Are there belts or grades in Krav Maga?

Krav Maga grades are divided by curriculum content. There is a test to pass a designated grade. This process will appeal to people who like to challenge themselves and ensure their progress is constantly evolving.

Krav Maga grades are structured as Practitioner 1-5. Graduate 1-5. Expert 1-5. These grades are designated by a military style ranking patch sown into training pants.

The acquisition of fight skills is a personal journey as much as it is physical development. Do not expect to rush through these grades.

Many Martial Arts schools use coloured belts as a retention tactic. Promises of ‘black belt in a year’ are increasingly common in schools where ‘black belts’ have not been subjected to full contact fighting. This is wrong, and very dangerous.

Krav Maga does not have a McDojo history or culture of grading people easily to simply keep them happy and paying. A designated grade is definitely earned in a reputable Krav Maga school.

Grading is encouraged to ensure progress. But successfully grading is not guaranteed by simply showing up and paying a grading fee. Your application of techniques and responses applied under pressure will be tested. If you can reliably apply a physical response under testing conditions, you will be passed.

This is to ensure that you know exactly where you are on the defensive tactics spectrum. We do not want to create a false sense of security in our students by giving them grades that betray their actual ability.