Defensive Edge/ East Hampton, CT Training Facility

[KravHopeful]

hi all, first post in these forums. i'm looking for any info on a new school that just opened, in east hampton, CT. called defensive edge. according to the locations area of the main krav website, the instructor's name is richard northam. I sort of live in the area and i'm looking to get into krav. does anyone here train there, or know anyone that does? any help would be appreciated. thanks.

[wyatt9696]

First, Welcome to the forum. I currently train at Defensive Edge. You're right, the school is relatively new(Dec. 05) but the instructor, Rich Northam, has been teaching Krav for quite some time. I've been training with him for like 1 1/2 years. He also taught at another CT location, Baran's Kenpo(another great school) in Wallingford, until he opened his own school. I have nothing but good to say about him and his programs. He takes the time to explain all the techniques, and is more than patient with his students. He'll push you to get your best, and knows when to back off when you've had enough. The only way you'll be able to determine whether Krav, or Rich are suitable for you is to try a class. I've personally found it to be the best all around workout i've ever had. The school is relatively new, which to me is a plus. The class size is smaller right now, which gives me great opportunity to train more one on one. If you decide to come down, or up, depending on where you are, try it for at least a few months. The training is rather rigorous, and you'll need at least that much time to start to get used to it. Good luck. Hope to see you at a class.

[Spyder]

Greetings all. I've taken Krav previously, and found it to be an excellent workout with practical applications. I've contacted Mr. Northam for information on his class schedule, and am looking forward to returning to Krav. Any information on his classes from other posters would be great, ie class size, schedules, etc.

[wyatt9696]

class size varies. since his school is new, they are relatively small. which is good. he holds krav classes 3 days a week. Tues & Thurs 7:15 - 8:15PM, & Sat 11:15 AM - 12:15 generally tues is conditioning , with a bit of self defense, thurs, lots of self defense, sat the whole ball of wax with sparring for the advanced students. he sort of see's who's in class and tailer makes the class according to the different abilities of the students. I've been training with him going on 2 years. His a really good instructor in my opinion. are you going to be traveling from chicopee? you need a few months of constant training to get used to the intensity of some of the workouts. always go at your own pace, and don't try to overdue it especially in the beginning. average age of the class is late twenties, into the 50's. all cool people, and no attitude problems. if there were, we'd just kravum to death(just kidding) i love going. it's never boring to me. Mr Rich is a great guy, and you should really enjoy training with him. take care, and hope to see you there.

[Spyder]

Thanks wyatt969. Does Mr.Rich exclusivly teach Krav at this location, or is it a mixed dojo which just happens to offer Krav? How is the class structured? I know Krav doesn' have a belt system, but how is progress marked there? I work in East Hartford, so I would probably work late on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and go to class from here. Not too thrilled about the drive, but Krav isn't easy to find, and the class certainly is worth it. I look forward to the intense workouts, and enjoyed sparring at my last class. Is sparring here full contact? Sorry for all the questions, but I just want to make sure I land in a good class.

[wyatt9696]

Originally Posted by \"Spyder\"

Thanks wyatt969. Does Mr.Rich exclusivly teach Krav at this location, or is it a mixed dojo which just happens to offer Krav? How is the class structured? I know Krav doesn' have a belt system, but how is progress marked there? I work in East Hartford, so I would probably work late on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and go to class from here. Not too thrilled about the drive, but Krav isn't easy to find, and the class certainly is worth it. I look forward to the intense workouts, and enjoyed sparring at my last class. Is sparring here full contact? Sorry for all the questions, but I just want to make sure I land in a good class.

he also teaches kenpo karate for all ages. little dragons(4-6) up through adult kenpo. since he just opened this location there hasn't been any level tests yet, but he follows the krav system with level tests 1,2, etc... sparring for advanced students is full contact with protective gear of course, but it's controlled. he will not let anyone try and beat down anyone else. he's very big on safety of his students, from novice to advanced. as i've said in other posts, the only way to determine whether the school ,and instructor is a good match for you is to try a few classes. everyone wants different things from their workout. only you can decide that. in my opinion though, going to 1 or 2 classes is not sufficient enough to tell that. i personally needed at least a month or so of serious constant training to realize that krav was for me. to answer your class structuring question, it basically breaks down to this: 5-10 minute warmup, i.e. jump rope, indoor running with variations, then a good whole body stretch, then he goes into the meat of whatever type of class he's teaching, such as: conditioning, self defense, and combative technique, etc... we've sparred during the week as well, but the fight classes are generally on sat. hope i answered the majority of your questions. looking forward to meeting you, if you decide to make the jaunt.
how long did/have you taken krav for, and have you tested at any levels? take care.

[Spyder]

Thanks again Wyatt. I spoke with Mr. Rich on Friday, and hope to check out a class in the very near future. I'm sure I'll like the class, I just need to make sure I can deal with the ride. I've taken Krav twice before, just long enough to learn some basics, but never tested on any levels. One aspect lacking from the last place I studied Krav at was structure. Nice instructor, and great people in the class, but I didn't see how any sort of progress was to be measured. I'm not in this for the belt, but I do like to set and meet milestones. Mr. Rich said he has a great bunch of students in his class, and I look forward to meeting everyone. Thanks again, and I'll see you soon.

[wyatt9696]

i trained with mr. rich today, and he mentioned that he spoke with you. i'm looking forward to meeting you. i drive over a half an hour to class. i got used to the ride quickly. hope to see you at a class. rich is right, he's got a good bunch of students. that makes the class much more enjoyable. take care. have a good weekend.