that it continues to be relevant, is that it has a simple goal: to take the unathletic, untrained and inexperienced recruit (in Israel, where Krav Maga was created and developed for the military, there is National Service), combat ready in the shortest possible time. To do this the system is based on natural reflexive movements, that you instinctively perform when attacked and assaulted. This is one of the ways in which it differs significantly to combat sports such as Muay Thai and BJJ (Brazilian Ju-Jitsu), where the assumption is that you are already prepared to fight and haven’t been caught by surprise. Krav Maga is about what you will do when attacked, rather than what you may want to do, or think you will do etc.

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By learning techniques through the fighting concepts on which they are based, students of Krav Maga get to learn to apply these concepts in situations that they haven’t experienced e.g., one fundamental concept heuristic is, if the attack is life-threatening such as a choke or strangulation, the appropriate response is to “attack the attack” i.e., deal with the limb that is putting pressure on the neck/throat, however if the attack is non-life-threatening, such as a wrist grab, then the attack itself should be forgotten, and you should start “attacking the attacker”. Using this approach, a person who is attacked with a non-life-threatening attack (such as a lapel grab), knows how to respond even if they’ve never experienced that attack in training before i.e., they know to start attacking their attacker etc. It is these concepts, heuristics (rules of thumb), that allows the creation of solutions in the moment, even if a practitioner has not been taught a specific technique.

Whilst some schools supplement their Krav Maga program with other martial arts and combat sports etc. this is not necessary and is often detrimental to Krav Maga tactics and strategies e.g., Krav Maga teaches fighting on the ground, however it emphasizes “fighting” to get to standing so that you are able to disengage and get away – especially as you don’t want to be dealing with weapons and multiple attackers when in this position. Trying to add BJJ training, where the focus is staying on the ground and finishing the fight there (according to the rules of the competition) sends an opposing message. Whilst Krav Maga does teach how to do this, its’ focus and emphasis is to get up and get away, and only stay on the ground when there are no other effective options.

There is sparring in Krav Maga, with a large emphasis on safety e.g., for the most part head punches are avoided due to the risk of concussions – something that the science has started to catch up with. The IDF’s strategy is to have a very small standing army, largely made up of young conscripts, and their job is to hold the borders if Israel is invaded until the reserve forces have been mobilized. This means that Krav Maga training has to be safe and non-injurious, as if the standing army is depleted due to head injuries and the like, this strategy won’t work. Krav Maga has come up with many different ways to develop the necessary fighting skills to survive a real-life altercation without relying solely on sparring, and sparring that could result in concussions.

If you live/work in Medford and are looking to experience authentic Israeli Krav Maga, from a certified and qualified instructor, who was trained and continues to train in Israel, please use the button below to check dates and sign up for one of our introductory seminars.

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Krav Maga Yashir in Medford, MA

Gershon Ben Keren began his Krav Maga training in 1993. He first became a Krav Maga instructor under Eyal Yanilov, who at the time was the head instructor for the IKMF (International Krav Maga Federation). in 2003, recognizing that his approach to self-defense, emphasized personal safety and de-escalation component, along with having a strong emphasis on pre-emptive striking, he started to refer to what he taught as Krav Maga Yashir (Yashir meaning “Direct” in Hebrew), in order to differentiate the system and approach, from other systems and styles of Krav Maga, that simply used the term “Krav Maga” in a generic way. This distinction became even more important when he moved to the US, where Krav Maga is often taught as a fitness program, and neglects the development of fighting skills and abilities.

Krav Maga Yashir At Roshankish Tae Kwon Do in Medford

In 2008, he moved to Massachusetts (USA), and began teaching Krav Maga at the YMCA in Cambridge, and at the Roshankish Tae Kwon Do school (now the Roshankish Martial Arts Center) in Medford, MA. In 2012, having outgrown both spaces he moved his school, Krav Maga Yashir Boston, to Charlestown (Boston), MA. In 2022, the school moved to its present location in Woburn, just 15-minutes North of the original Medford location at the Roshankish Martial Arts Center. The studio is equipped with 1.5-inch Olympic quality Judo Mats, and a large array of training equipment including both long and short barreled Rings Blue Guns, Fairtex Thai Pads and hanging bags etc.

2008 - Gershon Ben Keren teaching Krav Maga at the Roshankish Tae-Kwon-Do School in Medford

Krav Maga Yashir has a history of bringing external Krav Maga instructors to teach Krav Maga seminars at all the locations the school has been based at e.g., Michael Ruppel and David Kahn to the Roshankish Martial Art Center in Medford, MA, and Miki Assulin and Ran Steinberg to the Charlestown Maritime Center etc. It is the school’s strong ties to Israel which is one of the things that separates Krav Maga Yashir from the other schools located in Massachusetts. This connection is extremely important because without it updates and innovations effecting Krav Maga are unable to be communicated and passed on.