FAQs

CROSS (combat ready offensive survival system) is based on Israeli forces tactics and is designed as a self defence system for the UK using necessary and proportionate force to facilitate an escape.We either escape or will neutralise the attack until we can escape, its that simple, we are not a fighting system but  a survival system!

Everything is situational, knowing this makes it easier to act fast and make the right decision through trained responses taught within the system.

We coach the physiological mind set needed to be aware, to try to avoid, deescalate and then to fight or escape depending on the situation, Getting home safe is whats important at the end of the day. No system out there has all the answers, but we are striving to find as many as we possibly can, our honest approach to self protection means we pressure and stress test everything to as near as possible to a real attack, using some of the most up to date equipment on the self defence market.

We train in various self defence systems & martial arts, keeping what works under pressure testing and removing what doesn’t work.

You do not need to be fit to start CROSS Krav Maga, we encourage you to try your hardest, then every time you train try just that little bit harder, you are not expected to as fit as the rest of the team and will not expect you to do something you do not want to do, however you are encouraged to push past your comfort zone.

You will be surprised how quick your fitness will return, also your strength will improve and so will your confidence. Our adult classes start at the  age of 16 (with parental permission) and can train to any age as long as you are willing, however it is advisable to see your family doctor for a health check up prior to starting exercise if you are over 45 and have not trained for a while.

CROSS Krav Cadets is our training syllabus for ages 13 – 17 years of age, they are taught what the adults are minus firearm defence, with some other additions such anti bullying and stranger danger.

CROSS Krav Maga uses natural body reflex movements and does not rely on strength alone, so it is the ideal self protection system for anyone, does not matter how big or small, how young or old. The system is very easy to learn and retain, does not use flashy and over complicated techniques so it works under pressure, ideal for smaller guys and women.

Not exactly,  Our main priority is getting you to learn how to be safe, however our gradings are more about a series of pressure and stress tests, so you have the confidence knowing it works!

It is not a necessity to Test, that decision is totally up to you if you want to and are of standard, many students do Test, they are a hard, pressure tested workout so a great learning module in its own right.

There are 4 levels, each split into 4  modules per level, the levels are foundation, intermediate, advanced and elite. The elite levels are the equivalent of  black belt standard.

Our Tests are on average every 8 -12 months, each test would be on 2 modules of the level you are training  so will take you around 6 years to gain elite level.

Long time? Yes it is and hard work, sweat and determination, but at least when you get there its a right of passage, earned and respected, our main concern is your safety, so its not just about grades,  however everyone who has gone through our tests  have earned them, learned a lot about themselves and feel a lot more confident knowing what they have learned can be utilised and used under pressure.

How we Test.

We expect you to have  smooth delivery of combatives and skill showing the basic principles of CROSS Krav Maga which is dealing with the threat, adding combatives and disengaging and scanning.

The tests  focusing on free flowing of techniques and principles under stress and pressure testing.

I personally love martial arts and still train in various systems and teach them, however if you want to learn to defend yourself quickly then Krav Maga is one of the best methods of achieving this, you build your confidence with repetitive reactive training and its basic and simple, relying on gross motor skills and principles that are easy to learn and retain, we then pressure test so you can actually see for yourself how you can make this great system work.

When defending yourself in class, most martial art schools teach this with a compliant training partner, though this is needed to learn the techniques from scratch, we then encourage our training partners to be non compliant. Just like a real situation on the street, you must train this way or you are in for a shock when you find out everything you learnt may not work on the street due to no pressure testing!

We also teach how to be more aware of your surroundings, what to look for if something seems odd, pre fight gestures and body language, how to spot if someone is concealing a weapon, personal space, deescalation and inhibitors, about fear, mindset and controlled aggression, the difference between passive, assertive and aggressive and when you need to be in these states of mindset.

How to defend from punches, pushes, pulls, grabs, chokes, hair pulls, bearhugs,  being on the ground, multiple attackers, seated positions, headlocks, kicks, also weapons such as impact weapons, edged weapons and firearms. We also teach medic trauma first aid in case you get injured or cut, which  by using some of the techniques and up to date equipment to stop catastrophic bleeding.Our coaches are taught by ex special services personal medics so we can give you this vital information.

Martial arts teaches some of this, but rarely how it would happen in a real situation, many are sports based and though much better than not learning anything not what you might expect in todays society wether a bar room brawl, lone knife attack, mugging or a terrorist attack!

We also train outside, in the dark, against walls, fences, in alleys, on grass and in normal clothes, all to make our training as realistic as possible. Every team member is friendly and will assist with your training, we all help each other, have a great atmosphere and you will also get fit! Theres no room for  ego’s in our academy!

Yes, we are a member of MASA (Martial Arts Standards Agency) and our terms and conditions, risk assessments and standards are met by using their guidelines and standards.

We are also members of the MAGB ( Martial Arts Great Britain) . Our Coaches are fully insured and DBS checked and full medic trauma first aiders.

All coaches have been training within the system for at least 6 years or 3 years with other high level martial arts experience, we have grown organically so we all know each other, train with each other and work on the system by adding our own ideas and slant on the training and syllabus.

All coaches have the right attitude and personality to teach and help people, are passionate about self defence and the CROSS Krav Maga system.

Every team member needs coaching on different levels and are individuals, so we coach you as individuals, we also keep our class sizes to around the 20 student mark, this encourages people to train, and means every team member can get individual coaching! We also take part in seminars offered by great self defence instructors, we train with coaches with a great wealth of experience, we train in various martial arts to broaden our horizons and are constantly updating our own training.

Typically Krav Maga classes cover:

• Human respones to danger
• The UK law on self defence
• Basic first aid post conflict
• Close quarter combat
• Awareness and how to avoid danger
• Knife Assault Survival Program.
• Grabs, Chokes and grappling escapes
• Realistic Ground fighting concepts
• Combatives and striking
• Stick Fighting and control
• Realistic scenarios for the modern day threat such as:bar/nightclub attacks, anti mugging, rape avoidance and many more
• Pressure drills games and sparring (optional) to increase skills
• Gun awareness and disarms
• Access to military gun tactics and shooting workshops