The Past
After studying Krav Maga for several years in the UK I was excited that a club was opening in Stavanger. Sadly, I was disappointed with what I found. It was more of an MMA class than a Krav Maga class. And because I believed it was from a reputable linage I wondered if the Krav Maga that I had studied in the UK was authentic. So in my regular commute back to London I attended other Krav Maga training schools (in addition to my original club). I spoke to all my instructors, who had different linage and backgrounds and did indeed discover that the Krav Maga being taught at this venue in Stavanger wasn't teaching the correct (or original) syllabus and was falling into MMA/street defence style... This school had multiple instructors take over in it´s relatively short life at that venue and has since ceased training there. So what was I to do? I spoke to my instructor in London who believed in me and knew of my close protection background, he suggested that I looked into becoming an instructor myself. But not wanting to simply open a unaffiliated club I began to look around at instructor training through recognised organisation. First I had to find one where I could get quality instructor training, and not just be a puppet hobby instructor pushed through the basics of the system while on a beach holiday. This took time. I interviewed a number of instructors to ask about backgrounds and Krav Maga instructor training programs... Krav Maga Worldwide, Krav Maga Global, International Krav Maga Federation, Urban Krav Maga, Commando Krav Maga... it was a frustrating process, all of them ready to have me sign up and pay instantly. Each had had their pros and cons, I wrote many lists of comparisons. But one thing that struck me was the seemingly low standards that disguised to be high standards. Some of these organisations create instructors is a short time, between 2 days to 2 weeks... It was shocking that someone with just a year or two in the system (or even no experience) could become a certified instructor, and believe they were of quality just because of the brand logo they brought into, or the location they went to. And then it hit me... there is a difference between qualified and certified. I found The British Krav Maga Association, noted for quality and the promotion of authentic nationally recognised standards of teaching and I was immediately impressed. The BKMA currently only has around 30 dedicated Krav Maga instructors. This is because of the focus on quality and standards. Its not just a logo pumping out low level instructors in Mc Dojo fashion). The course was split into 2 phases, and it had a high failure rate because it had very high standards, in fitness, skill and knowledge. 12 people started that course with me, and at the end there was only 3 others. After successful completion I opened Krav Maga Stavanger at the MMA center close to the sentrum. We moved to several venues over the next few years, big box gyms, karate dojo, and for a time we had our own small training facility in Stavanger.
In 2015 we expanded to Sandnes, which prompted a name change to The Krav Maga Club of Stavanger and Sandnes. I was teaching at 2 locations, one in Stavanger and one in Sandnes. Reaching has 108 members, and after about 4 years we are growing to a point where one instructor is not enough and we are training hard and developing plans to expand, but its still important to keep the quality and value to maintain our position as Rogaland´s top provider of self defence training. It´ sat this point that the Krav Maga Vikings idea became something that kept resonating in my mind. In terms of popularity, we are constantly at our peak, and increasing all the time. I am often asked about more classes and more training by my clients. I genuinely love my profession so I am keen to open in new venues in the region and offer the members more training, particularly with more advanced techniques. Most of my students are of a high calibre and are trained better than many "certified" Mc Dojo Krav Maga instructors to attended a "rigorous course", 3 day VIP protection seminar, or so called "advanced certification programs".
In 2015 we expanded to Sandnes, which prompted a name change to The Krav Maga Club of Stavanger and Sandnes. I was teaching at 2 locations, one in Stavanger and one in Sandnes. Reaching has 108 members, and after about 4 years we are growing to a point where one instructor is not enough and we are training hard and developing plans to expand, but its still important to keep the quality and value to maintain our position as Rogaland´s top provider of self defence training. It´ sat this point that the Krav Maga Vikings idea became something that kept resonating in my mind. In terms of popularity, we are constantly at our peak, and increasing all the time. I am often asked about more classes and more training by my clients. I genuinely love my profession so I am keen to open in new venues in the region and offer the members more training, particularly with more advanced techniques. Most of my students are of a high calibre and are trained better than many "certified" Mc Dojo Krav Maga instructors to attended a "rigorous course", 3 day VIP protection seminar, or so called "advanced certification programs".
The Present
xxx
The Future
What are our future plans? Of course we do have targets and goals, and there are particular aims of the club. And our primary goal is to continue what we do, deliver authentic and unrivalled Krav Maga training to everyone who has a genuine interest to learn. As yet we are unmatched in qualifications and experience, and we intend to keep it that way and stay on top by a constant strive for value, quality and self improvement. One of our first moves in 2016 is a step into Egersund. We were contacted by a martial arts club there who hired another Stavanger based self defence instructor to deliver a self defence course for them... but they were severely disappointed with the training that was delivered. Luckily, they recognise it was an instructor competence issue, and so this time have insisted on a qualified and experienced instructor (which is what every client should ask for). It is possible that we will set up a club in Egersund in the near future, and we are currently doing market research.
We will continue to grow and attract new members to the Krav Maga club, our formula for success is clearly working for us, but we are also interested to hear from certified, qualified and experienced instructors from other organisations who would like to join us on our path.
For 2016 the club has increased the number of hours of weekly training and themed all classes to allow clients to select their preferred method of learning. We are aiming to get a guest instructor with an incredible military teaching background to visit us for weekend of Krav Maga training. I am also looking into creating a fuller website with videos and instructional hints and tips for my clients.
We will continue to grow and attract new members to the Krav Maga club, our formula for success is clearly working for us, but we are also interested to hear from certified, qualified and experienced instructors from other organisations who would like to join us on our path.
For 2016 the club has increased the number of hours of weekly training and themed all classes to allow clients to select their preferred method of learning. We are aiming to get a guest instructor with an incredible military teaching background to visit us for weekend of Krav Maga training. I am also looking into creating a fuller website with videos and instructional hints and tips for my clients.