What if I’m not in shape?

We get it – you see how awesome we look in all our photos and videos, and as a mere mortal you’re wondering how you could possibly measure up to such feats of pure athleticism. Thank you, we’re very flattered. In all honesty we don’t really care what shape you’re in! We work with all shapes and sizes, and as long as you are willing to work hard, follow instructions, and won’t quit we’d be thrilled to work with you! If there’s a medical issue or a physical limitation we need to be aware of, feel free to ask our coaches for their recommendations and we’ll be happy to modify things for you. The process of self-improvement is hard, but getting good coaching doesn’t have to be.

How are your instructors trained? What sets your programs apart?

All of our coaches and instructors have several years’ experience before they eve begin instructor training, and the process of becoming instructor is a lengthy, difficult process that requires many hours of mock teaching, physical training, and lecture. Krav Maga instructors are all independently certified by the Krav Maga Alliance, one of the largest and fastest-growing affiliate networks for Krav Maga gyms worldwide. Even though we are a regional training center for KMA and our Chief Instructor Daniel Hines is an instructor trainer our instructors are still certified by other members of the KMA Training Team to maintain objectivity.

I’m really interested in learning combat sports but I don’t know if I want to compete.

No problem! While you’ll be training with our competitors; learning from them and growing with them, you won’t be required at all to compete. Strongly encouraged, maybe, but not required. There’s also a slight misconception about rank advancement in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, for example, where it’s assumed that competition is required to gain rank. While some programs may require this, we do not. However, training for competition does push you mentally, technically, and physically; and most of the time it accelerates your growth as a practitioner. You won’t be required to compete, but it’s still definitely something to consider!

Do you offer private training? Can I do a special class for my friends/coworkers/book club/cult?

Of course. If you tell us a little about your group and what you hope to get out of the training we’re happy to accommodate you in most cases. However, we are usually limited by when we have mat space available so most of these classes happen during our “off” hours. Private lessons are also negotiated directly with our instructors, not with the gym. Please visit the “private lessons” page of our website to see more details.

Another note: if you’re thinking you need to get some extra training to get ready for group classes, you probably don’t. Our beginner classes are… well, for beginners! All of our instructors and more experienced students are happy to work with beginners, so don’t be shy about coming in to try the group lessons!

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I was at a gym where nobody really knew me and I got basically no coaching. Are you like that?

So there are a variety of coaching styles, and while some gyms have been very successful at building fighters while essentially neglecting their students; that’s not us. The theory is that as a student you’re supposed to “earn” attention from the coaches: do a fight, come to class for a few years, etc. and maybe you’ll get an “atta boy” from time to time. Again: that’s not us. We recognize that you’re spending your valuable time and your hard-earned money at our gym and we want to help you learn. We actually like coaching! Also, helping you improve makes our jobs more interesting and gives us better training partners in the long run. It’s win-win.

Do you spar? How often?

Yes. We have multiple sparring classes each week at both our facilities. We also spar regularly in our Krav Maga classes as well, and sparring is limited to students who have demonstrated enough proficiency with techniques and the right amount of control. We have at least 6-7 sparring sessions per week for Krav and Muay Thai, plus all the sparring we do in BJJ. We also have the kids spar, but no, you can't spar the kids to buff up your fight record.

“Isn’t that a beating?” I hear you ask. Well, yes and no. Of course there’s always some risk of injury in sparring and it’s physically demanding, but our philosophy with sparring is that if you keep it technically-oriented most of the time you have people training good habits more often, and you can do it with less risk of injury. Repeated head trauma (i.e. “hard” sparring) isn’t good for most people and, contrary to some “experts” out there you really can’t condition yourself to take a hit better that way. Ultimately, more exposure to sparring and more drilling, not hard contact, is what makes better fighters. Plus it’s more fun. Long story short, unless we have people getting ready for fights or unless it’s in a belt test we probably aren’t sparring as hard as you might think.

Do you have any discounts available?

Yes, we offer a rate discount for active police, military, and firefighters. Please show your ID or department credentials on sign-up. Sorry, while we do have a large veteran community we do not offer discounts for military veterans. We also do not offer student or senior citizen discounts.

How does family pricing work?

We realize training for a whole family can get expensive really quickly regardless of whatever activity you're trying to do together, so we try to make it as easy as possible. Basically, the first person in a family pays the normal price listed on the website, and each additional family member pays roughly half off. To be eligible to recieve this discount each family member must be either a spouse or child of the family member living in the same household and paid by the primary member.

How flexible are your memberships?

Very! If you let us know in advance we can put your memberhsip on hold anywhere from 2 weeks to 4 months at a time. You won't be billed while you're on hold, and any unused membership will be available again after the hold expires. We also have contract and non-contract options so you don't have to sign a long-term contract if you don't want to. Basically, we want to hassle you about memberhsips as little as possible and generally do things that make everyone's lives easier. Need to push back your payment date a few days? No problem. Want to switch your memberhsip? Easy. Basically, anything you need - just email us and we'll figure it out!

Will I need to get my own gear?

Yes, just like every other sport you'll need to purchase some gear, and the specific gear you'll need depends on the classes you plan to attend: Krav Maga: boxing gloves, shin pads, mouthpiece, and groin protection Muay Thai: boxing gloves, shin pads, mouthpiece, and groin protection Boxing: boxing gloves, mouthpiece, and groin protection BJJ: gi with team patches No-gi BJJ: team rashguard and board shorts (or similar shorts with strong waistband and no pockets) Heavy bag class: boxing gloves Yoga: yoga mat We do have "loaner" gear available, but we reserve those pieces for new people and in case someone just forgets their gear. You really need to get your own stuff.

How do you keep the place clean?

Cleanliness should be one of the top priorities with any gym - it's a matter of pride but also health safety. We have always had simple but effective guidelines and procedures to keep the gym and all our equipment clean. We use commercial-grade cleaners on all equipment and the mats after each use, and each student is asked to clean the items they've used. We launder cleaning rags and sweat towels with commercial-grade detergents and bleach to make sure they're always clean, and we always make sure to have enough available. We also regularly deep-clean our mats with an industrial chemical treatment/mechanical scrubbing process. In short, we hate germs. We are well aware of the stereotype against many gyms (combat sports gyms in particular) about cleanliness and we do everything we can to exceed expectations.

I'm a very small person. Is this right for me?

Training fight skills with someone twice your size is definitely a legitimate concern, and it's one we keep in mind in every class. All of our instructors are trained to pair students according to size and experience level as much as it's appropriate, and student safety is always our #1 concern. Our goal as coaches is to help make you as effective a fighter as we can no matter what your size is, and often our smaller students are surprised by just how strong they can actually be.

I have a 7th degree black belt in the ancient way of the watermelon. I can join your advanced class, right?

That's very impressive, and we actually have a great deal of respect for most traditional martial arts. We, however, are not a traditional martial art. In the words of Bruce Lee: "Empty your cup so that it may be filled; become devoid to gain totality" Sometimes people with training in other disciplines do really well and pick things up really quickly, allowing them to advance quickly. Sometimes it takes longer because we have to train bad habits. Quite frankly, there is a lot of bad training out there. The easiest thing to do is to start with a blank slate and not make any assumptions. Personally, I enjoyed being a white belt the most.