Carpe diem
[seize the day]
Self Defence for Everyone.
delivering Krav Maga training across London and the South East...
Self defence has sadly become a necessity. Understandably most people fear violent threats and attacks. This brings about concerns and anxiety to everyday life which can be overwhelming. Members at Carpe Diem take a different view to self defence. They view it as a life skill which one day might save their lives.
Live your life with confidence
Know what to do and when to do it.
Avoid violent situations where possible
Develop the ability and adrenal capacity to deescalate majority of conflicts.
Get in the shape of your life
Krav Maga (contact-combat) is a military self-defence and fighting system developed for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli security forces. It was derived from a combination of techniques sourced from Boxing, Wrestling, Aikido, Judo and Karate, along with realistic fight training.
Krav Maga is known for its focus on real-world situations and its extreme efficiency. It was born out of the street-fighting experiences of a Hungarian-Israeli martial artist Imi Lichtenfeld, who made use of his training as a boxer and wrestler whilst defending the Jewish quarter against fascist groups in Bratislava during the 1930's.
From the outset, the original concept of Krav Maga was to take the most simple and practical techniques from other fighting styles and make them rapidly teachable to military conscripts. Thereafter it was adapted for everyday civilians, women and children.
Krav Maga has a philosophy that emphasises aggression towards attackers and simultaneous defensive & offensive manoeuvres. Krav Maga has featured on numerous movies including the Bourne Series, Taken, Enough, Collateral, The Debt and Casino Royal to name a few.
Documentaries featuring Krav Maga included: Human Weapon, Fight Quest and more recently FightWorld on Netflix.
The majority of Krav Maga techniques taught in our syllabus appear in short movie below.
Krav Maga techniques applied in real life scenarios.
Anybody can learn Krav Maga
At Carpe Diem we believe self defence is for everyone. We love teaching Krav Maga because anybody can do it. We often say Krav Maga is easy to learn and hard to forget.
Adults of all abilities and ages
All women via our Stay Away women-only self defence curriculum
Children from as young as 5 years old
You don’t have to be fit to learn Krav Maga
You donn't need any previous experience in combat or martial arts
The only requirement we have is to come with an open mind and a willingness to learn and have fun.
Get Started
TRY OUR 90-MINUTE LESSON WHEN WE RESUME FOR FREEWhat makes Carpe Diem so different?
At Carpe Diem (Latin for: seize the day) we are passionate about life. We see ourselves in you, after all we once stood in your shoes.
We are not a fight club, and we don’t apologise for it
We are made up of everyday people from all walks of life.We pride ourselves on being an ego-free club.
Experienced instructor team who understand people
Whilst we’ve trained at the highest levels, we only see ourselves as teachers when it comes to our members.We are obsessed with the art of teaching and delivering relevant content that works.
We’ll help you become the best fighter you can be
Just to be clear, we are here to make you a better version of yourself, not someone else.We will focus on the tools and methods that work for you, not the masses.
We want to be that third space in your life
We might not get enough of your time, but what we do want is a lot of your mind.The highlight for most our member’s are their weekly classes with us… we want that for you.
If you are not having fun, then we are not doing our job
Expect to play a lot of games, it’s our way to facilitate learning.We never take ourselves seriously, we hope you don’t.
Member's experience at Carpe Diem.
What our members say ...
“The atmosphere and people are great. There’s no sense of superiority and the instructors are all really down to earth and are happy to spend time helping each student individually.” Will
“Krav Maga is not just self defence, its a way of life. It changes the way you do your things and you go about in your daily life. You become aware of your surroundings, not paranoid, just aware. And you behave accordingly in order to prevent you ending up in dangerous situations.” Ana
“I feel that I’ve learnt some new skills over the past 8 months, but I’m only at the start of my Krav journey. There’s years of fun ahead learning more of the basics and hopefully moving on to advanced techniques when I’m ready!” Mark
“What I like most about training at Carpe Diem are the the Instructors and the people I train with.” Mathers
“Join Carpe Diem and train Krav Maga. I’m sure you’ll love it as much I do” Nino
“I feel great. I absolutely love Krav Maga both as a sport but also as an effective self-defense system and I am more than happy that I am part of this amazing Krav community at Carpe Diem ;-)” Julia
“I always look forward to my Krav Maga training with Carpe Diem. The people and the environment are the main reasons why I am loving the training.” Ronnie
“I love the fact that Carpe Diem feels like a family. Everyone is so eager to help make you a better person. There is no judgement and you are allowed space to develop and grow.” Jasyn
“Krav Maga with Carpe Diem is for everyone wanting to attend practical self-defence classes with a well-run, friendly and welcoming organisation or club at a reasonable cost, irrespective of whether you are currently fit or not.” Ingrid
“Everything is well organised, people and instructors are friendly, what’s not to like!” Romain
Book Trial
Schedule a 90-MINUTE class todayCommon Questions
Do I need to be fit?
