This is part 1 of a series on our instructor training program.
UTKM Instructor Course
Our aim at Urban Tactics Krav Maga has always been to design a structured Krav Maga school allied with international Krav Maga organizations to provide traditional Israeli style training. Vancouver is a city with relatively low crime rate and a low population density. It is a very small market compared to European countries with a high population density, high GDP, and high movement between borders. In an environment which faces more chaos and turmoil, lots of enthusiastic people are willing to learn self-defense skills, whereas Vancouver is not known for its warrior culture.
Despite the geographical differences, we have managed to build a solid student body who believe in our practical Krav Maga training. As student numbers grow, we have started to nurture additional teaching staff for the school.
The Instructor Course is designed by both chief instructors at UTKM, Borhan Jiang and Jonathan Fader. We have both acquired various Krav Maga instructor certifications from IKI, IKMF, CT707, KMG, and CKMI. We are also trained in other martial arts including BJJ, Muay Thai, MMA, and Western style knife fighting. In addition, we draw real life experience from serving in both the Israeli and Canadian military, as well as private security. By combining everything we learned, we have created a dynamic training program for our assistant instructors.
The course consists of two portions: Assistant Instructor course (AIC) and Full Instructor Course (FIC). The AIC has a focus on instructional techniques and delivering our Krav Maga curriculum. The FIC focuses on leadership and management.
Once certified as an Assistant Instructor, you may teach at our school or privately under the UTKM credentials. In order to operate your own school under UTKM, you must also complete the FIC.
For a list of currently certified instructors and their ranks, please visit our UTKM team page here.
Our training program is a mentorship
The UTKM Assistance Instructor Course is the first stage of becoming a Full Instructor under the UTKM brand. It is a post-secondary style apprenticeship program rather than just a short course like other organizations. Oftentimes, other schools host week-long courses to produce lots of “instructors” over time and also procure maximum profits. They also often end the courses with a couple handshakes, and then you are out in the teaching world alone with little support other than possible email exchanges. Some places even offer weekend instructor courses or online certification. It is an insult to serious Krav Maga practitioners around the world. Our instructor course can take between 3 months to a year to complete depending on the commitment level of each candidate.
Our instructor program is a long-term mentorship which allows us to invest in a few students per year, really cultivate their teaching skills, and provide immediate support whenever necessary (like Jedi training). It is similar to MMA or boxing, in which you get a professional coaching team with a striking coach, grappling coach, conditioning coach, head coach, and more…..to support just one fighter. We implement similar support to our assistant instructors.
How do I become an instructor candidate?
Candidate Requirements:
- Minimum yellow belt ranking under UTKM (completed 70 hours of training)
- A strong, competent warrior able to succefully demonstrate the ability to spar with contact
- Mature and calm individuas, able to maintain control among chaos
- Effective communication and public speaking skills
- Can represent UTKM as an instructor
- Able to acquire Canadian Federal Firearm License (PAL) or local equivalent (Alternative options available)
- Achieve orange belt by end of AIC
Currently, we hand pick the candidates within our school. We get to know our students in and outside of classes (for at least 70 hours of training) before even offering them candidacy. The AIC program is a long-term commitment and we’ll be working together for many years to come, thus we are very careful who we accept.
What does the program involve?
AIC Curriculum:
- 50 hours of in-class instruction (history of Krav Maga, instructional techniques, etc.)
- 25 hours of instructor-focused physical training
- 25 hours of supervised teaching
- Must achieve Orange Belt (additional 70 hours of training) by the end of training
FIC Curriculum:
- Additional 50 hours of in-class instruction (leadership, management, etc.)
- Additional 15 hours supervised teaching
- Conduct a yellow belt and orange belt test under supervision
- Must achieve Green Belt (additional 140 hours of training after orange belt) by the end of training
At the time of this being published, becoming a UTKM instructor is by invite only. In addition, the FIC is still under development in order to offer the best possible education for our instructors. We will be opening it up in the future to a few applicants per year. If you are thinking about doing this in the future, please inquire by emailing Josh Hensman at info@urbantacticscanada.com.