Very nice talented teacher. Students seem to have a lot of fun…read more For me I just don't like the fact that the lesson are rarely in sequential order One lesson you could be working on forms 1-2 or 1-4 and the very next you could be on 4-8. Not enough time to digest. Or you could show up and find the last couple forms being taught when you have not been shown or learned the beginning forms . You cannot wear sneakers either which I do not understand as the floor is a rubber mat and there is not contact. I think more elderly would like to come

John Keefe is an outstanding teacher and knowledgeable in many martial arts. It is clear he is in…read moreit for the love of martial arts and his students are his priority. I have studied multiple styles with many different teachers and John is exceptional. Whether you are interested in adult or children's classes, I highly recommend him. He relates well to everyone and customizes his classes to the individual needs of his students.

Defensive Edge is an amazing gym where our family of four enjoys a variety of classes, sometimes…read morewe get to train together. The staff genuinely cares about everyone's success. I've participated in the women's self-defense class, Fight Fit, women's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and traditional Gi Jiu-Jitsu, and I love them all! The gym offers something for everyone and has truly become our second home. It's helping teach my children discipline and humility while they have fun, learn self-defense, and stay active. We highly recommend it for individuals of all ages!

My son started at Defensive Edge a year ago. He loves the instructors. They show the kids each…read moremove a couple times, then have the kids practice. Each time giving them praise and feedback. Thanks for all you do!

Friendly, fun, and safe. Those are three words I would use to describe BBJJ Woburn…read more I've been attending for a few months now and from the beginning, everyone has been welcoming and very helpful to me. So if you're new to martial arts like I was, you shouldn't be intimidated because the students and instructors bend over backwards to help you learn the gentle art!

We came to Boston from AZ for a Noboundry Muay Thai event. The guys at Boston Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu…read moreopened up their gym to us and really made us feel at home. Next time we are in the Boston area we will definitely be back

If you want to train & learn from the best go to Wakefield. Sensei Jimmy Pedro is not only one of…read morethe greatest judokas to ever compete but he is also one of the greatest coaches, it is rare to find someone who is an elite athlete and coach.

Awesome judo school. The Sensei are knowledgeable and engaging. My daughter learns about self…read moredefense, gets a good workout, and is much more focused afterwards. Highly recommend Also, I didn't realize this when I signed my daughter up, but this judo school is headed by Jimmy Pedro, an Olympian (I think that's the right term to describe athletes that represent us in the Olympics), and this judo school also produces Olympians.

Sensei Kevin is extremely patient and works well with the kids. This has definitely been a great…read moreexperience and my son just loves going to karate!

Sensei Kevin is incredibly talented and lovely to work with...he has gotten my 6-year old daughter…read moreexcited to learn the art of karate...he teaches in a way that focuses on inner as well as outer strength; he is engaging and nurturing (not to mention incredibly talented at karate...mesmerizing to watch); helping kids reach goals and feel accomplished. I feel very lucky to have found Karate Pro Dojo!!!

My daughter is 4 and is in the junior warrior class for about 10 months. Sheehan Marco is really…read moregreat teacher and amazingly patient. The kids start learning Karate that is appropriate for their age group. He really teaches good listening, patience, and other skills that are great for the kids.We are looking forward to her development in the coming years.

This was the best party ever. My 6 year old and friends had a great time, were fully engaged in all…read morethe games and activities. The decorations, attention to detail and excellent customer service. I had no idea what to expect and was completely blown away by Shihan Marco and his team. Thank you for such an incredible day!! I'd give more than five stars if I could.

Studied here for awhile but left disappointed…read more The school is supposedly all about "street practical self defense" but they do not compete in MMA or grappling tournaments such as NAGA. Ed is dedicated and knows his jujitsu but he has no actual fighting experience or military or law enforcement experience. In addition, the majority of the techniques are too complicated to do under the stress of real violence. If you want to learn how to defend yourself, you'll be much better served going to a boxing, BJJ, or MMA gym.

