Your First Krav Maga Class

Your first Krav Maga class will be louder, more aggressive, and faster than you expect. It is also surprisingly forgiving — every reputable school has a brand-new student starting somewhere this month, and the instructor knows what your face looks like at minute 20.

What to bring

• Athletic clothing — fitted t-shirt, gym shorts or sweatpants, indoor athletic shoes (most schools train in shoes).
• Water bottle. Krav Maga warm-ups are real warm-ups.
• Hand wraps if you have them. The school will lend gloves for striking work.
• A small towel.

Do not buy a uniform, gloves, or your own pads until after your trial class. The school will tell you what they actually require — see our equipment guide for a buying order.

What a beginner class looks like

A typical 60- or 75-minute Level 1 class follows this rough shape:

1. Warm-up (10–15 min): jogging, push-ups, sit-ups, shadow boxing. This is also a stress conditioning tool — you will be tired before you learn anything.
2. Stance and movement (5 min): the Krav Maga fighting stance, how to step in and out, how to keep your hands up.
3. Strike of the day (15 min): palm heel, hammer fist, front kick, knee, or elbow. Drilled on pads first, then combinations.
4. Defense of the day (15 min): a single defense — typically a 360 defense or a choke escape — drilled progressively with a partner.
5. Aggression drill (5–10 min): a short stress drill that combines the defense and the strike, often after a brief burnout (push-ups, sprawls).
6. Cool-down (5 min): stretches and announcements.

What gets drilled in your first week

• The fighting stance and basic movement
• The palm heel strike and hammer fist
• The front kick to the groin
• The two-handed front choke defense
• How to fall safely

This material is the foundation of every higher-level technique. Most schools cycle through it every 2–3 weeks for beginners.

How to not get hurt in your first month

• Tell the instructor it's your first class. Every reputable school adjusts partner-drilling for beginners.
• Tap early. When a choke or hold gets uncomfortable, tap. The drill resets immediately.
• Pace yourself in the first week. Soreness in unfamiliar muscle groups is normal; pain in joints is not.
• Skip stress drills if you're overwhelmed. No reputable instructor will mind. They will mind if you push through and get injured.

How often to train

Two classes a week is the realistic minimum for retention. Three is the sweet spot for steady progress. More than four a week is a path to overuse injuries unless you're under 25 and have been training for years. Read our grading-system overview to understand the progression rate from there.