I'm pretty sure I didn't mention Krav Maga was a martial art. If I did, it was not intentional. IT is a combat system. Plain and simple. It teaches you the most effective ways to take down an opponent and doesn't delude itself in purifying your spirit or what have you. It just teaches you how to harm someone really, really bad. And in that, in my personal experience, it has no peer. Of course it's taught in your local fitness center. I'm not saying it doesn't have it's fair share of "bad" practitioners or even exaggarated promises. Today, it's really popular because it markets itself as being "good for everyone."
Yeah, that's a load of crap. Don't get me wrong, it can be learned by everyone, but I tell you right now that a hundred pound woman with Krav Maga knowledge will get demolished by a 200 pound man. I have seen and trained with such practitioners and it simply can not be overdone with techniques you learn there. It still gives you a good chance, and honestly, when your safety is threatened, I'll take that over anything else. Will you be able to take the gun of someone that assaults you? Probably not, but there is a chance you will, in my opinion, a better chance than in any other form of combat(except like I mentioned before, running away if you can) and I don't really need more then that.
Sambo is awesome, don't get me wrong. I've seen what Fedor could do to a person in his competitions and it's(I think) the form of combat the russian police learns, and they are pretty effective. But like I said, there is no "bad" martial art, or combat style. In my opinion, at least of all of those I trained in, it's just the most effective one in an unknown surrounding where you can't count on the variables or defend yourself in an environment that will give you and your attacker equal ground.