Why Krav Maga Works: Because You’re Already Wired for It

By Steve Woolridge
Founder, Steve Woolridge's Krav Maga & Fitness Center | Veteran | Special Forces

Let me tell you a secret: Your body already knows how to fight.

Seriously. Before you ever throw a punch, before you ever step on the mat, before you ever scream “GET BACK!”—your nervous system already knows the drill.

Krav Maga isn’t built on some mystical martial art philosophy or 10 years of bowing and belt ceremonies. It's built around you—the untrained, adrenaline-drenched, “holy crap, this is happening” version of you.

Because when violence shows up, you don’t rise to the occasion—you fall to your level of training… and instincts. Good news? Krav Maga is built around those instincts.

Let’s break it down:

• Flinch response? We turn that into explosive forward movement.

• Covering your head and turning your body? That’s already the start of a Krav Maga defense.

• Getting tunnel vision and gross motor function kicking in? We design techniques around that—because fine motor skills go out the window when your life’s on the line.

Krav Maga doesn’t try to change your instincts—it weaponizes them.

That’s why it works in real life. In real stress. In real attacks. Whether it’s someone grabbing your throat, rushing at you in a parking garage, or threatening your kid while you’re just trying to get groceries, you don’t have time for a thousand reps of a complicated move. You need something that’s already coded into your body—and that’s exactly what Krav Maga gives you.

We train the way the body naturally moves under stress. We train your nervous system to do what it already wants to do—just better, faster, and with more violence of action.

So if you’ve ever thought, “I’m not a fighter”—guess what? That’s a lie you’ve been sold.

You are. You just haven’t met that version of yourself yet.

But we have. And we’ll introduce you.

See you in class.

—Steve