Krav Maga for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide to the World's Easiest-to-Learn, Most-Effective Fitness and Fighting Program

Easy to read good explanation informative good pictures

I first heard about Krav Maga six years ago when I was a cadet in the police academy. I was told by my defensive tactics instructors that this Israeli fighting system was the best choice for cops who wanted to be ready for anything. I immediately signed up. I can honestly state that Krav Maga has saved my butt on several occasions, allowing me to go home safely to my family.Now I'm a Krav Maga instructor, teaching my fellow officers how to survive violent encounters. I also teach this premier fighting program to men, women and children. Krav Maga For Beginners is the perfect way for newcomers to learn what this very effective system is all about. This book aptly explains what Krav Maga is, and, as importantly, what it isn't (for example, there are no intricate patterned forms in Krav Maga - instead, it's all about "simple, aggressive movements that get right to the point of self-defense").I have had the privilege of training with two of the book's three co-authors, Darren Levine and Ryan Hoover. Darren Levine holds a special place in my heart as a cop, as he is a senior member of the Crimes Against Peace Officers section of the Los Angeles District Attorney's office. He is a Deputy District Attorney who prosecutes offenders who murder or harm police officers. He is also the lead Krav Maga instructor in the U.S., having trained directly under Imi Lichtenfeld, the founder of Krav Maga.Ryan Hoover is an amazing teacher who has trained me and many others to focus on the importance of a reality-based self-defense system. Ryan is a master instructor whose passion for helping people to be safe and healthy radiates in everything he does. He has mastered many martial arts, holding several different black belt rankings. Ryan's greatest achievement, however, is how important he is in his community. While training at his facility, I watched the children and adults who have made themselves physically and emotionally stronger due to Ryan's skill and dedication. My goal is to someday be as valuable to my community as Ryan Hoover is to the people he serves.I have not met John Whitman yet, but from all I've heard, he is a remarkable instructor - I won't miss the chance! Search Amazon.com to see the wide variety of books that Mr. Whitman has authored, too. He's a writer for the book series inspired by the show "24". His Krav Maga skills seem to have helped Jack Bauer out of many bad situations!I highly recommend this book and this martial art. As a father of two daughters, as a police detective and as a guy who can see the age of 50 coming up real fast, I can tell you that the fitness that comes from training in Krav Maga is every bit as important as the self-defense aspects. I hope that many people will check out a class in the near future and see for themselves!

Introductory material was very complete almost to the point of being tedious. I learned a lot, especially about the defenses that had not been clear to me before. However, I do wish the material was ordered or at least labeled by belt level since I am going for a belt certification soon. That said, the progression is very logical and each move is thoroughly documented. I like the part that discusses women's self-defense, too. I wish there was a bit more detailed table of contents so I could jump (Kindle version) to any defense by name. This is a good book and well worth the $10 I paid.

Good book for beginners

The book is exactly as it says. If you have had any martial arts training over a year, you'll probably have come across some variation of almost half the stuff in this book. Nevertheless, the pictures are really helpful and the stuff that isn't rudimentary, is well explained and easy to follow. If this is supposed to be your introduction into Krav Maga, or martial arts in general, you're better of finding a live human being to show you this stuff, but if you're just looking for some pointers on self defense, this book is nice and to the point.

really good book

Exactly what I looked for to train on my own at home when I have the time. I would recommend it to anyone doing the same or to prepare a little bit before going to a real Krav Maga gym. Although I was looking for some self defense combat tricks I find the warm-up and fitness plan really helpful because I am not up to par at the moment:)P.S.: Excuse my English cause I am German.

Utterly excellen! I learned more from this book about violent street encounters and how to be prepared, from 30 minutes of reading, than I did from 20 years of experience with a great martial art that defeats most. That's sounds exaggerated, but it's not, this book breaks down how to handle being assaulted in a violent street crime, and what your legal rights are when it comes to using force. No matter how long you've practiced martial arts or how well you can fight, that's info that could save your life and the lives of others, plus protect you from some criminal's frivolous lawsuit and from unfairly being prosecuted for defending yourself.

I'm starting Krav Maga with the help of this book. As an adult woman, I found the brief section on female interest very useful. It pointed me to some other resources that I'm glad to have. I love the other sections that explain the history and tenets of Krav Maga. I've started the warm-up and Level 1 Workout Challenge for body conditioning.So far the only tutorial in this book that's hard to follow is footwork for shadowboxing - but I found a couple youtube videos to help with that.Overall I love that this book is a combination of education AND execution. It's a thorough guide which makes me feel like I'm being mentored.

Brilliant book

It was perfect for beginners maybe a little basic for myself but helpful to explain basic moves to my son

Its very good but only the most basic level stuff. only few basic moves explained here. i like it but since the contain is not enough for me, I'm gonna order the next book.

Avendo acquistato in passato per regalo altri libri che trattano la stessa disciplina, ho deciso di aggiungere questo testo alla mia libreria personale. Esso si dimostra il migliore. Descrizioni accurate , immagini esplicative.Attenzione il libro è in Inglese. Tuttavia, nn lo riterrei un ostacolo anche per chi ha una conoscienza limitata della lingua. Consigliatissimo. Come tutti gli acquisti effettuati dal magazzino di Amazon, nonostante evito di utlizzare "Amazon Prime" , mi arrivano a distanza di due giorni lavorativi , dall ordine.