April 2025: The Global State of Krav Maga: Major Organizations, Breakaways, and Innovators
Origins and Expansion
Krav Maga—Hebrew for "Contact Combat"—was created in the mid-20th century by Imi Lichtenfeld (1910–1998), a Hungarian-born athlete skilled in boxing, wrestling, and gymnastics. Facing violent anti-Semitic threats in Bratislava during the 1930s, Imi honed a practical, reality-based fighting system emphasizing survival and efficiency.
After immigrating to Mandatory Palestine in 1942—a region under British control at the time—Imi joined the Haganah, a pre-state defense organization that later became the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). There, he began refining the techniques that would evolve into what is now formally known as Krav Maga.
By 1948, with the establishment of the State of Israel, Krav Maga was formally adopted by the newly formed IDF as its core hand-to-hand self-defense system, later adapted for both military and civilian use.
Imi’s original students—including Eyal Yanilov, Avi Moyal, Darren Levine, Richard Douieb, and Yaron Lichtenstein—spread Krav Maga globally. Their diverse teaching methods and philosophies ultimately led to multiple significant global organizations and schools, each adding their own unique perspective and interpretation.
Major Global Krav Maga Organizations
These are the largest and most influential Krav Maga organizations in the world—many of which were founded by Imi's direct students and have shaped the system’s global footprint.
Krav Maga Global (KMG)
Founder: Eyal Yanilov (direct student and successor to Imi Lichtenfeld, awarded Founder’s Diploma)
Established: 2010 (split from IKMF)
Philosophy: Adaptive, modern training approach evolving continuously.
Scope: Over 60 countries, 1,500 certified instructors, and hundreds of affiliated schools worldwide.
Website: https://krav-maga.com/International Krav Maga Federation (IKMF)
Founders: Avi Moyal, Eyal Yanilov, Gabi Noah (direct students of Imi)
Established: 1996
Philosophy: Structured curriculum, standardizing Krav Maga globally for civilians, law enforcement, and military sectors.
Scope: Operates in over 80 countries worldwide.
Website: https://kravmaga-ikmf.com/Krav Maga Worldwide (KMW)
Founder: Darren Levine (direct student of Imi; awarded Founder’s Diploma)
Established: 1999
Philosophy: Practical self-defense combined with fitness-oriented training.
Scope: Over 150 training centers globally, more than 450 certified instructors.
Website: https://www.kravmaga.com/European Federation of Krav Maga (FEKM)
Founder: Richard Douieb (direct student and European representative appointed by Imi)
Established: 1997
Philosophy: Emphasis on preserving traditional techniques and maintaining rigorous standards.
Scope: Dominant in Europe, approximately 20,000 members across 15 countries, and 200 affiliated schools.
Website: https://www.krav-maga.net/en/
Regional Influence & Reach
Krav Maga’s presence varies dramatically by region. Some organizations dominate in specific countries or continents, while others have developed niche specialties. This regional view offers another way to understand their impact.
Israel: KMG, IKMF, IKM, and Bukan remain central figures, closely tied to the system’s roots.
USA: KMW and KMA have the strongest foothold, though independent innovators are quickly growing.
Europe: FEKM dominates in France and surrounding countries, with TKM and IKMF present across the UK and Germany.
South America: Bukan and CKM are especially active in Brazil; KMG also maintains a strong presence across Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia.
Additional Recognized Krav Maga Organizations
These organizations may be smaller in scale but are highly respected for their instruction, lineage, or innovation. Many were formed by senior instructors from the larger federations or have grown strong regional reputations.
Israeli Krav Maga Association (IKMA)
Founder: Imi Lichtenfeld
Current Leadership: Grandmaster Haim Gidon (appointed by Imi as his successor), U.S. Chief Instructor David Kahn
Established: 1978
Philosophy: IKMA continues to teach what it considers the most authentic version of Krav Maga. Haim Gidon holds a 10th dan black belt.
