About Santa Barbara Krav Maga
Established in 2011
Santa Barbara Krav Maga Self Defense Center has been dedicated to serving the local community through professional, realistic self-defense training. We proudly support first responders, fire departments, law enforcement personnel, military members, students, families, and everyday individuals seeking practical self-defense skills and personal protection training in Santa Barbara.
At SB Krav Maga, along with our affiliate organizations, our mission is to provide some of the most effective, modern, and reality-based Krav Maga training available today. Our philosophy is simple: “Train like your life depends on it, because it does.” Every class is designed to build confidence, improve awareness, and develop the mindset and skills necessary to respond to real-world threats.
As a community-based and family-oriented self-defense center, we believe self-defense training should be accessible, empowering, and practical for people of all ages and experience levels. Our programs focus not only on physical techniques, but also on situational awareness, conflict prevention, and the mental aspects of personal safety.
Over the years, SB Krav Maga has partnered with local schools, youth sports programs, businesses, and community organizations throughout Santa Barbara to promote safety education and violence prevention. We have conducted self-defense seminars and workshops for the City of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara City College student organizations, UCSB groups, fraternities, sororities, and local businesses seeking team-building and workplace safety training.
We are proud to be part of the Santa Barbara community and remain dedicated to helping individuals become safer, stronger, and more confident through high-quality Krav Maga and self-defense instruction.
What is Krav Maga?
“So one may walk in peace” – Imi Lichtenfeld
Krav Maga is a practical, battle-tested self-defense system with roots dating back to the 1930s in pre-World War II Czechoslovakia. During a time of rising anti-Semitic violence and political unrest in what is now Bratislava, founder Imi Lichtenfeld developed a realistic self-defense system to help Jewish civilians protect themselves against violent attacks in the streets.
Imi Lichtenfeld, the son of a police detective and chief police instructor, was an accomplished athlete and practitioner of boxing, wrestling, Judo, swimming, and gymnastics. As violence against minorities escalated, he recognized the urgent need for a self-defense system that was effective, easy to learn, and practical under real-world stress. Using his extensive martial arts and combat experience, Imi began training members of his community in practical self-defense techniques, laying the foundation for what would become Krav Maga.
Unlike traditional martial arts that focus on tournaments, forms, or sport competition, Krav Maga is designed purely for real-world survival and personal protection. The system combines techniques from boxing, wrestling, Muay Thai, kickboxing, Jiu-Jitsu, Karate, and street fighting while emphasizing situational awareness, rapid response, and escape from danger. Krav Maga also teaches students how to use their surroundings to improve their chances of surviving a violent encounter.
The term “Krav Maga” translates from Hebrew to “Contact Combat.” The system is built around speed, aggression, efficiency, and the body’s natural reflexes rather than relying on size or strength. Its simple and intuitive approach allows students to develop practical self-defense skills quickly and effectively.
Today, Krav Maga is practiced worldwide and is trusted by military personnel, law enforcement agencies, S.W.A.T. teams, Air Marshals, and civilians seeking realistic self-defense training. As violent incidents continue to rise in workplaces, schools, places of worship, and public spaces, learning practical self-defense has never been more important.