Of course not. Our members come from all walks of life with varying levels of fitness and mobility. Yes, some will be very fit, but that’s not what we are teaching. Ultimately, we are preparing you for a 10 second encounter. We repeatedly stress that you should train at a pace that’s comfortable to you. That said, the more you train, the fitter you’ll become.What if I have an in injury?
That’s OK, you are not alone. All we ask is to let us and the instructor know in advance. We’ll entrust you to police it by ensuring you don’t do anything that might make it worse. If you are cool with that, then so are we.Do I need any previous experience?
No. In fact if you had none it may work to your advantage… wouldn’t have to unlearn and relearn. It’s more important you come with an open mind and a willingness to understand not copy. We push our members to become engineer like when learning Krav Maga principles rather than monkey see monkey do techniques.Do I need to worry?
We are not that kind of club, so no again. Picture a class of everyday people motivated and having fun whilst training in Krav Maga... learning skills that will stick with them for the rest of their lives. We are stubbornly clear about our mission at Carpe Diem. You'll never feel intimidated or physically vulnerable, in fact, we do not tolerate nor welcome individuals with negative intentions. Our ‘ego-free’ team atmosphere is contagious and conducive to learning self defence. Just ask any of our members or parents whose children train with us.Do I have to join afterwards?
Absolutely not, it’s called a trial for a reason. It is important to know what we offer meets your needs, and that starts with you. We want to make sure you are comfortable in our training environment. You will have plenty of opportunities to ask questions about Krav Maga and our club… we encourage you to do so. Ultimately the decision will always be yours.What if I can’t make my trial?
That happens, we call it life. Just let us know and we’ll rebook you in. Once you make the investment in yourself, we’ll try our best to make sure you get the most out of it.Self defence is for everyone. That's our mission and we live by it. We believe Krav Maga is the best self defence system out there. What makes us unique is how we challenge ourselves to teach anybody who walks through our doors. It doesn't matter whether you are a combat fighter or a martial artist, have zero fighting experience, low level of fitness, restricted mobility, etc... because attackers don't care. Like with anything new, it’s always best to try it first to see if what we offer is for you. It's OK if it's not. Regardless, you'll find it hard not to enjoy yourself.
Test drive us!
No commitment to joinVenues & Times
Woking - Adults
Mondays @ 19:00-20:30
Mixed Adults - All Levels
Woking Leisure Centre, Kingfield Road, Woking, Surrey, GU22 9BA. Get Directions.
Camberley - Adults
Mondays @ 19:15-20:45
Mixed Adults - All Levels
Places Leisure Camberley, Grand Avenue, Camberley, Surrey, GU15 3QH. Get Directions.
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park - Adults
Tuesdays @ 18:30-20:00
Mixed Adults - All Levels
Bobby Moore Academy, 1 Sidings Street, Stratford, E20 2AE. Get Directions.
Fleet - Adults
Tuesdays @ 18:30-20:00
Mixed Adults - All Levels
Hart Leisure Centre, Emerald Avenue, Fleet, Hampshire, GU51 5HS. Get Directions.
Guildford - Adults
Tuesdays @ 18:30-20:00
Mixed Adults - All Levels
Guildford Spectrum, Parkway, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 1UP. Get Directions.
Wimbledon - Adults
Wednesdays @ 19:00-20:30
Mixed Adults - All Levels
Ursuline High School, Crescent Road, Wimbledon, London, SW20 8HA. Get Directions & View School Map.
Hounslow - Adults
Wednesdays @ 19:00-20:30
Mixed Adults - All Levels
Oaklands School, Gresham Road, Hounslow, London, TW3 4BX. Get Directions.
