About Krav Maga in Boston
Krav Maga Instructors in Boston
Krav Maga Instructor: Gershon Ben Keren
Gershon Ben Keren started his martial arts and self-defense training in traditional Judo, learning both the sport and self-defense aspects of this art. He went on to gain a 2nd Dan Black Belt as well as winning National Titles. He also holds a 1st Dan Black Belt in traditional Karate-Jutsu.
He started training in Krav Maga in the 1990’s, first in Israel and then in Europe. He studied under notable instructors such as Haim Gidon, Yigal Abriv, Eyal Yanilov, Avi Moyal etc, (names that may not mean much outside of Israel but refer to individuals who train the military/IDF at the highest level). He first became an instructor with the IKMF (International Krav Maga Federation) and opened a school/academy in London, England; later he went on to train with the IKMA (Israeli Krav Maga Association) as well as with other notable Israeli martial artists such as Moni Aizik, David Arama and Avi Nardia.
In 2008 he moved to Boston and opened the Boston Academy of Krav Maga. This was in order to provide authentic Israeli based training to the people of Boston and Massachusetts – he regularly returns to Israel to update his training. In fact in 2009 he was invited to take part and represent the U.S. in the 28th Dennis Survival (Hisardut) Championship in Herzilya, Israel (to learn more about Dennis Hanover and the Hisardut/Survival system please click here).
Gershon holds a BA (HONS) in Psychology & Sociology and has worked in various research roles; most notably as a principal researcher for RIVA (Research into Violence & Aggression); a UK non-profit research agency that looked to find tangible solutions to real life problems involving aggression. Much of this work was later adopted and integrated into the SEPS (Situation Effective Protection System) system.
He has worked as an operative in various professional security roles and holds teaching certificates in various aspects of Law Enforcement training, such as Expandable Baton usage and Defensive Tactics e.g. Control & Restraint, Suspect Immobilazation etc. As well as training civilians in all aspects of self-protection he has also trained Law Enforcement Units and members of elite military units and Special Forces. His work has also seen him be an advisor and trainer to various corporate enterprises whose employees travel to high risk countries, or whose work puts them at risk of violence/hijacking/hostage taking etc.
His advice on all aspects of self-protection and security is regularly sought and he has appeared on instructional DVD’s been quoted in the National Press and been the subject of magazine articles and interviews.
He is a full time instructor and teaches at the Academy’s main center in Medford, MA. For details of these Krav Maga Classes in Boston please click here.
Krav Maga Instructor: Val Bekker
Val Bekker has been practicing Krav Maga for over 5 years and is the first instructor to graduate from the Boston Academy of Krav Maga’s instructor training program. He has trained in Israel with Gershon Ben Keren and other prominent Israeli instructors and has been certified to teach the Academy’s Krav Maga program. He has experience of working in small teams in the security industry (all instructors at the Academy are expected to gain some form of real world experience in security and the Academy works with a dedicated security agency to ensure this happens) and continues to gain experience in this field – he brings this knowledge into his classes and teaching.
Val teaches at the Academy’s Quincy branch and has been fundamental in bringing Krav Maga to Boston’s South Shore. For details of Krav Maga Classes in Quincy, please click here.
If you would like to contact us about Krav Maga in Boston then please feel free to do so by clicking here. If you have any specific questions about Krav Maga in Boston it may be worth looking at our frequently asked questions page to see if it has already been answered. You can do this by clicking here.