First time I walked in and saw a class I was hooked! This…read moreSchool isn't well known, but to those who do know it, it's the best Jujitsu School around. Owners from other Schools go here to learn and test. Owner Ed Melaugh trained with Prof. Wally Jay - the founder of Small Circle. Brazilian Jujitsu may be more well known because of the Gracie family and UFC, but this style is more more practicle for self defense. That must be why there are a lot of FBI agents, Police officers, etc at this School. Not to mention, unlike other martial arts schools - there are no egos here!

Outstanding program for young kids my grandaughter Ariella loves it she is 7 and just earnt her…read morepurple belt .The trainers are professional patient and caring ,fantastic all round highly recommend it.

I visited almost a dozen martial arts schools before committing to North Shore Martial Arts. Having…read moredone martial arts for most of my life, I was pretty picky about the school I was going to start at after moving to the area. NSMA is, without a doubt, the finest institution for martial arts study in the greater area. The quality of instruction is not only very high, but also varied. The different instructors add depth and breadth into the curriculum and the students themselves add to the wonderful martial arts community. Come for the instruction, stay for the people.

I can't recommend the Women's Self Defense classes enough! I have taken two now and plan to…read morecontinue with the series. There is so much to learn and you can never be too prepared. The instructors are great and provide hands on experience and real-life scenarios. SIGN UP FOR THE PEPPER SPRAY CLASS. You will be surprised by how much you don't know about using your pepper spray. The studio is a bit difficult to find and feels a little sketchy. I thought I would need to take a self defense class just to make my way into the studio. You're in the right place if you're in a dirt lot under the bridge around nothing else. Once inside, you can take these creepy industrial stairs up to the top floor or there is a massive elevator.

I have been training under Gershon ben Keren at Krav Maga Yashir since February 2012. In my opinion…read morethere are four reasons why Krav Maga Yashir Boston should receive serious consideration from anyone in the Boston area seeking to learn self-defense, learn a martial art, or simply vastly improve their physical fitness. Number 1 = Quality of instruction. This is the sine qua non of any martial arts school. Mr. ben Keren and his assistant instructors are professional, competent, and dedicated. Techniques are expertly demonstrated, remediated, and reinforced in a variety of partner-based and group-based drills. Students are always shown the "context" of a technique: what happens leading up to it, the purpose of each movement, and what happens afterwards. My belief is that when new students are able to perform a technique effectively on their first try, it actually reflects far more credit on the teacher than the learner. I see this happen all the time on the mats, and it speaks volumes for the knowledge and competency of the instructors. Number 2 = Krav Maga Yashir teaches the entire spectrum of violence, an area where other martial arts have major limitations. A striking art (boxing, muay thai, karate) may teach you to fight an imaginary assailant. A grappling art such as BJJ may teach you to escape from said assailant on the ground. Neither addresses the more important questions grounded in reality, such as: How did you get there? What if a knife or gun is involved? What if I accidentally trip and fall? Get taken by surprise? Get backed against a wall? Have a significant other I need to protect? Krav Maga Yashir teaches simple, direct, pragmatic solutions to all of the above, and more. Nobody needs to be Donnie Yen or Ronda Rousey to effectively defend themselves, and this school gives you the tools to do that. Number 3 = Value for your $$. Monthly membership rate is comparable to market rate for other area martial arts schools, and much lower than Crossfit gyms and other functional-fitness type places. The membership also gives free access to 5x-weekly cardio bootcamp classes, special outdoor training, and use of the gym at the studio. New workout equipment is constantly added and incorporated into the bootcamps, which themselves are a hell of a workout. Members also get first access to guest seminars with top outside Krav Maga instructors. Number 4 = Great social atmosphere. I'm always impressed by the respect, humility, and maturity of other students. It's very rare to have anyone beating on others in an attempt to be the tough guy, and such behavior is *never* tolerated. Students are all ages from 20s to 60s, all body types and fitness levels. Since all of class is partner or group based, you quickly pick up names and personalities of fellow students. Sometimes when you're on the brink of absolute physical exhaustion, you just can't help but look at each other and laugh at the insanity of it all. That's the kind of esprit that can't be faked, and a major reason I spend 10 hrs a week here without hesitation. Overall, Krav Maga Yashir gets my highest possible recommendation. I am constantly being that annoying guy urging my female friends to try it, and it's what I look forward to every day at work (when I'm not wasting time on Yelp reviews that will end up getting filtered anyway). You can try classes free for a week through the school website as well.