Alton - Adults
Wednesdays @ 19:15-20:45
Mixed Adults - All Levels
Alton Sports Centre, Chawton Park Road, Alton, GU34 1ST. Get Directions.
Twickenham - Adults
Wednesdays @ 19:45-21:00
Mixed Adults - All Levels
St Mary's University, Waldegrave Road, Twickenham, TW1 4SX. Get Directions & View Campus Map.
Canary Wharf - Adults
Thursdays @ 18:30-20:00
Mixed Adults - All Levels
In2Sports, 40 Harbord Square, London, E14 9QH. Get Directions.
Feltham - Adults
Thursdays @ 19:00-20:30
Mixed Adults - All Levels
Reach Academy, 55 High Street, Feltham, London TW13 4AB. Get Directions.
Winchester - Adults
Thursdays @ 19:00-20:30
Mixed Adults - All Levels
Sport & Leisure Park, Bar End, Winchester, SO23 9NR. Get Directions.
Wokingham - Adults
Thursdays @ 19:15-20:45
Mixed Adults - All Levels
Wokingham Leisure Centre, Wellington Road, Wokingham, RG40 2AF. Get Directions.
South Kensington - Adults
Saturdays @ 9:30-11:00
Mixed Adults - All Levels
Marlborough Primary School, Draycott Avenue, London, SW3 3AP. Get Directions.
Hammersmith - Adults
On hold.... accepting waiting list.
Mixed Adults - All Levels
The Godolphin and Latymer School, Iffley Road, Hammersmith, London, W6 0PG. Get Directions.
Aldershot - Adults
Workshops & Seminars
Mixed Adults - All Levels
Maida Gym, Queen's Avenue, Aldershot, Hampshire, GU11 2BT.
Carpe Diem
SEIZE THE DAY & GIVE IT A GOSelf defence has sadly become a necessity. Understandably most people fear violent threats and attacks. This brings about concerns and anxiety to everyday life which can be overwhelming. Members at Carpe Diem take a different view to self defence. They view it as a life skill which one day might save their lives.
Live your life with confidence
Know what to do and when to do it.
Avoid violent situations where possible
Develop the ability and adrenal capacity to deescalate majority of conflicts.
Get in the shape of your life
Krav Maga (contact-combat) is a military self-defence and fighting system developed for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli security forces. It was derived from a combination of techniques sourced from Boxing, Wrestling, Aikido, Judo and Karate, along with realistic fight training.
Krav Maga is known for its focus on real-world situations and its extreme efficiency. It was born out of the street-fighting experiences of a Hungarian-Israeli martial artist Imi Lichtenfeld, who made use of his training as a boxer and wrestler whilst defending the Jewish quarter against fascist groups in Bratislava during the 1930's.
From the outset, the original concept of Krav Maga was to take the most simple and practical techniques from other fighting styles and make them rapidly teachable to military conscripts. Thereafter it was adapted for everyday civilians, women and children.
Krav Maga has a philosophy that emphasises aggression towards attackers and simultaneous defensive & offensive manoeuvres. Krav Maga has featured on numerous movies including the Bourne Series, Taken, Enough, Collateral, The Debt and Casino Royal to name a few.
Documentaries featuring Krav Maga included: Human Weapon, Fight Quest and more recently FightWorld on Netflix.
The majority of Krav Maga techniques taught in our syllabus appear in this short movie below.
Anybody can learn it...
At Carpe Diem we believe self defence is for everyone. We love teaching Krav Maga because anybody can do it. We often say Krav Maga is easy to learn and hard to forget.
Adults of all abilities and ages
All women via our Stay Away women-only self defence curriculum
Children from as young as 5 years old
You don’t have to be fit to learn Krav Maga
You don't need any previous experience in combat or martial arts
The only requirement we have is to come with an open mind and a willingness to learn and have fun.
Get Started
try our 90-minute lesson for FreeWhat makes Carpe Diem so different?
At Carpe Diem (Latin for: seize the day) we are passionate about life. We see ourselves in you, after all we once stood in your shoes.
We are not a fight club, and we don’t apologise for it
- We are made up of everyday people from all walks of life.
- We pride ourselves on being an ego-free club.
Experienced instructor team who understand people
- Whilst we’ve trained at the highest levels, we only see ourselves as teachers when it comes to our members.
- We are obsessed with the art of teaching and delivering relevant content that works.
