Strike First Krav Maga

I love this place! Adam and Illya are amazing to work with! Very dedicated, understanding, and caring teachers! They sure know their stuff! They know when to push and when not to push. The classes are on the smaller side but I think that is a very positive thing especially when it comes to technique and feeling like you’re part of the first strike community. Amazing krav maga studio, brilliant teachers who really help you apply technique to real life situations, the students who go there are always warm and friendly too!

Trained at a bunch of different martial arts places, so I know what I’m talking about. Great instructors, fantastic workouts, nice people, and off-​street parking (!).
Can’t say enough good things about this place.

Adam, Ilya, and Shira are excellent teachers and the workouts are a lot of fun. Classes are usually a mix of review and new skills so beginners and more advanced students feel comfortable and challenged. Class sizes are small and each student receives individual feedback. The the students and instructors are very friendly and approachable. I highly recommend Strike First Krav Maga to anyone looking for a great workout or a self-​defense skills.

This really is the best workout I’ve had since forced conditioning at football practice.
Both instructors are extremely knowledgeable and definitely the sort of person i would want on my side in a fight haha
Thats the really cool thing about Strike First, they are teaching you legitimate techniques and form for the «what if» scenario because a bench press and running can only do so much.
You will be sweating.
Classes are usually small so you get great 1 on 1 time with the instructor and the schedule is really easy to work with.
Plus they have their own free parking lot right outside so although you’re getting into the city, parking is never a worry.
Check the website (also very classy) for times and pay attention to the levels, beginner truly is for beginners, no knowledge needed, and the all levels classes are a good mix of basics and some more advanced routines.
You warm up every class and then get into fighting technique, moving the whole time.
Currently the main building they’re in is under construction so it may look a little sketchy when you walk through the main door but their gym is tucked away and literally perfect for what it is.

I have been a krav student for about a year now at various schools in Seattle WA, Phoenix AZ, and at Strike First Krav Maga in Boston MA. While I will never say anything bad about the other schools (they were great!), I can say that Strike First has the absolute best, most realistic, curriculum I have ever seen. Particularly, the gun defenses and takedowns have been substantially better than other schools I have attended. The most important thing when learning a martial art is to find great instructors and great partners to work with — here you will find both.
This is obviously my opinion, but if you are considering making your daily workout work for you inside and outside the gym, I strongly recommend giving this place a try.
It’s truly great!

Highly affordable and great instructors! Great community as well. The instructors really push you to give it your all, which I really enjoy. Very practical techniques. I highly recommend giving them a try.

Highly recommend. It’s a great work out, it is a fun martial art, and the instructor is great!

This place is awesome, everyone should check it out. I’d never tried anything related to self defense before, and was intimidated to give it a try, but I didn’t need to worry. Strike First has a great environment that is very welcoming to newcomers. You’ll get a lot of encouragement and attention. Adam and Ilya are really great and work hard to make sure you improve your skills while having a great time in class. It is without a doubt the hardest workout I’ve done, and it was totally worth it– I lost weight after only two weeks of classes. If you’re thinking about giving krav maga a try, you should absolutely go to Strike First!

Highly recommend this place! It’s affordable, and the instructor I had, Adam is really great. There’s no fear of things moving too quickly if you’re a beginner. Good mix of men/​women each time I went and everyone has been amazing.
It’s a great way to get a work out in too! (Because who likes the treadmill/​stationary bike?)
Most of all it’s really fun!

This place is top-​notch in every way. The classes are small (biggest I attended was 8), Adam and Ilya are super knowledgable and push you to learn the material fast and give it everything you have. It’s a great workout and it’s fun. It’s also really great for practical self defense, so each class comes off as a mixture of a self-​defense seminar, a martial arts class and a cardio class.
Each class starts with warmups which can range from pretty tame to killer, depending on the class and instructor. I attended about 6 classes on a pass and I came out of every one feeling tired, sweaty and ready to kick anyone’s ass who wants to step to this!
I’d say the gender mix was about ⁶⁰⁄₄₀ men to women, but it depends on the day and I don’t think I attended any classes where I was the only girl. Often they have you break into pairs to practice new moves, but Krav Maga places a lot of emphasis on practicality, so if I was paired with a big guy, the practice was different, but in a good way. Every one of the other students I met were really friendly, and I didn’t see any muscle heads there that just wanted to smack people down or weren’t willing to train with a lowly girl. ‘Course I was giving it to them like a perfectly synched piece of fighting machinery (ok maybe not perfectly synched, but I was getting a lot better by the end).
I would and have recommended this place to pretty much everyone I know. Maybe some people would find the intensity less enjoyable than me but I love it. I plan on buying a 10 class card to go back a few times a month which is about $ 100.

I just started attending classes after being interested in Krav Maga for several years, and I am so glad I finally decided to go! Krav Maga is designed to be effective self-​defense for everyone (including small ladies like me). It is also a killer workout and a lot of fun. The owners, Adam and Ilya, are very knowledgeable, attentive and helpful, and are willing to work with you one-​on-​one when needed. Highly recommended!
Added bonus: a TON of free parking.

I love this place!
Recovering from a serious illness, I decided to try a few different fitness options to keep from getting bored. There was a Living Social offer for five classes, and I bought it, since friends told me Krav Maga is a great way to get in shape and learn self-​defense. It’s also challenging and fun.
Adam is attentive, supportive and knowledgeable.
Once my foot recovers from a strain incurred, I’ll be right back at it.
I can’t recommend this place enough!

Upon returning to the Boston area this year, I needed a new martial art/​self-​defense system to practice. Perhaps by means of fate, I found a coupon on Living Social to Strike First Krav Maga.
Knowing a bit about the history of Krav and its deployment by various organizations, I knew I was in for a solid workout, alongside a very practical self-​defense system. This is what I got upon trying an Intro class for the first time.
As with anything, however, the experience is made by the people. In Martial Arts, I have encountered an amazing cross-​section of people, from Cambridge type intellectuals to survivalists. I must say, Adam and Ilya are two down-​to-​earth, humble instructors who are sensitive, yet will get you to preserver and do things right.
For those of you concerned about the overtly physical aspect, rest assured, Adam and Ilya are experienced professionals, who take safety seriously. Classes always begin with a proper warm-​up and stretching, and the drills are well relaxed and controlled, with a zero-​tolerance policy for people just looking to beat the hell out of each other.
A huge bonus is the different types of classes offered, such as Conditioning/​Sparring/​Women Only/​Teens, etc. One thing I can assure: You will not be underwhelmed after any of them.

This place is amazing. Adam and Ilya are great with teaching you some very helpful self-​defense moves. I took five classes with them through a LivingSocial special and never thought I would actually like fighting. Not only it’s an extremely effective workout, but you learn how to fight back if someone attacks you. They show you how to defend yourself from chokes, hair grabs, etc. Krav Maga should be mandatory for all women.
I’m definitely planning to come back and I highly recommend you check it out.

I’ve been training with Adam and Ilya once a week for about a month now and I seriously cannot recommend them and Strike First highly enough. Cool guys, awesome instruction, and definitely something that helps build strength and confidence! If you’re looking for something new, fun, and NEVER boring, come check it out.