A local martial arts program is offering something most summer camps don’t: permission for kids to be loud, physical, and a little fierce.
Santa Barbara Krav Maga Self Defense Center is running a four-day summer intensive for kids ages 7 to 11 from June 22 through 25, held each morning from 9 AM to 1 PM in Old Town Goleta. The program introduces children to Krav Maga — a highly effective self-defense system— through a format designed to feel less like training and more like the best week of their summer.
Why Krav Maga, and Why Kids?
Camp participants practice movement, awareness, and coordination through interactive drills that keep kids active while teaching real-world self-defense concepts.
Krav Maga is practical, direct, and designed for real-world situations — qualities that translate especially well for kids who learn best through movement and experience.
“The goal isn’t to produce little fighters,” says lead program director Dolan Ingraham. “It’s to give kids a real, felt sense of capability and resilience. That changes how they carry themselves. It changes how they handle pressure.”
That shift — from uncertain to capable — is the undercurrent running through everything in the program. Children learn to set and defend their own boundaries, use their voice assertively, and trust their instincts when something feels wrong. The self-defense skills are real and age-appropriate. The confidence that comes with them tends to stick.
What the Week Actually Looks Like
The camp is built around high-energy activity: partner drills, movement games, and plenty of time on the pads — foam striking targets that let kids hit with intent, make noise, and safely experience their own strength.
For many children, that moment of realizing how strong and capable they actually are is
something new. Instructors use it as both a teaching moment and a confidence builder. Kids who walk in hesitant often leave standing a little taller.
The four days build progressively, with each session layering new skills on top of what came before. By the final day, kids are moving with an easy, grounded confidence that reflects real growth over a short period of time.
The Safety and Social Side
The program runs in a structured but fun environment. Instructors are trained to work with children and keep energy high while maintaining clear boundaries and focus.
The ratio of instruction to active play is designed specifically for the 7-to-11 age range —meaning short explanations, lots of movement, and constant learning through doing.
Parents often notice something unexpected: the social connection. Kids arrive as strangers and quickly bond through shared effort, movement, and teamwork. There’s something about training, sweating, laughing, and working together that builds camaraderie fast.
The Details
Santa Barbara Krav Maga Self Defense Center Summer Intensive runs June 22 through 25,
from 9 AM to 1 PM daily. The program is open to children ages 7 to 11, and no prior martial arts experience is required.
Space is limited. Enrollment is open now at https://kick.site/bdbjsvvn – or families can call the school directly with questions at (805)619-0585.
For a kid ready for something more engaging than a typical summer camp — and for parents who want their child to come home tired, proud, and carrying themselves with more confidence, discipline, and respect — this program is designed for exactly that.
Santa Barbara Krav Maga Self Defense Center is located at 325 Magnolia Avenue in Old Town Goleta and offers programs for children and adults throughout the year.