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.

This karate school has been incredible for my son, who's almost six. He started at about age 4.5,…read moreand his focus has grown so much in the time we've been coming here. Sensei Peter always gets the kids focused, smiling, and pushing themselves to be better. Whenever my son seems to have a tough day, or his energy is low, Sensei, Lukas and Morgan get him engaged and trying the best he can. When he's had a good day, he comes out telling me he feels like a Superhero!! My son had a tough day at school a few weeks ago, and Lukas stayed after class with him, which was in theory to help him practice his blocking but really was more about shoring up his confidence and making him feel heard and seen. After seeing my boy feeling low on the drive over, and then seeing him transformed at the end of class, I was overwhelmed with gratitude to this amazing business. Thank you so much, Peter Pippos Karate Center. We are a loyal family for life and appreciate you so much as part of our family's community!

I can't say more positive things about PPKC! Sensei Pippos is engaging, supremely knowledgeable in…read morehis craft and clearly enjoys working with kids. The staff members are always willing to help a child refocus his/her energies to ensure success with the movements. I'm also particularly impressed with Nicole's management of the after-school program as well as the general office management. Love this place.

I am a student at NGMA and I think it's an amazing program!…read moreAll the teachers are very nice as well You break boards, compete, and once you have enough experience you can spar! Overall NGMA is a great place to learn karate! I'm very happy there. Karate builds so much strength so quickly and is a lot of fun.

My family has had an exceptional experience at this karate dojo over the past several years. My…read morechildren are learning important life skills while engaging in their martial arts practice. Shihan sets high standards while providing students with the support they need to feel confident and successful. During the COVID-19 crisis, she has continued offering classes via Zoom. Highly recommend!

I've been a member at MK for a year now and wouldn't think of going somewhere else! Between the…read moreamount of gear and equipment, and the great people, I love this gym. A few things about MK: -MK is certainly a mixed martial arts gym. At first sight most of its members come in for boxing. MK offers kickboxing, Muay Thai, and Jiu Jitsu classes that are legitimate classes taught by instructors who are experienced by either being current fighters or who have previously fought and now teach. These are not those typical cardio classes that you see advertised elsewhere. The classes are not directly aimed towards training someone for a fight. You will learn basic skills and techniques and if you're willing to learn can definitely pick up more advanced techniques which you can apply if you want to actually train for a fight. There are a few instructors and members who may be willing to train you for a fight, just ask around or ask the owner. There are also cardio kickboxing classes and other conditioning classes that are great workouts that are more creative than what you may usually think of. -Sparring: MK is one of the only, if not the only gym around that allows sparring and contact between members. Title boxing, ilovekickboxing, etc will not offer this as it's a liability and members are to adhere to whatever is being taught in class. The only other types of gyms that allow sparring are mma gyms that are geared towards training you to be a fighter. MK's boxing class has designated days for sparring unless the instructor adds sparring onto other days as well. There are no specific kickboxing or Muay Thai sparring days at this time though MK allows any of it members to spar, meaning if you have a partner at the gym who wants to spar, you can use the ring or cage if it's free to spar on your own time. Grappling is done during jiu jitsu or with a partner on the mats, or in the ring or cage. -Equipment: MK has a weight area and typical gym machines to use at your leisure as well kettle balls, ropes, a sled, tires, etc. There are mitts, shields, and body pads to be used in both the classes and on your own time with a partner. There's plenty of heavy bags as well as a variety of other bags (wrecking balls, speed bags, double end bags, etc). All of these are open to members at any time unless there's a class that are utilizing most of that area or equipment (though there's still plenty space and equipment to use). -Facility: this gym is not a chain, but has one owner. Equipment will range from a few years old to some newer stuff. This means that it's members definitely use the equipment. It's a gym, there's sweat, it's going to be hot, and slightly smelly. You're not going to walk into a top notch facility, but you are going to walk into a much larger one that has many options. There are locker rooms with showers too. -Members: there are many regulars who come to MK. Everyone is friendly, willing to help you if you have a question, and willing to workout with you depending on what the planned workout is. I probably say hi to 90% of the people I see in one day when I'm at the gym. A lot of us know each other by name, some of us are friends, and overall it's a positive environment! You can probably hear me laughing across the gym anytime I'm in because we actually enjoy our time at the gym and have fun. The gym is very male heavy, but there are a few women who come in on a routine basis. The guys here though are not meatheads like a lot of other gyms. And if you are a female, like me, will not make you feel uncomfortable. And if for whatever reason there is that person who makes you uncomfortable, just let an instructor or owner know. They'll nip that in the bud real quick. MK is overall a great place to go whether you are looking for a great workout or want to learn mma techniques. Whether you are a beginner, or someone with experience who wants an affordable gym they can go to workout on the bags or do partner work. Whether you want to take a class or workout on your own. It's pretty much my second home! Check it out!

