Chicago's Home For Better Krav Maga And Self-Defense

I’ve been taking my daughter here since she was about 2 1/2. She is in the Titans PreK class. The patience and dedication that the instructors have towards these tiny titans is amazing. Everything is structured but also not too much for my daughter to not pay attention. She has grown so much and is much more sociable thanks to this gym! I can’t thank you all enough for bringing my daughters personality out. If anyone has any little kids aged 3-5 I would definitely recommend Titan gym.

I started at Titan Gym in 2016 and have been very satisfied. I did my research and tried a few Krav Maga gyms before settling on Titan. My trial lesson was instructed by Ivo Boykov, the gym's founder, and had a great mix of physical conditioning, technique instruction, practicality, and an emphasis on aggression. I never got the sense that anyone was selling the techniques as foolproof or template paths to street fighting success, everything came with the caveat that in real street fights these moves would not be performed as gracefully or accurately as in the gym. Individual attention is paid to our drills, with occasional corrective input. 

All of the instructors at the gym are great and each has their own approach to the classes. When you've been going for a while you can get a sense of which classes to attend if you want more emphasis on conditioning, technique, etc. Many of the instructors are women which can make for a more welcoming and empowering environment for female participants. The environment at the gym is very inclusive and they even offer free women's and LGBT self-defense sessions every couple of weeks.

The gym also offers a wide variety of classes beyond Krav, so if you find yourself hitting a wall you can always change up and try Muay Thai, BJJ, JKD, Kali, or even a wide variety of yoga and fitness classes.

I highly recommend at least coming in for a free trial lesson, it made a huge difference in my life. I was spending all of my energy on lifting and HIIT, and when I added Krav to the mix I felt like I had found the element that was missing from my development. Titan is a great gym, the people are great, the space is clean, and the lessons are legit.

I used to live in the SW side neighborhood when I signed up to train for Krav Maga at this facility. Yes, the neighborhood is notoriously bad based on my standards after living there so many years. But we just have to deal with it. I just had to learn Krav Maga or add one more practical skill in my list besides dabbling on two different sports such as fencing and masters swimming at the same time - not minding the time of getting there and going home late at night by myself. I did survive the training, earned my certificate of completion a year later at the facility and has changed me to a different person after one unfortunate encounter in Belmont (outside the station). It happened so fast! I was sort of tested by an actual stranger one late at night and I couldn't move. I was by myself, too. The attacker was on my face. I was too exhausted to confront the attacker but I managed to disengage immediately. #Rule 1 in Krav Maga. Luckily, the cops made it just in time to settle us. After I left, I realized it now that my training in Krav Maga was totally worth it in all honesty and it has saved me in that situation! I feel confident, empowered, and lucky to have learned it beforehand. I couldn't have made it and is forever grateful to Daniela, Ivo, John, Ana, Chase, Jaime, and the rest of my awesome instructors. Thank you! I really am grateful to you Titan Gym for everything!