Krav Maga is the official self-defense system of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The Forge teaches it the way it was designed — practical, aggressive, and effective regardless of size or strength. Two class times per week in Cheyenne, WY: Mon/Wed/Fri 7:30 PM and Tue/Thu 6:00 PM. Ages 13+.
Krav Maga (Hebrew: קְרַב מַגָּע, "contact combat") was developed by Imi Lichtenfeld in the late 1930s to defend Jewish neighborhoods in pre-state Israel. After Israeli statehood, it became the official combat system of the IDF, Mossad, and Israeli police. Unlike sport martial arts, Krav Maga has no rules, no rounds, no weight classes, and no belts. The goal is neutralizing threats as quickly and decisively as possible.
MMA is a regulated sport. Karate and taekwondo are traditional arts with belt progression, forms, and structured sparring. Krav Maga is none of those — it's a self-defense methodology. There are no forms, no katas, no points-based competition. Techniques assume worst-case scenarios: multiple attackers, weapons, awkward positions, surprise attacks. The Forge's Krav Maga program covers the same striking, clinch, and ground skills MMA uses, but trained for survival rather than sport.
Warm-up with conditioning drills. Technical block: a specific defense (against a punch, a grab, a knife threat) drilled at increasing intensity. Scenario block: students apply the technique under stress — tired, against a resisting partner, in awkward positions. Class ends with conditioning. Sparring is gradual and optional.
No. Krav Maga is designed to work when you are tired, scared, or out of position. Every class scales to your current fitness level. You will get fitter as you train, but no minimum fitness is required to start.
Ages 13 and up. Krav Maga requires the maturity to handle scenario-based defense training and contact drills. Younger students train in our Little Legends program (ages 5-12), which builds foundational martial arts and anti-bullying skills before transitioning to Krav Maga as teens.
It depends on your goals. Taekwondo is a traditional art with belt progression, forms, sparring, and tournament competition — great for discipline, fitness, and structured progress. Krav Maga is pure practical defense. We have a full comparison in our blog post on Krav Maga vs. Taekwondo.
Two weekly classes: Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:30 PM (Krav Maga & Self-Defense), and Tuesday, Thursday at 6:00 PM (Practical Self-Defense). Both are included in the $125/month membership. Reserve a free trial week.
The Forge Martial Arts Academy
1408 Hugur Avenue, Cheyenne, WY 82001
(307) 317-7227
school@theforgemartialarts.com