Guardian Self Protection and Fitness

I had a great experience learning from Fred and fellow students in the grappling program. The class sizes are small, which allows Fred to give individual attention on students’ sticking points. This helps you get good, fast. The classes are typically broken down into stand up/​throw drilling, ground drilling, and sparring toward the end of class. I went from having zero Judo/​BJJ/​wrestling experience to picking up some effective tools to handle myself both on my feet and on the ground. I highly recommend this program.

I’ve been dabbling in combat sports for a few years and one of the things that deters me from certain gyms is a culture that inculcates the «alpha male» mentality. This is a gym that doesn’t adopt that code. People off the street to cage fighters train at this gym and everyone is pretty open with each other.
I’m part of the BJJ program here and I’ll admit that I haven’t been practicing BJJ for long enough to validate whether the instruction I receive is the best but I can attest to the instructor’s (Fred) knowledge base and his ability to push his students to expand how they play their submission game. All I know is that I’m a much better grappler with Fred’s help.
I haven’t taken any of the striking classes here yet but it’s good to know that they’re provided. The building doesn’t have it’s own dedicated parking area so you’ll need to find some street side parking but aside from that this gym’s a winner. Come on by if you’re looking to forcibly improve yourself. You’ll find people here willing to take you there.

As a recent Seattle transplant, I’ve really enjoyed training at Guardian. 5 nights a week they offer a submission grappling class, which is a blend of no gi Jiu Jitsu, wrestling, and is also applicable to MMA. The instructor Fred does a great job of giving personal attention and the class is welcoming to beginners as well as experienced practitioners. The owner allowed me to take a couple free classes which really gave me a chance to get a feel for the gym, which I appreciated. Also, they offer a number of other classes including crossfit style workouts, krav maga, strength and conditioning, and Kali. If you’re looking for a gym that offers a wide array of training, I would recommend checking this one out.

This is a really great place. Adam is really a wonderfully patient, easy-​going instructor who takes the time to walk each student through skills and technique without being condescending or demeaning. There really is no ego involved in his teaching. The Krav Maga training is progressive: students start out in the Basics course, which utilizes a routine of cardio warm-​ups, technique drills, and sparring to teach basic skills and technique in striking, defense, take-​downs, multiple attacker scenarios, weapon disarming, and all that. It also covers some of the basic basics– like proper fighting stance and proper body mechanics– which are fundamental to good self defense. After completing the basics classes, students move to the intermediate class, Core, which focuses on progressing in ability by honing technique, learning to control movements and power (i.e., how not to flail your body when overloaded with adrenaline), and sparring using full resistance (note: personal protective gear required.) My favorite part about taking classes from Adam is that he is partial to women learning how to defend themselves, and as such he doesn’t fight any lighter with his female students than with his male students. I have never felt like he goes easier on me because I am a female. One of my sparring partners is 6’5″ and 295 pounds– I am 5’7″ and 130. Adam has coached me on how to effectively use technique and cleverness against a much larger/​stronger person, rather than coaching the bigger dudes to go easy on me. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that. The last thing in the world I would want is to THINK I can handle myself in a real world situation, only to find out that I couldn’t because my male training partners had been going easy on me! My three daughters are in Kids Grappling, and they LOVE it. Fred and Adam are teaching them how to defend themselves in a safe and fun environment. There isn’t any sparring in the grappling class for kids, but they are really learning a lot of great skills. And again, Adam’s emphasis on the importance of girls learning to protect themselves is demonstrated in the way he coaches my daughters. The studio also offers Kali (stick fighting!!) Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for the street, Grappling/​Submission Wrestling (which I highly recommend!), and Strike Labs, as well as cross fit style strength/​conditioning/​cardio classes. Whew! That’s a lot of awesome in this little gym in Fremont! Oh, that’s the one caveat: Fremont parking. But even if I had to park out in Ballard and walk to class, this gym would be worth it :)

This is a great school run by a great American. Adam is a very skilled instructor. He is patient and understands adult learning theory. He is very good about demonstrating techniques and then coaching the students with personalized attention. Fellow students are encouraged to help as training partners rather than compete. There is no macho nonsense, either from staff or students. This is the place to come if you are serious about learning to protect yourself and your family. On the other hand, if you are looking for a cross-​cultural experience complete with uniforms and ritual, this is not your place.