I've been to probably 100 gyms in my life and was a long time 20 plus year, member of the West End…read moregym in Lowell. MK is nice, friendly, and most of all they push you to be better. MIke is a great guy and all the people there are extremely friendly and motivating. Couldn't ask for a better spot to get fit and feel good. Highly recommend all classes.

It's a great school for our child to learn how to protect, discipline himself and to be respectful,…read morehelpful to the others. My kid loves it. Sensei Seth teaches important life lessons along with karate.

I was just going to leave a single star, but yelp won't let me escape without leaving a comment, so…read morehere goes...... I wasted 9 years as a student here. What did learn there????? This school has two types of students. The "talent".......... And "everyone else" Everyone else exists to keep the mortgage/bills paid so the instructor can have the luxury of playing with his star student. (He even admitted a couple of times that if he was rich he would only take elite students who could pass a ninja warrior style obstacle course, but he can't afford it so that's why he takes all students.) Also, when you do beg for support (if you can grab his attention long enough) you WILL be told "the details don't matter." Unless you have talent of course.......... Even if you show up for class 5 - 6 days a week, every week, including 2 times a day on Tuesdays and Thursdays, AND attend all the extra Saturday seminars, (yes I took 7 classes a week - 8 any time there was a seminar) you only have value if you are talented. (*He has actually said that he will spend extra time going over all the little details *** yes, the details he told me "didn't matter" *** if the student is hard working **AND** talented.) By all means, if you are elite athlete-level talented, are able to learn something after being shown only once, or can completely and perfectly memorize an entire routine in an afternoon, (and therefore have value) this is the place for you...... However, if you struggle with any of these, even a little bit, (especially if you show any signs of a lack of natural talent) be prepared to be treated as an inconvenience and an afterthought. *****And if you call him out on the double standards and special treatment for certain students, you will be branded as difficult and disobedient. AND he will resort to personal attacks about your body and any health conditions you may be struggling with.***** So if you think you are talented enough for him to pay any real attention to you, OR you enjoy having every last shred of your self esteem completely destroyed, this is the place for you. Good luck.

This place is pretty awesome. Been doing Martial Arts since 1989 on and off; I wish I meet Narcyz…read more(aka: Sifu) 20 years sooner. I highly recommend Athletic Balance.

My 6year old son loves going here. Tim (the instructor) is great with kids and they have so much…read morefun while learning not just Karate but also the basic lessons of respect, concentration, discipline and confidence. I can't say enough good things about this school. My son loves going there. The classes are small and each kid gets plenty of instruction from Tim. If you live in the area and have young kids interested in Karate, please give this school a chance! If you are on the fence, feel free to email Any questions to me at godslefthand83@yahoo.com I am not affiliated with the school on any way aside from my son being a student.

I trained at Krav Maga Boston at their location in Boston before they moved to Malden. I was very…read moresad when they moved because I enjoyed it so much. Krav Maga is a practical combat system and a great work-out. If you are looking for good exercise and/or effective self-defense, I can't recommend it highly enough. But the most important aspects of any martial arts school/dojo are the instructors and the students. Dennis and Karen (I'm unfamiliar with the others) are wonderful teachers. They both are clearly knowledgeable and put the focus on doing things safely and with the correct technique. But they are also very personable and approachable and not once did I ever see them express anger or hostility to students. As for my fellow students, they were almost invariably enthusiastic and friendly. One aspect of teaching there is changing partners frequently, so you get experience working with/against people of different skill/size/age/gender because after all, you don't often to get to choose who is going to start a conflict with you. I never had a bad experience working with the other students, something I attribute in large part to the instructors, who set the tone for the whole school.

Great coaches that teach fun classes with a lot of practical takeaways. would highly recommend!read more