The most dangerous assumption you can make about self-defence is that physical size is the deciding factor. It is not. And Krav Maga exists precisely to prove that.
The FEKM system, which forms the foundation of training at Eitan Krav Maga, was built on a single non-negotiable requirement: every technique must work regardless of the size, age, or strength of the practitioner. If a method only functions when the student outweighs their attacker, it has failed the basic test of self-defence.
Here is why Krav Maga closes the gap — and how it does it.
The Science of Structural Vulnerability
The human body has a set of anatomical vulnerabilities that respond to force regardless of how large or strong the person is. The throat, the knees, the eyes, the groin, the instep — these are not protected by muscle mass. A 60kg person applying precise, committed force to any of these targets can neutralise a 100kg attacker. Not because of strength. Because of knowledge.
FEKM training maps these vulnerabilities systematically and builds techniques around targeting them efficiently. This is not about fighting dirty — it is about understanding human anatomy and responding to threat with precision rather than power.
Leverage Changes the Equation Completely
Physics, not fitness. This is the governing principle behind Krav Maga’s approach to releases, reversals, and counterattacks. Leverage allows a smaller person to generate more force than their size would suggest, and to redirect an attacker’s own momentum against them.
Wrist releases, choke defences, headlock escapes — each of these is engineered to exploit mechanical advantage. Practised correctly, they require surprisingly little strength. What they require is correct positioning, decisive commitment, and understanding of the principle behind the movement. All three of those are trainable.
Speed Compensates for Power
In Krav Maga, the goal is not to overpower an attacker — it is to act before they can consolidate their advantage. A fast, decisive response to the earliest sign of a threat is almost always more effective than a powerful response delivered a second too late.
This is why Fast comes first in the FEKM principles. Not because speed is a physical gift only some people have, but because speed of recognition, decision, and movement can be trained. Students who have never considered themselves fast discover, through consistent training, that their reaction time improves dramatically over a matter of weeks.
The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything
Perhaps the most important thing Krav Maga training changes is not physical at all — it is the belief that you are capable of responding effectively to a threat. Many people — particularly those who consider themselves small, older, or out of shape — begin training with the quiet assumption that self-defence is for someone else. Someone bigger. Someone younger. Someone naturally aggressive.
That assumption dismantles itself quickly in the FEKM environment. When a technique works on your first attempt — when you feel the mechanical logic of it, when the release works against a genuinely resisting partner — the shift is immediate and lasting. You stop thinking of yourself as someone who cannot and start thinking of yourself as someone who can.
At Eitan Krav Maga, Size Is Never an Excuse
Every class at Eitan Krav Maga is built around the reality that students come in all shapes, ages, and fitness levels. Beginners train alongside experienced practitioners. Techniques are taught with variation and adaptation built in. No one is told that Krav Maga is not for them.
The FEKM system was designed for the general public — not for elite athletes or military personnel exclusively. It was designed for teachers, parents, students, and professionals who need a practical, reliable self-defence system that works in the real world, under real conditions.
Fast. Simple. Effective. That promise holds regardless of what you weigh, how old you are, or how long it has been since you last trained. It holds because the system is built on principles, not on physical gifts.
Find out for yourself. Visit eitankravmaga.com to book your first class.
— Nicholas and Victoria, Eitan Krav Maga