Self-Defense in Santa Barbara
- Imi Lichtenfeld
New to Martial Arts?
Rest assured, you’ll feel absolutely welcome here. We accept students of all levels – no experience necessary. Plus, Krav Maga is extremely effective in the real world. We’ll help you rapidly achieve a high level of proficiency, even if you’re brand new. Come see for yourself!
What is Krav Maga?
“So that one may walk in peace.” –Imi Lichtenfeld, founder of Krav Maga.
Krav Maga is a highly refined, battle-tested system that teaches people to protect themselves in the real world. It’s designed to be effective, and it’s relatively easy to learn compared to traditional martial arts.
Unlike other disciplines, which follow rules, compete in sports, and often prioritize visually impressive techniques, Krav Maga has one goal: keep you safe in the real world.
The roots of the self-defense system date back to 1930s. It was pre-WWII, Nazism was on the rise, and Jewish people were facing brutal antisemitic violence on the streets of Czechoslovakia (now Bratislava).
Imi Lichtenfeld was the son of a detective, and chief instructor of police in Czechoslovakia. He was an active practitioner of boxing, Judo, wrestling, swimming, and gymnastics. As violence towards Jewish civilians and other minorities increased, Imi wanted to create a survival system to help civilians defend themselves. It had to be effective and it had to be learned quickly, as violence towards minorities was an urgent threat. He used his knowledge to start training community members to defend themselves, and the roots of Krav Maga were planted.

Contact us!
Testimonials
Ammon H.
I take adult classes and I have two children (6 and 10). Adult cardio is awesome — you will sweat for sure — and the curriculum is practical from a self defense standpoint. Kids classes are fun and play based, but they also work hard and are held to certain standards. The instructor, Pedro, is great with the kids and just a good guy all around. Nice atmosphere and clean gym. https://g.co/kgs/jHSdc9X
Kelly B.
This place is amazing to go to for learning self defense and weapon defense. Everyone is very nice and welcoming and want to help each other get better and feel safer in the outside world. I have been here for a year and a half and have felt safer being by myself knowing that I can defend myself if I feel threatened, especially as a young female. I recommend everyone should give it a try because you never know when you might be in a situation that you would need it! https://g.co/kgs/1KfNLnZ
Phil M. : Manager Enviroscaping
Such a great place and opportunity for anyone and everyone. The skills taught are invaluable. I highly recommend giving it a try, I look forward to every session https://g.co/kgs/45jekTV
A.J. R.
Bottom Line: This is a great gym with people who actually care
This review is for the kids classes only as I have no knowledge of the other classes.
We tried to get our son interesting or excited about a variety of group sports as well as individual sports. He just had zero interest in any of it.
Something about this place has captured his attention and imagination and now he talks about it, looks forward to going and excels on a daily basis.
Where as in the past it was a struggle to get him ready to leave to go do something, he’s ready to be out the door in a moment for Krav classes.
As a parent it’s SUCH a hard line to walk, the line between fun and discipline. This place does an amazing job allowing the kids to actually be kids but at the same time provides them with a level of discipline you would expect from a Martial Arts facility as well as instilling a work ethic.
On top of that they also have fun kid events like a Halloween gathering and I’ve heard rumblings of a Nerf war.
If you’re looking for a place to go to learn some amazing self defense techniques or even a little community of people who look out for each other, this is a great place to start. I have learned a ton just from watching the kids go at it.
Highly recommended https://g.co/kgs/3GBRCBZ