WELCOME to Elite Defence Academy International.

Krav Maga is more than a vitally important set of self defense techniques that ensures your safety, and the safety of your loved ones. It's also a pursuit that is surprisingly rewarding, because it also delivers a host of other amazing benefits, too. These include:

• Greater self-confidence and self-belief.
• The ability to resolve conflict more effectively.
• Greater strength, fitness, and agility, regardless of age or "shape".
• Greater psychological and physical resilience.
• Heightened awareness and insight into the intentions of others.
• Mastery over fear and uncertainty.
• Reduced stress, and a heightened ability to think more clearly and intelligently under pressure.
• Enhanced creativity and the ability to think laterally and engage in high level problem-solving.

Do these sound like qualities that would make you a better, stronger, more in-control version of yourself? The truth is: that is exactly what Krav Maga does for you.

Perhaps you've thought about learning some Krav Maga - and then immediately doubted yourself because of self-limiting beliefs or preconceptions. If that's you, you're not alone - many of our students tell us that the first step was the most challenging. And yet, magically, once they got started, something happened, and they never looked back. 

Krav Maga is an exploration of your own human potential, in so many ways; you learn what you're made of, you discover the ability to do things you didn't think were possible, and you learn how to apply Krav Maga's winning principles to so many other areas of your life.

Be encouraged.

To put it simply, if we could give you one piece of advice, it would be this: JUST START.

FAQs

Here are some of the most common questions we get asked:

DO I HAVE TO BE FIT, OR HAVE MARTIAL ARTS EXPERIENCE, TO JOIN A KRAV MAGA CLUB?

The short answer: no.

Our clubs (and online programs) are extremely beginner-friendly. We meet you where you're at, and take it from there. Also, everyone is welcome at Elite Defence Academy International, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, religious or cultural background, or anything at all. If you'd like to learn intelligent, effective self defense, we have what you're looking for.

DO I HAVE TO BE IN SHAPE TO DO KRAV MAGA?

You don't have to be fit, or strong, or have any particular aptitude, to learn EDA Krav Maga. That's the wonderful thing about our system - it's versatile, can easily be adapted to your strength and fitness level, and teaches you how to progress, safely and intelligently.


WILL TRAINING KRAV MAGA MAKE ME FITTER?

In several ways, yes - your physical condition will improve, and you'll develop strength, a certain amount of fitness, and greater agility as you practice Krav Maga.

The primary goal of our Krav Maga system is to enable you to defend yourself, so the primary focus is on developing automatic skills through mindful, repeated practice and application. But, in doing so, an unavoidable side effect is that you do get stronger and fitter, too.

And this is a good thing.

Apart from the obvious benefits like better health and wellbeing, there's also a vitally important consideration too, and it's this: Strength and fitness are weapons in your self defense arsenal, just as technique and strategy are.

In a clash between two people of absolutely equal skill, the one with greater strength and endurance will win. This seems pretty obvious, but it's actually a consideration when training to defend yourself. What if the street thug is stronger than you? Well, then, in almost every case, your knowledge of sound technique, combined with the element of surprise and unpredictability will still enable you to win. But make no mistake: fighting for your life is utterly exhausting, and two minutes can can feel like two centuries in an actual fight!

So, you don't have to be "in shape" - at all - to get started. But it's not a bad idea to strive after ever-increasing strength and conditioning as an additional tool to enhance your self defense capabilities.

Besides, who doesn't want to look awesome? 


I HAVE AN INJURY, OR A HEALTH CONCERN... CAN I STILL TRAIN?

Within certain commonsense parameters, yes you can. The techniques we teach can be adapted to realistically equip you for self defense, in an amazing number of ways.

We have students who have come to us with prior spinal injuries, badly injured knees, brain injuries, amputations, partial paralysis, and more.

We've had others who have suffered from conditions like Multiple Sclerosis, congenital heart issues, and have been sight-impaired.

Obviously, though, if you are uncertain, please check with your healthcare provider before signing up. 

