About Us → Santa Barbara Krav Maga and Self-Defense

Santa Barbara Krav Maga Official Training Center

Established in 2011, SB Krav Maga is dedicated to our local community, first responders, fire departments, law enforcement, and military personnel. Santa Barbara Krav Maga, along with its affiliates, strive to lead the way in providing the best, most realistic, and cutting edge self defense training anywhere. Our motto is “Train like your life depends on it, because it does.” We are a community based, family-oriented center with a set goal of teaching the knowledge and principal mindset of self defense to our students.

Working with local schools, sports programs, and community groups, SBKM has long been involved in teaching safety to all who wish to learn. We’ve run self defense workshops and seminars for SBCC and UCSB student organizations, sororities, and fraternities, and we’ve also facilitated team building training courses for local businesses. We support and love our Santa Barbara community. As our founder would say, if all knew self defense, there would be no crime.

“So one may walk in peace” – Imi Lichtenfeld

What is Krav Maga?

Krav Maga is not a traditional martial arts system. It does not compete in combat sports competitions or tournaments. It is a mixture of fighting and self-defense techniques including wrestling, Muay Thai, traditional boxing, kickboxing, Jiu-Jitsu, Karate, and street fighting. It utilizes the environment around you to increase your chances of staying alive and escaping a violent encounter.

Krav Maga translates from Hebrew to English as “Contact Combat.” It is not about size and strength but rather speed, aggression, and technique, with explosive reactions using the body’s natural instincts. It is practiced and tested under simulated real-world high-stress training situations. The system is intentionally simple, with no rules, no rituals and no forms. Classes consist of high intensity cardio workouts mixed with self defense and striking drills. Students get in shape while improving hand eye coordination, situational awareness and stamina, all while learning practical self defense skills. Any committed individual can become proficient in what we teach.

Krav Maga was developed in an environment where the Israeli military could not devote many hours to hand to hand combat training, and emphasizes rapidly learned techniques to prioritize survival. It is considered to be a modern, highly refined street fighting system, designed to be used against armed and unarmed attackers. Krav Maga addresses a wide variety of aggressive attacks include punches, kicks, chokes, bear hugs, headlocks, grabs, as well as defenses against multiple attackers and assailants armed with a firearm, edged weapon, or blunt object. The system has had ample opportunity to be tested and improved under real life conditions. No defensive tactics system in the world is more battle tested than Krav Maga.

Meet Our Chief Instructor

Pedro E. Sanchez holds a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Krav Maga and has been involved in martial arts and self-defense for over 18 years. He started his training in the Brazilian Martial Arts of Capoeria under his good friend Contra Mestre Gui at the Centrosul Capoeria Academy. Later, he moved on to Jiu-Jitsu, which he studied for a little over two years until finally finding his home in Krav Maga. In early 2005, he began training at Beach Cities Krav Maga under Master Beau Durocher. After coming from Chatsworth, CA, Mr. Durocher had just opened his location in Huntington Beach, CA, with a 5th degree American Tong Soo Doo black belt and an expert level civilian/military/law enforcement instructor certification in Krav Maga. Master Beau Durocher has over 15 years of Krav Maga training and 25 plus years of experience with traditional martial arts and self-defense. Pedro always respected the Krav Maga system and immediately found his passion in training and assisting classes. After training daily with Beau Durocher and his methodical and rigorous training regiment, Pedro was selected as a candidate for instructor training. He taught his own class by early 2006 at the Huntington Beach location and devoted countless hours to the growth of Beach Cities Krav Maga. Pedro taught at BCKM in Orange County for over 6 years.

In 2007, after some time working as the primary instructor at the Huntington Beach location, Pedro was asked to begin a satellite location in Newport Beach/Costa Mesa for BCKM. As a Program Director/Lead Instructor, he spent two years managing and training students while growing the location. Pedro was then asked to open and manage another new location in Yorba Linda. After spending a little over a year as the Program Director/Lead Instructor of the Yorba Linda location, Pedro relocated to Santa Barbara, CA, opening his own studio and bringing Krav Maga Israeli Self-Defense to the Central Coast!

Pedro holds a 3rd degree Black Belt with the Krav Maga Legion and under the American Krav Maga Federation certified through Krav Maga Alliance under John Whitman at the national training center in Culver City, CA, Expert Level Certified with the Krav Maga Legion (KML), American Krav Maga Federation (AKMF). Certified with Krav Maga Worldwide at the National Training Center in Los Angeles, CA, as well as KMX Youth Training Certified at KM World Wide National Training.

Santa barbara krav maga invites you!

Come visit us!

Come and visit anytime we are open and we’d be more than happy to answer any questions you have. Or feel free to come by and watch a class!