Krav Maga Self Defense & Fitness

These guys are great! I was in town visiting and i just started training again after a 2 year hiatus, so i didnt want to miss class just b/​c i was gone for the weekend. I stopped in to see if they would allow me to come in as a visitor from another facility for a day, not only did they welcome me for the day but the entire weekend. The classes were great and challenging. Ive visited a number of KMW facilities in the country and, not to speak poorly of any of them, but kmw Milwaukie is certainly one of the nicest ones I’ve been to, and the instructor, Jazzy, is a top notch instructor who is not only challenging but also a great teacher. I would highly recommend this facility.

This place is great if you already know what you’re doing… If you’re a complete newbie like me? Well good luck. Even in the level 1 class they didn’t take the time to actually teach anything. They just say what you should do and you’re expected to do that without any other instruction. I enjoyed the fitness classes though, meaning I sweat buckets and burn a lot of calories!

I’ve been a member for a little over a year and I can’t get enough!
Seriously, as much as I love fitness, I’ve had a pattern of getting bored with whatever my ‘sport’ of the moment was and I’d move on. I jumped from gymnastics, to karate, to dance (ballroom), to dance (hip-​hop), to more dance (jazz), to yoga, to Jiu Jitsu. When I found Krav Maga, it’s as if the search was over. A 2 hour class feels like a 5 minute class because I’m having so much fun.
Class schedule offers a good mix of heavy bag/​kickboxing and fitness classes, along with Krav Maga technique, which guides you based on a curriculum associated with the Krav Maga belt system. I love to take a good mix of all available classes to keep up my endurance while feeling like I’m making progress in the Krav Maga skill set.
The instructors are knowledgeable, engaging, and most importantly, supportive. I definitely feel like I’m a part of a community which helps my continued commitment. I train 3 – 4 times a week, 2+ hours at a time, and it’s worth every penny.
First class is free and I’d really invite you to at least check it out!

I have been training here for over 3 years. Great place to get a work out with very well trained instructors who are easy to learn from. They make classes energetic and fun. I have seen people start who couldn’t throw a punch and now are no one to be messed with. You will learn how to defend yourself in real life situations, get in better shape, have fun and yes probably get hit in the groin but that’s what the cup is for!

I absolutely recommend this Krav Maga gym. I learned a lot in the six weeks I was a part of it. The instructors are friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. It was affordable and they give you gear when you sign up for membership… gloves, mouth-​guard, pants, and t-​shirt.
So bummed that they closed the Beaverton location! I would love to join up again if they ever open a shop on the west side again.
If you can get to the SE location it is well worth it!

I took a women’s self-​defense class there this past weekend– it was a martial arts basics class with a bit of verbal defense at the beginning.
What was cool about this class is they had padded attackers that you could go full boar on without hurting them. The women who taught the class were strong and competent and did a great job, though some of the coaches that lead the break out groups could have had more training on how to teach specifics.
The down side was that they advertised «No Experience Needed» and didn’t explain that the attendees may come out of the class bruised and sore.
I have been in several women’s self-​defense classes, and I came away from this one more bruised than in any other (bruises from the practice attackers’ grabs, etc.- one woman hurt her wrist from using uncorrected bad form and another hyper-​extended her knee in the class).
Still I think Krav Maga is a good self-​defense art and would recommend it to anyone looking for practical self-​defense, and can handle being roughed up in the classes.

Mark really has a welcoming and warm environment here. Furthermore, everyone is nice, very talented, helpful, and really whips you into shape quick.
They also have some of the most competent and friendly instructors that anyone can ask for. They love spending time with a person individually if someone has any questions about real-​world practicality. Overall these guys are great and I look forward to every class I have with them.

«Then you should expect him to really kick you in the balls.» said the instructor.
That was the last class I went to. We were practicing choke defenses (part of which was a groin kick) and playing the aggressor I started with a light grip and warned my partner each time I started holding on tighter. Seems reasonable, no? It had been since I started here in 2008. In six years I’d been accidentally struck, battered and bruise through pads and once took a really painful eye rake because it’s really hard to keep your head out of the way when being the triangle choker.
But I was apparently not sufficiently hardcore for Mr Macho Jail Guard dude in charge. I’d just warned my partner I was going to «really hold on this time». Hold on meaning TO HIS NECK. And quoted above was the expert instruction my training partner and I received. Way to go, bra! Nut taps are what men do!
Sadly this kind of hardcore, killbot macho stuff is par for the course at this studio these days. I had to take a year or so off because I couldn’t afford the membership fees and when I came back there were four or five new instructors who sounded like the old biddies from Mad Men. Muggers are out to kill you, stab wounds are invariably lethal without level one trauma facilities, Peggy, you’re going to get raped if you move to Manhattan. Holy shit, did Portland turn into Deathwish suddenly?
Sadly, Krav Maga is about your best bet if you’re serious about learning to seriously defend yourself. So if you’re serious about it, I have to recommend it. But this one seriously needs to work on its instructor training.

I didn’t know much about Krav Maga before I came here, but I had a free trial pass for a month (from liking the studio on Facebook), so I decided to give it a shot. The trial month got me hooked, and I’ve been training at the Beaverton location since last November. The instructors and classes are great. The training is very practical and highly effective for self-​defense situations – no katas, no gis, no nonsense. Every instructor has been more than willing to work with me after class when I have a question about a specific counter or technique. It’s obvious that every instructor here is passionate about Krav Maga and loves their job. I would recommend Krav (as a self-​defense system) to anyone looking to develop/​improve their fighting skills, and I would specifically recommend Krav Maga Self Defense & Fitness to anyone looking to study Krav.
For anyone who is curious, there are three main types of classes at the studio (Beaverton location). The first is «Krav Maga,» which is a skill/​technique/​self-​defense style class, with different level classes depending on the student’s progression through the techniques. In Krav Maga, you learn various striking techniques, defenses against various striking techniques, counters to chokes/​headlocks, defense against bats/​knives, etc. The second is «Fitness Kickboxing.» I was afraid Fitness Kickboxing would be a jazzercise-​style workout. Thankfully, I was wrong. Fitness kickboxing involves doing a multitude of combos on a muay thai bag (and, depending on the instructor, some bootcamp-​style work as well). This class is not only great for improving your combos, it’s physically grueling (which is a good thing). The third is «Bas Rutten Fight Club,» where you get to work on your sparring with other students.
Krav Maga Self Defense & Fitness gives out free passes and trial lessons, so if you’re interested, you should check it out.

Self defense is a basic, necessary life skill. Krav Maga is unique in that it defines self defense in basic movements that work in real life scenarios simultaneously giving the body one heck of a workout. Just one class and you will be hooked. I never feel like I’m working out when I’m practicing and the amazing results affect not only the physical body but mentally it gets you prepared for those unfortunate scenarios. If you have a stressful job, you get to release the work day in a healthy way. Krav Maga changed my life and I will practice it for the rest of my life. Mark is the owner of Portland Krav Maga and he is the most amazing instructor. Renee is a fire ball of energy and she makes you work. She reminds you of why you are training so hard but always encouraging with plenty of smiles. Lynn is a really great instructor as well but be prepared to work you butt off, which is a good thing.