I’ve been training here for over a year now, and I can honestly say that taking up Krav Maga at this gym is the best decision I’ve ever made.

The curriculum was written with true self-defense in mind. Everything is taught with the goal of each student leaving class better able to defend themselves, from stand up fighting, ground fighting, weapons, striking, and I would include conditioning in this category as I’ve only improved in the other points with my continued participation in the conditioning classes. I train as often as possible in not only the classes on the weekly schedule, but I can also say that the seminars are worth every penny and I highly recommend taking one when you get the chance. This year I learned how to shoot a gun during the pistol course, something I never thought I’d do because I was very nervous around real weapons, but Jason did a phenomenal job with not only making his students feel safe, but also giving us quality instruction that I don’t believe I would have found elsewhere. I liked the shooting seminar so much that I chose to do it a second time a few months later, this time taking a fresh approach, and it was every bit as informative as the first time.

Lions is also a wonderful place for women, as sexist remarks and disrespectful behavior will not make you any friends here. There’s also a seminar called “First Fridays” that’s for women only*** and they’re seriously awesome, especially for women who have little to no experience with self-defense and don’t know where to start. We discuss subjects such as enforcing boundaries, listening to your instincts in dangerous situations, and how to get in touch with your inner lioness and use the aggression to fight for your life, afterwards kicking ass for the rest of the night and grabbing a drink at our local bar. I should also mention that the women’s seminars are taught by actual women, something I think is important but you’ll find that this is not always regular practice elsewhere. Highly recommend these!
***there are also men’s seminars but I’m not invited to those as I don’t identify as male, but I’m sure the Lions staff can provide more info!

Lastly, Lions is a community in every sense of the word. We’re all here to make each other better by training hard and encouraging everyone else to do the same. The environment is very positive and encouraging, and the staff and students are some of the kindest, friendliest, smartest people I know. I highly recommend giving this place a try!