instructor profile

DJ STEPHENS

DJ Stephens is the first Afro-American Krav Maga Worldwide Black Belt Instructor in the state of Maryland. He was awarded The Krav Maga Worldwide Instructor of Year for 2023. He has also been involved in self-defense and fitness training for over 20 years, including Tae Kwon Do, boxing, Jiu Jitsu and other combat sports. Since he loved to teach even as a teenager, he made his grandfather's garage into a gym and trained several of the kids in the neighborhood. Teaching has always been his passion. Everything he has ever learned he has gone on to teach it back to others. He’s trained boxers, body builders, MMA fighters and more. He is the founder and owner of CDK Self Defense Systems LLC, a training system that teaches, motivates and empowers its students to be confident and strong,  to push forward during times of stress and fight through till the end. These are much needed survival techniques for self-defense and also everyday life.

His first experience with Martial Arts was the Jhon Rhee Self Defense Institute until he decided to train privately with several local black belts. When he was old enough he went on to fight as an amateur boxer for Fenley’s Boxing Gym in Northeast, DC where his father Mr. David McCrea was a well-known boxing coach. Soon his father sent him to train under HAM AC where he fought in The DC Golden Glove Tournament. DJ is a firm believer that in order to truly perfect your skills you must test them and continue to train to get better.

In the late 90s he trained for several years in Hapikido and then went on to receive his black belt in Tae Kwon Do under Master Gerald Dawson. With a desire to train more adults he found Krav Maga, an Israeli self-defense system. He trained every day for several hours and within just a few years he became an expert level practitioner and the head instructor at The Krav Maga Institute in Washington, DC.

DJ recently had the honor of traveling to Israel to train with former IDF Commanders and instructors including Ran Nakash from the Discovery Channels Martial Arts Series FIGHT SCIENCE and is also currently studying Jujitsu.

He is also the author of the book series Self Defense: Why even bother? How, why and what to learn to protect yourself.