I really enjoyed Joanne's 6-week self defense class for women and highly recommend it! I…read moreappreciated that it was more than just the physical moves, but also how to verbally set boundaries (like saying no without apologizing!), and red flags to look for. Some of the info was a refresher, some brand new. I also appreciated that alternative moves were suggested, like for folks with bad knees, or the guidance for a woman using a cane. Everyone can benefit from this class! To answer the questions most people asked me: The class is kept to a small size, about 12 people. It's only for women, trans, and non-binary; no men. Folks in the class ranged from teen to 60s--I loved seeing mothers and daughters taking the class together. About half of the physical practice involved a punching bag dummy, and the other half involved hands-on practice with classmates, which was necessary, helpful, but also a bit awkward at times. But, I got over it, and got a lot out of it.

I just finished the 6-week self-defense class with Joanne Factor, and it was the best $200 I spent…read morethis year. No, wait, it's the best $200 I've spent in my entire life. You think I'm kidding? Think I'm being facetious? Nope. And nope. I'm being stone cold serious. This class taught me SO many mental, verbal, and physical skills to keep myself safe. I feel like a stronger, more confident, more savvy, and way more aware person after taking this class. All of that is worth way more than $200. IT'S PRICELESS. I loved practicing all the techniques in our class of six awesome women. I learned so much from Joanne; she's patient, understanding, strong as a tank, and funny too. If you're thinking about learning self defense, go to the Strategic Living site and read about the 6-week class. It's remarkable what you can learn in six weeks. This class is much better than just taking a 1-day class (though that's still worth doing that if that's all you can do). But if you can make more time in your life, please do. You can more readily absorb the self-defense principals and techniques in a 6-week class. I'm going to recommend this class to every girl and woman I know. If you're reading this review and live in or near Seattle, I hope you'll take it. You won't regret it!

Zach helped me realize that my instincts are not going to be useful in a dangerous situation, and…read morethis type of training is critical to prepare me. He is a great teacher with experience to back it up. I appreciate his sensitivity to the content and trauma-informed approach. I walked away with multiple defensive tools to utilize in different situations and feel relieved and safer with this knowledge.

Zach was an amazing teacher! My daughters both took the class with me, age 16 and 8. They learned a…read morelot, and as a mom, I feel better knowing they have some knowledge of self defense. It was a bonding experience for us and a good way to approach a difficult subject on how they can stay safe and aware. Zach was kind and relatable, making us feel instantly at ease. He did the perfect teaching technique where we listen to what he has to say first, then he shows us an example, and then we try it ourselves. We practiced a good amount of time on each move so that we could absorb it. He infused a little humor into the class and kept it interesting. We felt very powerful and prepared by the end of it, which was truly a relief and an accomplishment. I highly recommend this experience! My daughters and I still talk about it and practice what we learned. - Renda Palo

Great introductory course for those that want to be more aware and practice hands on skills. Two…read morehours was the perfect amount of time for this course. The class started right into some hands on stuff...bring a water bottle it can be a workout! The practice sessions really made me more aware of the areas I need to improve in. I'm ready for level 2!

I have been attending NOVA Self Defense regularly for the past three months. Saturday mornings are…read morenow one of my favorite parts of my week! Evan and the assistant instructors are very good about giving constructive, targeted feedback. I feel that I have learned a lot of new things and had plenty of opportunity to fine-tune the basics, which has helped me build up my strength. In class, we learn to protect ourselves and fight back. When we learn new techniques, Evan breaks down the psychological aspects before moving into the how-to, enabling a full understanding of the why you are learning this. The real-life scenarios continue to be a helpful, and above all, safe way for me to try out what I've learned. Some of the other reviews have mentioned the work out at the end of class. This is no joke. The workout is the best! We do circuit training with some combative stuff thrown in, like palm strikes, elbows, and knife-dodging. Evan encourages you and will even work out with you. I'm not even a fitness freak (ugghhh I hate the gym), but this workout rocks. For those who are feeling iffy about the class and the amount of combat that takes place, please be assured that Evan always encourages you to find a way out of a physical altercation. This is an attitude that I have always appreciated because at the end of the day, I'm a lover, not a fighter. This class is just teaching you what you can do if you are left with no choice or caught off guard.

I've been training Krav Maga for a few years and was looking for a KMW gym as soon as I moved from…read moreOR to WA. I was welcomed by all the coaches and students to jump right into training. While the gym is small, it's clean and has all the equipment needed for training (kick shields, tomb stones, training knives and guns). The gym also has a kickboxing program led by a group of amazing instructors so you can get a good sweat session. Most importantly, the KMW training is consistent with what I've seen in other KMW gyms, with knowledgeable instructors, clear training plans (with standard belt testing), and a safe community of students, instructors and owners. During these unprecedented times, I encourage you to check this location out and see what you can do to protect yourself and loved ones.

This training center has been open for around two years and is affiliated with the popular Krav…read moreMaga Center in Renton. The Bellevue training center is open for in-person classes and I attended a free trial class there last night. You can schedule the trial class via text message once you have requested the class online. That was convenient. Coach Christian also took the time to call me and talk me through what to expect, what to wear, what to bring, etc. The training center was sparkling clean and everyone was very welcoming. It was a great workout and in every class you learn or repeat two or three highly applicable self-defense techniques first by yourself and then with a partner. Coach Jesse who leads the Wednesday Level 1 class was very responsive, provided guidance and helped correct wrong techniques. I will be back next week and I hope you come give it a try as well! Great workout for all ages, all shapes and forms with or without martial arts background!

Our daughter started High School this year and is out more often without adults, which isn't ideal…read morebut the reality for her age group. The city isn't exactly safe and with a severe lack of police to protect us, we needed to make sure our daughter can handle herself if she finds herself in an unfortunate situation. It was extremely important to us that she learn how to defend herself so I started searching for self defense coaches and classes. I brought her to a few that taught her how to de-escalate but they didn't teach her how to fight if she needs to, which is more likely than someone jumping you on the streets to have a conversation. The martial arts classes at the chain agencies were ok, but classes were super large and took forever to learn even one defense move if presented with a dangerous situation and they are more geared toward competitions; for us the cost wasn't worth it. I finally found Bill who she (and I with her) has been training with for a few months now. He provides us with real life skills and training for real life situations and survival. He's an expert at what he does and straight forward, which is greatly appreciated. I have the utmost confidence in his training and love to see my daughter's continued improvement and increased confidence every time we have lessons. I can't wait for the day that she is as good at defending herself as his own daughters are. He's simply the best and worth every penny. Highly recommended, 100%.

Ditto to all of the other 5-star ratings. Bill knows MMA/Martial arts end-to-end…read more I love the artistry and complexity of traditional martial arts. But, my 5'2" 120lb daughter with special needs is leaving for her first year of college in September. I needed results - yesterday! After viewing the top 10 self defense trainers on Yelp, the reviews helped my find Bill. I wanted simple, easy to learn, effective tactics to help a very small person defend themselves against a larger attacker (which is most people). My daughter and I signed up for his 2-hour class. He taught us the moves and how to train with each other to make those moves muscle memory. He is professional, knowledgeable, kind and great with patiently instructing those who need a bit of extra help understanding the postures and moves. We had a great time during his lesson :-) I would give 6 stars if possible. Thank you Bill!!!

What a great workout and skills development. Regarding the previous review, I too had to cancel,…read moredue to extenuating circumstances, and they sent me a simple link to fill out for cancellation, which they are happy to do if you communicate up front you have a move coming up, etc.

Everything was explained very thoroughly for their "free trial" I gave them $100 deposit, and they…read moresaid if I kept and needed to cancel, I could get my money back. When I went to cancel, they charged my card AGAIN for 180$. When I contacted them, they said they weren't sure where the $180 came from and returned it but I still haven't gotten the original 100$ back. Or a response. With all the other reviews, I'm starting to think this is a credit card scam just be careful

I was looking for something, ANYTHING, to get my teenager into. We have a rule in our home that…read moreyou must do something active, one activity at a time, but you have to be doing something. Well this all went out the window when the pandemic hit and our then 5th grader was stuck home for essentially three years. Around the two year mark we tried floating ideas by them, they tried to go back to basketball, nope no interest. So when I found Z-Ultimate I was convinced that this would be another hit and miss - but boy was I wrong. First of all going into this place they were SO warm and welcoming. They focused their attention on my child and not me, and made sure they understood what was going on and what the process would be. When my kid told me this was the place they wanted to be, they walked me through the pricing in a very clear and efficient was and scheduled out our personal lessons on the spot. In addition to all the above they are so cognizant of anxiety and great with personal pronouns. I cannot thank Z-Ultimate enough for their dedication to my child.

Perfection reached.....great instructors, great place, Perfect at rescheduling lesson. ABSOLUTE…read moreCINIMA!

We have been attending USMAC for two years as a family. The instructors and atmosphere are always…read morewelcoming and respectful. I really like how they are able to teach our kids, keep them engaged, focused and challenge them. Outside of class USMAC embodies the spirt of community and they participate in numerous events throughout the year. They set a great example for our children and we are always excited to attend class!!

From my son...he loves it. Do wish it was just a little less $$ but have been getting more involved…read moreand really appreciate Master Andrew and team for their commitment to character development.

Took a personal defense class from Raider Tactical because well...Seattle has gone down hill and…read moreit's nice to learn awareness of how to protect yourself. The class I took was a female only class at the Bellevue Gun Club, it was an intense all day thing that left me sored for the next few days as we get on the ground to kick around to mimic real life scenarios. Julia was a great instructor, very informative and helpful with a touch of humor. Tell me about your experience if you've been here or is going to after reading this review:)

Dismissive, arrogant, obtuse, con artist! They are not the professionals they claim to be. Avoid…read morethis business and get solid firearms training from anther company. They took our tuition without any reservation of understanding. Erik and Drake are a class act avoid there Napoleonic traits and character.

One of my favorite gyms in Seattle :)…read more It has got a good amount of equipment (cardio, racks, a turf area, and even a yoga room!), is clean, and has wonderful amenities (showers, locker room, and a sauna!) They also have classes. It doesn't have the corporate, overcrowded, poorly maintained, corporate gym feel (yet). It is also in a central area (SLU) if you are looking to grab brunch or lunch from somewhere nearby. I can see it getting crowded on the weekdays as it's close to so many offices, but I have only been on the weekend where it isn't very crowded.

I signed up for Women'a strong with Aldo and it has been a life changing experience. I had been…read morevery bad at keeping my gym consistency so I signed up for strength camp to have more of a routine around my fitness. In 7 weeks, once a week, I nearly doubled my squat weight -- up to 95 lbs! Aldo has a great energy and has been wonderful at keeping me motivated. I look forward to many more strength camp classes with Aldo! As for the gym as a whole, it has great amenities including showers and a dry sauna. The machines are in good shape and there's a variety of machines available. In addition, there are many great classes offered.