WHICH IS BETTER: CLUB TRAINING, OR ONLINE TRAINING?

Club training, where possible, is still always the best way to learn Krav Maga. The reasons are pretty obvious: you get to "feel" the nuances of technique, you get instant feedback and technique correction from an observant instructor, and you're able to train with a cross-section of different people.

Having said that, we've found that online training is incredibly effective, too, for different reasons. The benefits of class training are obvious - but on the other hand, you're also learning at the average speed of the class, and the instructor has to divide attention between many students in a session.
In contrast, online training offers these advantages:

• You can progress as fast (or as slowly) as you like.
• You get absolutely detailed, step-by-step personal instruction.
• You can rewind and re-watch a movement as often as you need to - a luxury you don't get in a class.
• You can get fast, personalized feedback via video, if you need it.
• You get to see critically important tiny details and pointers that are often overlooked or missed in a busy class setting.

So, to us, the answer to this FAQ is - both. If possible, attend a live club class, but supplement your training with video resources. And if you absolutely can't get to us, then make a start via our video training program. You'd be surprised at just how capable you can become!

DO ALL EDA KRAV MAGA CLUBS CHARGE THE SAME FEE?

No. Fees vary slightly according to area, and other considerations. For example, one instructor might have to pay a higher venue rental if a club is situated in a more affluent area, and this is also dependent on the country and currency relevant to where a club is based. Also, instructors may offer a couples rate, family rate, or student rate, and these can vary from club to club.
As a guideline, our clubs based in South Africa charge a fee starting at around ZAR550 per person per month (this is around US$36 per month). Be aware that this could vary considerably from country to country, though. 

HOW MANY HOURS A WEEK SHOULD I PRACTICE?

We recommend trying to spend at least 2 hours per week training, if you can manage it. As with all skills, the more quality time you invest, the faster you progress and the greater your mastery.

Notice that we said "quality time" as opposed to just "time" - mastery of a skill requires thoughtful, serious analysis and focus. Distracted or dumb repetition will not help you learn, and in fact will hinder your progress. Visualize, make it real, and remember that the little things ARE the big things in Krav Maga.

If you do that, then 2 hours a week will be a great investment - and of course, if you can do more, you should!

And, remember that consistency is key - it's better to train for 10 or 15 minutes every day, than to do a 5-hour session once a month. If you can, then reserve your training time and stick to it. The results will be worth it!


A QUICK WORD ABOUT PURCHASES AND PAYMENTS ON THIS WEBSITE...

This website uses PayFast as its payment gateway. PayFast is a trusted payment gateway with more than 80,000 merchant customers (including multinational retailers and other companies), and it enables us to price our videos and merchandise in South African Rands (ZAR) as opposed to US$.

Because we're based in South Africa, that makes sense - and for our overseas students, it means that you pay far less than you usually would for the same thing in your own country. The South African Rand is not a strong currency, with 16 Rands to 1 US Dollar on average. (So, when you see a video priced at R199 on our site, in reality, you'll only be billed for around US$12 on your card).

The Payfast gateway accepts most cards, but if you experience any kind of problem, please just pop us a quick mail at des@edakravmaga.com, and we can provide you with a PayPal invoice if you'd like to make payment that way.

 

I'D LIKE TO PURCHASE A VIDEO, BUT I DON'T HAVE A CREDIT CARD... ARE THERE ANY ALTERNATIVES?

Absolutely - there are alternative payment methods available.

If you don't have a credit card, or you experience any difficulty signing up online, simply pop us a mail at des@edakravmaga, and we'll provide you with alternatives. These include an EFT option within South Africa, and a PayPal option for international students.

The PayFast payment gateway on this website also accepts most bank debit cards too, by the way.

Please note: if you do arrange to make payment via an alternate method, the delivery of your video/s or other material may take slightly longer, as we may not release any training material until payment has been received and verified with our bank.

