In Hebrew, Krav means “combat” or “battle” and Maga translates to “contact” or “touch”. Krav Maga is not a sports style of martial arts, rather focusing on real-life self-defense and hand to hand combat situations. Along with this, it emphasizes stopping threats quickly and getting away safely. In order to safely deal with threats, brutal attacks to vulnerable parts of the body like the groin, eyes, neck, and fingers are taught. Further, the use of available objects, in essence turning them into weapons, is also encouraged. The bottom line is that practitioners are taught to defeat threats and avoid harm through a variety of means or by any means necessary. They are also taught to never give up.

Krav Maga is not known for uniforms or belts, though some training centers do utilize rankings systems. In training, attempts to simulate real-world situations outside of the training center are often utilized.

Finally, forms or katas are not a part of this style of self-defense. The fact that there are no rules in a real fight is emphasized, as are palm or open hand strikes.