KRAV MAGA NYC HISTORY

OVER 13 YEARS OF PROVIDING KRAV MAGA TRAINING.

KMI was founded at the end of 2010 by Patrick Lockton. Patrick trained as a Krav Maga instructor in Europe, started teaching bootcamps in Central Park shortly after moving to New York from Europe with the goal of building a community of Krav Maga practitioners. At the same time, Patrick’s close friend Danny Zelig started KMI in California (now Tactica).

Patrick’s bootcamps grew quickly and within a year KMI had three locations and had grown into one of the largest and respected self defense schools in the US. Patrick built a team of dedicated instructors around him and continues to teach. Patrick and Danny’s joint efforts and work together have made KMI the gold standard in self-defense and Krav Maga training in the USA.

What is Krav Maga?
Krav Maga is a modern self-defense and hand-to-hand combat system developed for the Israeli Defense Forces. Learn More

IT ALL STARTS WITH AN INDUCTION!

Our 75 minute induction class is the starting point of your journey to build confidence, strengthen your mental fortitude and develop technical & tactical skills, through our game-changing method.

Start with an induction class. Choose your day and time.

WALK IN PEACE

MEET THE KMI NYC CREW

Mike is a seriously dedicated and driven instructor. His passion for teaching as well as learning self-defense tactics can easily be seen when training with him. In addition to Krav Maga, Mike is also a practitioner of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai. With experience in three different disciplines, his approach to teaching self-defense is both well-rounded and practical.

Courtney discovered Krav Maga in high school, and that was it really! Krav Maga has informed the bigger part of her life decisions ever since. When not on the mat, Courtney works as a corporate security expert, and has provided security, intelligence emergency & crisis management to high-profile companies around the globe. So it probably won’t surprise you that Courtney is a NY State Certified Crime Analyst and holds a master’s degree in Criminal Justice -Criminology & Deviance & Police Administration. Power. Woman.

Jonathan’s Krav Maga journey started in 2017 when he had a life-threatening experience on the subway that shook his ground. Nobody understands the life changing impact of KMI’s self-defense training better than him. Or how the Krav Maga approach to awareness, discipline and confidence transforms your mindset and helps you regain power and control. Four years of intensive training later, Jonathan is a qualified KMI instructor with a unique ability to understand and empower his students and help them become their most confident selves.

Though a born and bred New Yorker, Kristi’s Krav Maga journey began in Sydney, Australia. Initially drawn to Krav’s focus on practicality and real-world application, she found that the knowledge and skills she gained while training instilled a powerful sense of self-reliance and strength–something she wanted to bring home, and now after joining KMI’s team of instructors, pass on to her students.

 

Kristi also found that Krav Maga offered flexibility that many martial arts lack; recognizing that techniques are often not one-size-fits-all, it was important that they could be effectively adapted to the practitioner. She strives to make her classes approachable and relevant for all ages, sizes, and abilities, and will meet her students where they are while challenging them to continually improve and grow in their skills and confidence.

Howard has been with the Krav Maga Institute for over 3-years. He was dedicated to practicing, even through the worst parts of the Covid-19 pandemic. KMI’s focus on practical self defense rather than vanity exercises and techniques drew him in. He joined the Instructor program after getting to know the KMI team that make up the KMI family and their philosophy on self defense.

Prior to KMI, Howard was at another New York based Krav Maga school for 5-years. Growing up in rough neighborhoods, Howard has had a life long obsession with self defense and dealing with sudden acts of violence.

Shownyay discovered Krav Maga On the Discovery Channel. Literally! He was watching a show about the 25 top martial arts, and Krav Maga came in at number 3. He was already a driven self-defense expert and decided to give it a go. Fast forward 10 years, when a friend introduced him to KMI and he joined our pack. Today Shownyay has grown from dedicated student to dedicated instructor and plays an important part in the fellowship he says changed his life in ways he could never imagine. He brings to the table techniques from his previous training and life experiences relatable to students creating their own path in self-protection.

 

Patrick is KMI’s founder and one of the most experienced instructors working in the USA today. He’s a second generation instructor of Imi Lichtenfeld, certified directly by Imi’s most senior instructor. Patrick was educated at the University of Cambridge, he has served in the military and worked as an attorney before moving to New York City and developing the system for modern urban living including the addition of conflict communication and strategy. Patrick has practiced Krav Maga and other self-defense and fighting systems for over 20 years. He was one of the original Krav Maga pioneers in NYC.

KMI TEACHING METHODS

KMI is unique in that all of its instructors are professional instructors, hand picked and built from the ground up. Candidates are interviewed, tested, retrained and supervised carefully for several years. Instructors undergo full background checks, they are carefully vetted and tested in all aspects of the Krav Maga system and their ability to teach. They all undergo personality tests and teaching assessments .

If candidates pass their instructor certification, they undergo a 2 year probationary period during which time they must complete a minimum number of teaching hours, KMI continuation training, certification and testing.

KMI NYC holds some of the highest instructor and training standards in the world. A KMI, IKMF, KMG or other reputable Krav Maga Instructor Diploma is not enough to become an instructor at KMI. All team members are carefully selected after many years of training, testing and screening.

Instructors are also required to have an instructor license obtained by regular training, teaching hours and they also need to have completed all continuation training and education obligations. KMI’s lead instructors have between 10 to 30 years of training and teaching experience and are vetted at the highest levels in Israel and the US.