LA Fitness gym in Stoneham is a pretty decent gym with Pros and Cons…read more I recommend LA Fitness gym for the facility. For the benefits... the gym is big and spacious, has nice amenities (sauna, pool, and hot tub), and recently got a big remodeling makeover. The facility looks much nicer. For the downsides... the gym is not a very friendly and sociable place; and not a place to make new friends. And the staff at the gym is usually friendly when you're signing up but after you're a member they ignore you. Stoneham might be a geographical location of unfriendly people. Before I joined LA Fitness gym, I went to BSC gym in Woburn for a good 7 years before the location closed down shortly after the pandemic. Boston Sports Club gym was awesome! A staff member would always say Hello when you walk in the gym when you scan your card. I used to say hi to dozens of people at the gym and chat briefly occasionally. Lots of staff, trainers, members and me were connected on social media Instagram and would view and click like each other's posts and stories. BSC gym was the best gym I've been to! LA Fitness gym has a very different atmosphere of people. Normally when you walk in during the evening hours after 6pm to scan your card, they ignore you. One staff member walks to the other side of the desk and turns around so he won't see you, another staff member usually walks over to the customer service area when people walk in, and another staff member sits at the computer occupied on his cell phone. The only person that says hello to members that walk in is the Operations Manager Nicolas if he's not overly busy, is the only friendly person there, and leaves at 6pm. When I used to go in after 6pm, I didn't get a hello for at least 3-4 or 6 months and ignored daily by the front desk staff. Nowadays, I basically try to get in before 6pm while Nicolas is still there and it's a pleasant atmosphere; and before the antisocial staff comes in to cover the check-in area for the night. Also, one day on the gym floor last year I said Hi to a staff member (Asst GM) and he walked right passed me and just ignored me. Maybe he was having a bad day, I'm not sure. Also, a lot of LA Fitness staff are afraid to be connected to one another on social media Instagram. Most of them have 1,000+ Instagram followers, probably 100's of people they don't even know. But when a member sends a friend request to be connected and get to know one another, they get nervous with adding you. It's also not a friendly place with members. There are only a few people I say hi and chat briefly with and a majority of them are former BSC members that started going here too. Most members try not to make eye contact when you walk by them and some are occupied on their cell phones. One day when I was working on chest workout for the day, the first machine I always use is the incline bench press machine and there's only 2 of them. Both of them were occupied by members and both of them were using their cell phones while I was waiting behind them. I looked up at the clock and they were using their phone for a whole 5 minutes then finished their last set and left. I leave my cell phone in the locker when I workout so I'm not distracted and not delaying other member's workouts. Also, when another member left the bench press machine, he left his cell phone there. I used the bench press after him and thought he might come back to grab his phone but he didn't. I brought it over to him when I finished working out and asked if it was his. He grabbed the phone and threw it in his bag and said it was his. Very rude and not even a thank you. I should have just left his phone on the floor and he could pick it up from lost and found if someone turns it in. I've been trying to ask around people I know to join the gym as referrals so I have more familiar people there to say hi to. Unfortunately, most people are happy with their own gyms or it's too far for them. Aside from being a very unfriendly location, it's a very nice facility. I recommend LA Fitness gym for the facility.

-1 LA Fitness Stoneham underwent a remodel. They removed…read moreequipment that was well-liked and restricted a significant portion of the space and equipment from use, effectively eliminating it unless you opt for personal training sessions, as this area is exclusively for them! The spa remains out of service since they reopened after a two-week shutdown for the "remodel." Consequently, from September until now, we've been unable to use the hot tub during one of the coldest starts to New England's long winters! When I inquired about updates from any of the managers, including the Operational Manager, I received a response of "No Update" and a dismissive attitude, as if I didn't care at all!