A NOTE ON INTERNATIONAL CREDIT CARDS:

Sometimes, clients from outside of South Africa have a situation where their credit card is "not accepted" during the checkout process. If this occurs, please don't stress - it happens with certain non-South African cards as a security check, and is sometimes caused by a bank not having interfaced with our payment gateway before (or because of another reason, such as using a US-based card on a laptop while you're on vacation in Costa Rica, for example).

If this happens to you, all you need to do is try again, preferably after waiting an hour or two (we have no idea why!). In 90% of cases, the card is then "accepted" and your payment sails through with no problem at all.

If that still doesn't work (very rarely!), then please pop us a quick mail, and we'll assist you promptly and personally.

 

DO I NEED ANY SPECIAL EQUIPMENT TO TRAIN ONLINE?

You'll ideally need a few basic items to get started. These include:

• A plastic training handgun or replica handgun.
• A short (15-20cm) length of garden hose. This is used at beginner level for practicing defenses against knife attacks, and it reduces the potential risk of injury from a harder replica knife made of compact rubber or steel.
• A steel training knife. This is a blunted version of a real knife, and is absolutely necessary to develop a "feel" for dealing with a real knife.
• A short wooden baton (around 40cm) - to practice defenses against stick attacks, and to also practice using a baton as a weapon.
• A mouthguard, for protection during sparring.
• A pair of sparring gloves. (The fingerless type of MMA glove, available at any sports store, is ideal for this.)

Other "nice to have" items include a hanging punching bag, and one or two padded striking / kicking shields. These are not essential, though, and you can get along just fine without them.

Some of the items listed above are available within South Africa directly from us, and we'll be adding them to our store shortly. 

However, remember that if you're doing online training, then most of the essentials - training handgun, hose, knife, and baton - can be improvised at home to begin with. The important thing is: just start!

HOW DOES THE KRAV MAGA BELT RANKING SYSTEM WORK?

Depending on the "style", or type of Krav Maga organization, there are varying ways of gauging progress or awarding ranking. Some groups use a "level" system (practitioner level, graduate level, etc), while others use a belt ranking system, and some groups don't use any kind of progress recognition system at all - and all of these are okay.

At Elite Defence Academy International, we use a belt ranking system, simply because it's colourful and visual in nature, and carries a connotation of heritage as a tribute to the original founders of Krav Maga. However, we don't wear belts in typical class training. 

Our belt ranks are defined as follows: 

HOW MANY EDA KRAV MAGA SYLLABUS PROGRAMS OR PHASES ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE?

At the moment, we have 3 online syllabus-based programs, each at a different level.

The Krav Maga Yellow Belt Program
The Krav Maga Orange Belt Program
The Krav Maga Green Belt Program

The follow-on syllabus programs (Blue, Brown 1, and Brown 2), are not available online at this stage. 

IF I DO A VIDEO COURSE, HOW DO I GET SUPPORT, OR FEEDBACK ON MY TECHNIQUES?

We want to provide you with the very best coaching and guidance you can get - which means that we welcome your questions.

Simply pop us a mail at des@edakravmaga.com, and we'll respond with advice or help. If you'd like to check on anything - for example, if you feel like a technique is completely awkward, or you're struggling with the nuances of a movement - you're welcome to just send us a quick video clip via WhatsApp (less than 20 seconds is best), and we'll review it and give you precise feedback and assistance, anytime.

DUE TO RELIGIOUS OR CULTURAL PREFERENCES, I WOULD LIKE TO CORRESPOND EXCLUSIVELY WITH A FEMALE INSTRUCTOR. IS THERE SOMEONE I CAN TALK TO?

Some students, due to religious or cultural requirements, may only interact with a female instructor. This applies particularly to interaction like sending a video clip for appraisal, where you might wish only a female instructor to view it and give you feedback.

If this is the case, simply let us know, and we have 2 dedicated female instructors who will assist you, communicate directly and privately with you, and who will be the only people to view any material you may send for feedback.

As we continue to receive questions, we frequently update this page - feel free to pop us a mail and tell us what you'd like to know!