We’ll help you become the best fighter you can be
- Just to be clear, we are here to make you a better version of yourself, not someone else.
- We will focus on the tools and methods that work for you, not the masses.
We want to be that third space in your life
- We might not get enough of your time, but what we do want is a lot of your mind.
- The highlight for most our member’s are their weekly classes with us… we want that for you.
If you are not having fun, then we are not doing our job
- Expect to play a lot of games, it’s our way to facilitate learning.
- We never take ourselves seriously, we hope you don’t.
What our members say ...
“The atmosphere and people are great. There’s no sense of superiority and the instructors are all really down to earth and are happy to spend time helping each student individually.” Will
“Krav Maga is not just self defence, its a way of life. It changes the way you do your things and you go about in your daily life. You become aware of your surroundings, not paranoid, just aware. And you behave accordingly in order to prevent you ending up in dangerous situations.” Ana
“I feel that I’ve learnt some new skills over the past 8 months, but I’m only at the start of my Krav journey. There’s years of fun ahead learning more of the basics and hopefully moving on to advanced techniques when I’m ready!” Mark
“What I like most about training at Carpe Diem are the the Instructors and the people I train with.” Mathers
“Join Carpe Diem and train Krav Maga. I’m sure you’ll love it as much I do” Nino
“I feel great. I absolutely love Krav Maga both as a sport but also as an effective self-defense system and I am more than happy that I am part of this amazing Krav community at Carpe Diem ;-)” Julia
“I always look forward to my Krav Maga training with Carpe Diem. The people and the environment are the main reasons why I am loving the training.” Ronnie
“I love the fact that Carpe Diem feels like a family. Everyone is so eager to help make you a better person. There is no judgement and you are allowed space to develop and grow.” Jasyn
“Krav Maga with Carpe Diem is for everyone wanting to attend practical self-defence classes with a well-run, friendly and welcoming organisation or club at a reasonable cost, irrespective of whether you are currently fit or not.” Ingrid
“Everything is well organised, people and instructors are friendly, what’s not to like!” Romain
Book Trial
Schedule a 90-MINUTE class todayCommon Questions
Do I need to be fit?
Of course not. Our members come from all walks of life with varying levels of fitness and mobility. Yes, some will be very fit, but that’s not what we are teaching. Ultimately, we are preparing you for a 10 second encounter. We repeatedly stress that you should train at a pace that’s comfortable to you. That said, the more you train, the fitter you’ll become.What if I have an in injury?
That’s OK, you are not alone. All we ask is to let us and the instructor know in advance. We’ll entrust you to police it by ensuring you don’t do anything that might make it worse. If you are cool with that, then so are we.Do I need any previous experience?
No. In fact if you had none it may work to your advantage… wouldn’t have to unlearn and relearn. It’s more important you come with an open mind and a willingness to understand not copy. We push our members to become engineer like when learning Krav Maga principles rather than monkey see monkey do techniques.Do I need to worry?
We are not that kind of club, so no again. Picture a class of everyday people motivated and having fun whilst training in Krav Maga... learning skills that will stick with them for the rest of their lives. We are stubbornly clear about our mission at Carpe Diem. You'll never feel intimidated or physically vulnerable, in fact, we do not tolerate nor welcome individuals with negative intentions. Our ‘ego-free’ team atmosphere is contagious and conducive to learning self defence. Just ask any of our members or parents whose children train with us.Do I have to join afterwards?
Absolutely not, it’s called a trial for a reason. It is important to know what we offer meets your needs, and that starts with you. We want to make sure you are comfortable in our training environment. You will have plenty of opportunities to ask questions about Krav Maga and our club… we encourage you to do so. Ultimately the decision will always be yours.What if I can’t make my trial?
That happens, we call it life. Just let us know and we’ll rebook you in. Once you make the investment in yourself, we’ll try our best to make sure you get the most out of it.Self defence is for everyone. That's our mission and we live by it. We believe Krav Maga is the best self defence system out there. What makes us unique is how we challenge ourselves to teach anybody who walks through our doors. It doesn't matter whether you are a combat fighter or a martial artist, have zero fighting experience, low level of fitness, restricted mobility, etc... because attackers don't care. Like with anything new, it’s always best to try it first to see if what we offer is for you. It's OK if it's not. Regardless, you'll find it hard not to enjoy yourself.