MMA vs Krav Maga — Which One Is Better?
MMA and Krav Maga are the two forms of combat that do not have much in common. These two differ a lot when it comes to techniques, methods of training, history, and emphasis. But for most people, these two arts are the most effective for any type of freestyle combat, and you can often hear people arguing about which one is better and why.
MMA is a combat sport where athletes fight for money, world titles, and fame. It is a system that consists of only the most effective striking and grappling techniques that are also very practical for self-defense as well. Krav Maga, on the other side, is a system created for self-defense only and there are no competitions or matches of any kind. It is a brutal system that teaches you how to cause the most damage as fast as possible and even kill the attacker if needed.
Keep reading this article to find out more about MMA vs Krav Maga, and how these two compare in various aspects.
MMA vs Krav Maga — What are the main differences?
Here is a list of all the major differences between these two arts:
History
MMA is a modern combat sport that emerged in 1985 in Japan with the birth of the famous “Shooto” promotion. However, many people think that the modern form of MMA started in 1993 and the memorable UFC 1 event. On the other side, some of its earliest origins could be traced all the way back to ancient Greece and the sport called “Pankration”.
Krav Maga is a self-defense system created by the Israeli military in the 1950s. The man who put it together was Imi Lichtenfeld who emigrated from Hungary to Israel in the 1940s.
Concept and emphasis
MMA is a combat sport where fighters compete against each other in 1 on 1 matches for money, titles, and global stardom. It is a mix of only the most effective grappling and striking techniques put into a single style of fighting. But despite being a versatile system, MMA is still a sport where students learn how to fight under strict rules.
Krav Maga is in some way the total opposite of MMA when it comes to emphasis. It is a mix of grappling, striking, and weapon based training with the entire emphasis being on self-defense and real combat. It is brutal, aggressive, violent, and will teach you all about the physical and mental aspects of fighting. It is the purest form of self-defense training because there are no limits, rules, or competition of any kind.
Training methods and realism
MMA is a versatile form of combat and its techniques are very practical in real life. In fact, it is more practical than most other combat sports and martial arts like boxing or Muay Thai. It trains a person to fight at all ranges using all limbs as weapons to strike, execute takedowns and throws, and apply chokes and joint locks on the ground. Training puts a lot of emphasis on sparring, which adds to the realism of MMA as a combat system. But on the other side, students do not do any self-defense drills and are not trained to utilize dirty tactics or how to deal with weapons.
Krav Maga is a military hand to hand system that trains a person for any type of attack they may face on the streets. Students learn how to fight in various places, ranges, and deal with various weapons like staff, bats, knives, and even firearms. Training is hard, brutal, painful, and not many people are capable of sustaining the intensity of the classes. On paper, it is more realistic than MMA because there are no rules to follow. But on the other side, the biggest downside of Krav Maga is the lack of advanced sparring.
Techniques
MMA is a system that consists of grappling, ground fighting, and striking techniques. To cover all of these aspects of the sport, fighters need to train in multiple martial arts like:
- Boxing (standup; punches, footwork, angles)
- Muay Thai (standup/clinch, kicks, elbows, knees)
- BJJ (ground fighting, chokes, joint locks, positions)
- Wrestling (clinch and ground fighting; takedowns, pins)
Krav Maga is quite similar in terms of striking and grappling techniques. But on top of that, students also learn how to deal with weapons like knives or firearms, and utilize dirty tactics.
Krav Maga vs MMA — which one is better for self-defense?
Both Krav Maga and MMA are among the most effective systems one can learn for self-defense. Yes, MMA is a combat sport where people fight under the rules. But at the same time, it is very, very practical for street fighting as these rules do not limit its effectiveness that much, and each technique students learn works in real life as well.
On top of that, MMA puts a lot of emphasis on sparring and doing various live drills. This means that students spend a lot of time simulating the real fight against the partner who is putting on real resistance. In martial arts circles, this method of training is often seen as the best and only one that can train a person to fight in real life. In some way, you can’t expect to develop timing, feeling for distance, reaction time, and muscle memory without sparring all the time.
Though it may sound odd, the fact that MMA is a sport has a lot of benefits, and here is why. Coaches and fighters are always trying to come up with new techniques, improve the existing ones, change methods of training, or tactics. This is how they gain an advantage over other fighters and win matches, and with that, also improve MMA as a combat system.
Krav Maga is a brutal military system which makes it more realistic than MMA in most areas. It won’t teach you how to obey rules, but rather to do anything in your power to defend yourself. If that means to grab a bottle and blast the attacker to the head with it, Krav Maga encourages you to do just that. It won’t teach you strategies, game plans, but rather how to assess the situation you are in, attack in a blitz, cause as much pain and injuries as possible.
Krav Maga vs MMA- which one is better for fitness?
MMA is a far better option if you want to lose weight and improve fitness. Krav Maga also burns a lot of calories and is a full body workout. But the classes are simply too brutal for most people who are not that passionate about learning how to fight. Unlike in MMA gyms, there are no amateur groups in most Krav Maga schools, neither there are “fitness” variations of the art.
MMA is a modern style, very popular all around the globe and most gyms include an amateur group. Here, the classes are less intense, there is no hard sparring as the focus is on technique and cardio intense workouts.
Overall, these classes usually include people who are just in for a good workout, to lose weight, get stronger, and on top of that, learn valuable self-defense skills. On average, a single hour of MMA training can burn up to 800 calories, which is a lot. If you stay dedicated to classes, you can get into a top shape in a very, very short time span.
Krav Maga is a military system where people don’t go to improve their fitness and lose weight. The classes are as intense as it gets in just about every school, and the majority of the beginners give up after the first couple of classes. Apart from hard exercises, the discipline is the same as the one in the military and there is no playing around. It is not a place that you can treat like a fitness gym where you can come in, sweat, tire out, and get back home. No, it is the total opposite of that.
