Head Instructor, Gershon Ben Keren has been training and teaching Krav Maga since 1993. His first instructor certification was with the IKMF (International Krav
Maga Federation), under Eyal Yanilov and Amnon Darsa. This 29-Day course, consisting of 12-hour days, teaches to the standard of the Wingate Institute in Israel.
Gershon, later went on to become an instructor under Dennis Hanover. He has also trained in Israel with Haim Gidon (IKMA), along with Miki Assulin, and Avi Moyal.
He regularly returns to Israel to train and teach and brings IDF instructors to Massachusetts to conduct seminars. He is currently a 5th Degree Black Belt in Krav
Maga (awarded in 2017) and has written three Amazon Best-Selling books on Krav Maga. In 2010, he was inducted into the Museum of Israeli Martial Arts in Herzliya,
Israel.
Gershon began working in the security industry in 1990, working as a doorman, providing security to pubs, bars, and clubs. Since then, he has worked in a variety of areas, including close-protection, loss-prevention, and risk-mitigation/management. As well as teaching Krav Maga/Self-Defense, he also provides consultancy and training services to organizations, corporations, and other agencies, both in the US and internationally.
He has two master’s degrees, an MSc in Psychology (Newcastle University), and an MSc in Criminology and Criminal Psychology (University of Essex). He also has post-graduate and professional certificates in Conflict Resolution, Forensic Linguistics and Loss Prevention/Interrogation etc. Gershon takes an informed and educated approach to violence, using not just his own personal experiences, but an evidential approach that uses academic research and studies.
Liz has been training Krav Maga since 2009, under Krav Maga Yashir Head Instructor, Gershon Ben Keren. She holds intructor certifications in Personal Training and is a Functional Training Specialist with ACE®. She is also a Certified Strongman Instructor with both CrossFit and World’s Strongest Man, Svend Karlsen (Global Strongman Gym). She is alos a Certified Instructor with TRX®. Liz is a Green Level Coach with USA Boxing, and holds an active shooter response instructor certificate with ALICE.
Nick Zagami is currently a serving law enforcement officer in Waltham, MA. His experience, includes county-level corrections and municipal policing. He is a MPTC certified firearms instructor and a member of his regional response team. During his time working in law enforcement, Nick has received specialty training in Crisis Intervention, the Law of Self Defense, along with ALERRT's Active Attack Integrated Response (AAIR).
As well as his Krav Maga training Justin has previous experience in Taekwondo and Aikido. He is a Certified Group Fitness Instructor with ACE®. He is a fire-fighter and certified EMT, and a medical volunteer with the MA Metro East Medical Reserve Corp. He is a certified STOP THE BLEED® Instructor, and has over 15 years of firearms experience holding an instructor certification with ALERRT’s Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE).