Full disclosure: I was invited to attend a training session at Krav Maga Oregon: Salem by a…read morefriend, who is a Krav Maga instructor and was teaching a class at this location. I am quite sure my experience could be coloured by the fact that I am fond of her as a person, so I will do my best to be objective based on environment, what is offered, and surroundings.
Also, I work in the public safety field, so I have been through numerous self-defense courses and various organized physical activities.
This facility is small, essentially one medium-sized room with some roll-up doors that lead to the alley outside. The floor is the typical soft mat that runs from wall to wall. It is very stark, very basic, and there's not a lot of clutter. There are a number of round weights to attach to bars, but they are not very heavy...I believe they only went up to 7 pounds. The reason for that is the Krav Maga system utilizes repetition and motion, rather then bulk weight.
The class I attended was more of a cardio/physical conditioning class than a combat tactics class. The acoustics made it slightly difficult to hear the instructor, because of the high ceiling and the open doors, but the sound system for the music was top notch and kept things pumping.
The class lasted a little over an hour and was very physically intensive. There was a brief warm-up phase that involved the usual calisthenics, followed by almost a solid hour of low weight exercises in a variety of positions, i.e. standing, sitting, and lying down. You can go at your own pace and with your own weight, but she was quick to make suggestions on when to raise or lower your weight limit, to try and achieve better results.
The class was relatively small, with only about eight people, and was very jovial and boisterous. There was a lot of bantering back and forth between the students and instructor, and joking, which kept the energy level high.
I noticed they had water and energy drinks for sale, but the price seemed a little high. The classes themselves appear to have an enrollment fee of about 80 bucks, with a monthly fee of 125, going down about fifteen bucks when you sign up for three, six, or twelve months. There also appears to be a discount if you pre-pay for a block of time in advance.
I was also told they offer "punch cards," where you essentially pay $120 for ten visits, which obviously works out to 12 bucks a visit.
Honestly, that's about average for self-defense or martial arts classes in the Salem Area that I've seen, although a little high as most of those offer some sort of personal, one-on-one training. This is also not a training facility useful for small children or adolescents. It's my understanding that during the combat training, it can be quite painful and very direct. The purpose of this Krav Maga studio is self-defense and is very strongly directed towards military, police, corrections, and other public safety officers, although useful to everyone. It is not a "get fit and have fun" kind of discipline, although that happens. It's really aimed at practical usage, so be aware that that is the mentality and the environment to expect while there.
Overall, I'd recommend it if you were serious about learning a proven fighting style, don't want to prance about in a fancy robe, don't care about getting a bunch of coloured belts, or don't want to pretend that a six year old kid with a higher belt level then you is hurting you when he kicks you in the leg.
Hai-ya!
