Turning Lambs into Lions Since 2013
Urban Tactics Krav Maga (UTKM) is Metro Vancouver’s (Canada) premier Krav Maga Self Defense School.
We were founded on the belief that we can Turn Lambs into Lions. We maintain that the ability to defend oneself should be considered a fundamental skill; no matter what your background, existing skill level, or physical state, we will give you the tools to learn to defend yourself. We set out to build a community-oriented school with a focus on developing students both physically and mentally, as well as producing qualified instructors who truly understand what it means to teach real Krav Maga self-defense.
We also believe that Krav Maga is not just physical. At UTKM you will learn to think Critically, Learn self-defense strategies that apply both in physical self-defense and day-to-day life situations. This is all on top of proven and practical techniques that anyone can learn with enough time and commitment. Just know that your UTKM experience may not be what you were expected but at the end of the day with time will give you the skills to not only defend yourself but also be a better version of yourself than when you first walked in the door.
As a result of these values, we have become Metro Vancouver’s most popular destination for Krav Maga self-defense. We hope that you too will become part of the UTKM family, and we hope to see you training soon.
Our curriculum and ranking system is our own, it was created with the goal of creating a simple, easy-to-understand, structured path to learning to walk in peace. Many organizations’ curriculum is bloated or complex. After training with multiple schools, we took the best of what works for the maximum number of people. We do, however, keep an open mind and encourage our students to train in as many styles as their time and finances allow.
So come and learn to walk in peace with us, either by coming to class or contacting us for private training.
Turning lambs into lions since 2013.
What makes us unique?
Two things: Our beliefs and our students. We believe that hard, intense, and realistic training is what a Krav Maga school should be about. We only want people who take their personal safety seriously to join the Urban Tactics family, and not everyone is serious about his or her own safety. Although the class is physically demanding, we do not teach a typical fitness class but a highly organized Krav Maga class, and we believe that the more you sweat in training the less you will bleed on the street. However, it is the students who make our school truly unique and successful.
As the famous line in the movie Field of Dreams stated, “If you build it, he [they] will come,” people from all walks of life, such as carpenters, computer engineers, filmmakers, and even police and soldiers, gather at our school to participate in Krav Maga. These people have different life experiences, ages, and fitness levels but they all share one common belief: “My first line of defense is myself.” Having heard top Israeli Krav Maga instructors comment that the Canadian public are not capable of undergoing hard and tough Krav Maga training, our students have proven those comments false and erased the doubts in our minds. We understand that, even in peaceful Canada, danger and crime still exist, and many people are willing to sweat and train hard to defend their loved ones and themselves. Because of that, we take our instructing and training very seriously, as we feel an obligation to our students to help them achieve their goals.
Each instructor at Urban Tactics has a background in various martial arts, has had military training, and, in addition, has also experience in situations ranging from facing school bullies to dealing with riots. We know what kind of training works.
The story of our logo
The story of FireFox –
The Insignia of Urban Tactics (UTKM) is a combination of the Co-Founders of UTKM, military units’ insignias. One drawn from the Israel Defense Forces’ Givati Infantry Brigade, 424th Infantry Battalion; the regimental symbol is the fox, with purple as the brigade’s beret colour. The other drawn from the Canadian Army Reserve unit was the 15th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA). The RCA collar badge features an old-style, flaming grenade with the motto “Ubique’; the grenade being a common heritage for soldiers who work with explosives.
Combined, these symbols represent the two essences of Krav Maga; tactics and spirit. The fox represents tactics, and the flames represent the unstoppable spirit of a Krav Maga fighter. In addition, the concept of a “firefox” was derived from the biblical verses “Judges 15:4-5,” describing Samson’s fox-based tactic against the Philistines. The fox also represents cunning and strategy, key components in any successful self defense action.
Fox Fire
Torched their just ripened fields, tails aflame
Foxes wild, grain consumed, Phils to blame.
Samson ranted and raved.
Phils got frightened, then caved.
Jealous Samson’s revenge. Deadly game.