Krav Maga Yashir

Our dedicated Krav Maga training facility is located 15 minutes South of Peabody just off of I-95. Our Head Instructor, Gershon Ben Keren, is a 5th Degree Black Belt in Krav Maga, gaining his belts and teaching/instructor certifications in Israel. In 2010, he was indcuted into the Museum of Israeli Martial Arts. He has also authored three books on Krav Maga, published by Tuttle Publishing. To learn more about him use the button below.

Gershon Ben Keren

If you want to experience Krav Maga for yourelf you can sign up for one of our beginner classes that will introduce you to the concepts, techniques and teaching methodology using the button below.

Beginner Class

Krav Maga is a modern self-defense system that was developed in Israel to get an untrained, new recruit to the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) combat ready in the shortest possible time. Something that the “civilian” Krav Maga program we teach at Krav Maga Yashir stays true to i.e., we teach those we train how to get proficient at defending themselves, in the real-world situations that they are likely to face.

Unlike traditional martial arts or combat sports such as Muay Thai and MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) Krav Maga was created solely to help ordinary people, law enforcement, and military personnel defend themselves against violent threats quickly and effectively. At Krav Maga Yashir, our training is designed to give students the confidence, fitness, and skills that can be applied in the verbal and physical confrontations that they may encounter as part of their everyday lives.

Krav Maga is effective – and quick to pick up - because it teaches instinctive, simple, and direct techniques. Practitioners learn how to quickly neutralize threats using natural and instinctive movements that can be recalled under stress and duress, and how to quickly counter with their own attacks and then disengaging – the focus of Krav Maga is on “survival” rather than “winning”. Training includes defenses against common attacks such as punches, chokes, grabs, as well as armed threats and attacks that could involve multiple assailants etc.

The system teaches all dimensions of a physical confrontation, including striking, grappling and groundwork, and for self-defense doesn’t need to be supplemented with any other martial arts or combat training such as BJJ, Muay Thai and/or MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), as the rules and goals of these systems aren’t suited for real-life confrontations, that occur without warning, have no rules, and no referee to oversee them.

Beginner Class

I have trained in martial arts since high school, and this is easily the best school I've ever attended. The instruction is practical, fun, and supportive. The students are there to help each other, while still learning serious skills. I've been training here for about five years and look forward to many years to come. S. Garland.

Before I joined and since joining, I have visited practically all Krav Maga schools in the Boston area and this is by far the best! Adam. K.

At Krav Maga Yashir we also teach proven and effective situational awareness - rather than just tell people to be more aware, we teach them what to be aware of and how to identify the “signals” that predict and precede violence. Head Instructor, Gershon Ben Keren, is a criminologist, who has been working in the security industry since 1990. He combines academic research with his own – and others – personal experiences of violence, to explain how violence actually occurs in real-life settings.

Unlike martial arts designed for sport or tradition, Krav Maga is built around realistic training that follows a proven teaching methodology. This means that Krav Maga can’t be learned or taught from a book, as its approach to teaching people how to fight and defend themselves follows a set of teaching protocols and progressions. If you are interested in experiencing authentic Krav Maga to see for yourself why it is such an effective fighting/self-defense system you can sign up for one of our beginner classes using the button below.

Beginner Class