The Krav Maga Institute is opening its first full-time space in Tribeca, downstairs at 158 Franklin, the building where Steven Alan Home Shop used to be. Up till now, KMI has been using fitness studios around the city—including Church Street Boxing and Tribeca Health & Fitness—on a part-time basis.

From the website: “Krav Maga means ‘Contact Combat’ in Hebrew. It is a complete, practical and modern reality based self defense, fighting and tactical system originally developed in the Israeli Defense Forces by Imi Lichtenfeld for use in the military. Imi subsequently developed it into a form of self defense for use by civilians, kids, security and law enforcement professionals.” And there’s a fitness component: “KMI’s professional training and strength & fitness programs are also derived from authentic Krav Maga training but instead of having been developed in the civilian world, they were developed within various professional institutions with different slants and areas of focus. KMI’s training boosts self confidence, gets you fit, dramatically improves your quality of life and your mental and physical strength, all in a social and supportive environment.”

KMI will be offering soft-opening classes in April, shooting for a full schedule starting in May. By September it plans on being at capacity, with classes in the Combat Cardio program (fitness-based kickboxing), probably yoga, and possibly muy thai and Brazilian jiu jitsu. And there will be a program for kids age 6 to 13. When it’s fully open I’ll stop by for the full report.