No, no prior experience is necessary. In fact, most students begin training without any prior martial arts experience.

As with any physical activity, if you are in good physical condition, it will make some aspects of the training easier. However, participating in the training WILL get you in better shape, and it is not necessary to seek out alternative means to get in shape prior to beginning training.

The honest answer is that it can be. Any combative training always carries the risk of injury, but what makes the biggest difference in keeping these to a minimum is safe training practices employed by a knowledegable, experienced instructor and followed by respectful training partners. Dark Horse has them all.

A common sales tactic used in selling Krav Maga or similar styles is to sell them as simple and easy to learn. This has not been my observation. Most principles of fight training or self-defense involve overriding and retraining instincts many of us have never thought about or had to use. A newly learned technique will vanish under stress, and it takes many repetitions across months or years for them to take hold. In the wrong environment, this process can be a slog, or worse yet, a journey that is never taken. Dark Horse strives to make this process an enjoyable one with its laid back atmosphere and welcoming training partners.