Self-Defence Concepts
Practical self-defence starts well before any physical exchange. These pages cover the concepts that underpin how KMG New Zealand approaches personal safety — from awareness and the law through to understanding real threat patterns in New Zealand.
Situational Awareness for Beginners
The first layer of self-defence — noticing more, earlier, so you have more options before anything physical begins.
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The Krav Maga Self-Defence Timeline
How KMG structures a response from the earliest warning signs through to physical defence and disengagement — and why the order matters.
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Self-Defence, Law and Ethics
What constitutes reasonable force in New Zealand, the legal framework around self-defence, and how KMG training addresses the decisions people have to make under pressure.
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Most Common Types of Assault in New Zealand
What the data actually shows about assault patterns in New Zealand — the situations, locations, and dynamics that self-defence training should be built around.
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Defending Against Knife Attacks
Knife threats are integrated into KMG training from beginner level. This page covers the principles and techniques used to defend against overhand and underhand knife attacks.
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Defending Against Improvised Weapons
Bottles, chairs, belts, a bag — everyday objects change the nature of a threat. How KMG trains defending against improvised weapons and using what's around you from beginner level.
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Is Self-Defence Legal in New Zealand?
The legal right to defend yourself in New Zealand — what the law says, when it applies, and what it means for how you train and how you respond.
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What Is Reasonable Force in Self-Defence?
Section 48 of the Crimes Act explained — what proportionate response means in practice, and how KMG training is built around the standard the law requires.
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What Can You Legally Carry for Self-Defence in NZ?
Most people misunderstand this. New Zealand law does not allow carrying objects as weapons for self-defence — here is what that means, and what it does not mean.
Read the guideHow these concepts fit into KMG training
The KMG system treats self-defence as a complete process — not just a set of physical techniques. Awareness, legal understanding, and knowledge of real threat patterns are taught alongside physical skills from the first session. That is what separates a self-defence system from a combat sport.