Website: https://ikmakravmaga.com/Krav Maga Alliance (KMA)
Founder: John Whitman (former KMW president, trained under Darren Levine)
Established: 2009
Scope: 130+ affiliate schools, 1,625 certified instructors
Website: https://www.kravmagaalliance.com/Tactica Krav Maga Institute
Founder: Danny Zelig (student of Eyal Yanilov)
Established: 2006
Scope: San Francisco-based, rigorous curriculum
Website: https://www.kravmagainstitute.com/International Krav Maga (IKM)
Founder: Gabi Noah
Scope: Europe, Israel, North America
Website: https://www.ikmkravmaga.be/Total Krav Maga (TKM)
Founder: Nick Maison
Scope: UK-based
Website: https://totalkravmaga.com/Bukan School of Krav Maga
Founder: Yaron Lichtenstein (Imi student, 9th Dan)
Scope: Israel, Brazil, Europe
Website: https://kravmaga-bukan.com/en/bukan-2/Commando Krav Maga (CKM)
Founder: Moni Aizik
Scope: North America and Europe
Website: https://commandokravmaga.com/Krav Maga Federation
Founder: Rhon Mizrachi (student of Haim Zut and Imi)
Scope: Primarily USA
Website: https://kravmagafederation.com/USKMA (United States Krav Maga Association)
Founder: John Liptak
Scope: Strong U.S. presence
Website: https://uskma.com/Israeli Krav International (IKI)
Founder: Moshe Katz
Scope: International, video-based certification model
Website: https://www.your-krav-maga-expert.com/ICCS (International Combat Krav Maga Society)
Founder: Sharir Richman
Scope: Europe, Latin America
Website: https://www.iccskrava.com/FIMA (Federation of Israeli Martial Arts)
Founder: Guy Dar
Scope: Israel and international reach
Website: https://www.fima.org.il/KAPAP Krav Maga
Emphasis on military and law enforcement applications with close ties to Israeli combatives tradition.Institute of Krav Maga UK
Founder: Multiple senior instructors
Scope: UK
Website: https://www.institute-kravmaga.co.uk/
Independent Innovators: Beyond Traditional Krav Maga Branding
These leaders began within the Krav Maga ecosystem but went on to create entirely new systems. Their programs often blend striking, grappling, weapons work, and pressure-tested combatives into holistic curricula. While they no longer operate under traditional Krav Maga banners, their roots and influence remain closely tied to the system's evolution.
Ryan Hoover – Fit to Fight
Location: Charlotte, NC
Philosophy: Realistic, pressure-tested combatives. Strong MMA and grappling base.
Lineage: Former senior instructor with Krav Maga Worldwide; co-authored books with Darren Levine. Left the label “Krav Maga” but continues to influence combatives deeply. Currently writing a new book. BJJ Black Belt. I’m a bit tickled to include Ryan in this post, as he is infamous for his “F*ck Your Lineage” stance, which critiques blind loyalty to credentials over pressure-tested skill :P
Website: https://fittofight.com
2. Shannon Langwell – Nomad Krav Maga
Philosophy: Practical, cross-trained self-defense integrating Krav Maga, Muay Thai, BJJ, and law enforcement tactics.
Scope: Midwest and Western U.S.
Website: https://nomadkravmaga.com/
3. Donavin Britt – Las Vegas Combat Academy
Lineage: John Whitman (KMA), Eyal Yanilov, Nir Maman
Philosophy: Real-world striking + grappling blend
Website: https://lasvegascombatacademy.com/
4. Alan Predolin – 360 Krav Maga
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Philosophy: A modern self-defense system combining striking, kickboxing, BJJ fundamentals, and Krav Maga.
Lineage: Former senior instructor with KMG under Eyal Yanilov; launched 360 Krav Maga to provide a more integrated and dynamic training model.
Scope: U.S.-based, widely known for online curriculum and seminars.
Website: https://www.360kravmaga.com/
Philosophical Similarities and Differences
While Krav Maga is rooted in real-world self-defense, its organizations differ on a few key axes:
Traditional vs. Adaptive:
Traditional: FEKM, Bukan, IKMA
Adaptive: KMG, IKMF, Fit to Fight, Nomad
Structured vs. Flexible Curricula:
Structured: IKMF, FEKM, KMA
Flexible: TKM, Nomad, Fit to Fight
Specialized vs. Broad Training:
Specialized: CKM (military), KMW (civilian)
Broad: IKMF, KMG, Donavin Britt’s model
Krav Maga’s Fragmentation: Normal or Not?
Martial arts split all the time. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has countless lineages and teams. Karate has dozens of formalized styles. Taekwondo is deeply divided by governing bodies and sport rulesets. Krav Maga is no different.
But what makes Krav Maga unique is the speed and nature of that fragmentation:
No unified governing body to enforce consistency
Explosive global adoption within a few decades
Parallel development in civilian, military, and law enforcement sectors
A combatives-first mindset that encouraged experimentation
No trademark or legal control over the name "Krav Maga"
Combine that with the fact that there's no competitive circuit to test claims—as there is in sport-based arts—and it creates an environment where lineage, branding, and philosophy diverge quickly.
And yet, this fragmentation also fuels evolution. It’s allowed space for new training methods, hybrid systems, and innovative instructors who blend disciplines like BJJ, wrestling, striking, and weapons work into their curriculums. At Forge, we see that as a strength—something that keeps the art alive, dynamic, and deeply personal for each practitioner.
Forge Krav Maga: Our Lineage and Vision
Forge Krav Maga traces its lineage through the Tactica Krav Maga Institute (Danny Zelig → Eyal Yanilov → Imi Lichtenfeld). In 2025, we rebranded to Forge.
We train for all stages of the fight: standing, clinch, takedown, ground. With and without weapons. With sweat, pressure, and community.
We believe in evolution, not dogma—and we’re proud to carry Krav Maga’s tradition into the future.
Website: https://forgekravmaga.com
A Living Project
This post isn’t complete—and probably never will be.
If you’re part of an organization not listed here or see something we missed, email us or drop a comment. We’ll keep updating this resource as the Krav Maga world keeps evolving.
We’re grateful to the Reddit and Krav Maga communities for the insight, corrections, and calls to go deeper. Let’s keep the conversation going.
