TESTIMONIALS
Choosing a place to learn self-defence? See what our clients have to say! Written copies of all testimonials are available at our academy.
01
​“Hey Dean,
Just dropping you a message to say thank you for the training I received especially knife disarming. Today I was at [shopping centre] and got out of my car to get some lunch and I was held at a knife point. A [stranger] male attempted to hold me wanting the keys to my work Ute, my phone and my wallet. Roughly about 110K worth of tools, money, credit cards and access to my bank accounts.
I’m going to cut long story short, I was able to disarm him and completely eliminate the threat in less than 10 seconds. […] This guy was determined to hurt me, I could feel it in his voice, and I was determined to go home to my wife and kids.
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I’m letting you know this happened because I completely owe the training I received to being unharmed today and this is just a message to let your students know that sometimes it seems like training for it seems like a waste of time, but all you need is to be put in the situation once and all that training just paid itself off. It is now making me seriously consider resuming my training in krav maga.
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Thank you because of what you teach I’m alive today.”​
Scott H., Security Guard
02
“Dean-Khanh presented a two-hour self-defence techniques workshop involving 22 of our ambulance officers and other staff members from our organisation. It was held at our St John Ambulance [location] facilities on Sunday 13 January. His presentation was very well received by all that attended. It gave both males and females in the group some instruction on self-defence techniques that they learnt on the day and could practice at home on methods for being able to defend themselves against a would-be attacker.
I would recommend Dean-Khanh to any business or organisation as he has a passion for martial arts and teaching self-defence. He is a very good instructor, and, on the day, he engaged well with our staff and inspired them to learn more about self-defence and personal fitness.”​
Neil, Ambulance Paramedic at St John Ambulance WA
03
“Dean-Khanh presented self-defence techniques to the Chevron HR Team which consisted of 160 people. The presentation went for a half hour and was very well received by our team. It gave both males and females in the group some simple techniques that they could take away and practice at home along with an idea on how they can defend themselves.
I would recommend Dean-Khanh to any business, school or community group, with his passion for martial arts and teaching self-defence he is a fantastic instructor and you can’t help but get inspired to learn more and practice the techniques demonstrated.”​
Renee Harrison, HR Counselor, Chevron Australia
04
“Since meeting Dean, he has greatly impressed me with his strength of character, particularly his integrity. During the time I have known him, Dean’s strong passion and talent as a self-defence instructor have also been very apparent. Recently I organised (and participated in) a Self Defence class for women, run by Dean, held at the Bassendean Church of Christ. The feedback I received from attendees afterwards was extremely positive and all were impressed by both the level of professionalism and caring attitude displayed by Dean.”​
Marie, Youth Group Leader at Bassendean Church of Christ
05
“I have been training with Dean from February 2012 in the field of Personal Fitness, Krav Maga and Martial Arts self defence.
I found Dean’s training excellent.
I truly enjoy training under him.
Dean does his very best in everything he does and gets the best out of all his students, he is very motivated and aims very high in achieving everything he does.
I have trained in different various of martial arts, but as an individual I find Dean gets the best out of me and I truly enjoy it with him.”​
Lee McKay, 2nd Dan Black Belt
06
"I have been a member of Defensive Combat Krav Maga for over 2 years now. Dean runs a friendly, realistic approach to self defence. You don’t need any experience and he lays things out in simple effective way. When you start learning the ways of Krav Maga with Dean you realise how under prepared you actually are for real life situations.
It’s not about beating people up it’s all about street awareness. All the other members are friendly and help new members. The classes are fun and you get a good sweat on. Prices are fair and there is flexibility.
I would highly recommend anyone from any age or fitness level who wants to be more prepared for that crazy world out there to give it a go."
Rhys, Chef
07
"I started my training with Dean 10 months ago and absolutely enjoy every class he teaches. He is very motivating and enthusiastic.
I’ve come a long way in a very short time and feel confident to defend myself if necessary.
I recommend Dean to anybody as he can adapt his teaching style to suit individual needs."
Thorsten Vahle, Pilot (Captain)
08
"My original intention was merely to learn self defence techniques, however during the past 3 months I have also come to value Dean’s passion for fitness, healthy living and keeping a positive attitude.
In addition to training myself Dean has also been training my children and a group of friends. Through this Dean has actively demonstrated his ability to convey his passion to a wide range of ages and different genders. He is always polite yet resolute in his training goals.
He is professional in his manner yet personal enough to connect with his students. Dean is humble in his abilities yet totally capable. He is also very generous with his time and with his praise.
I am very privileged to be able to train with Dean as he has helped me to improve my fitness, flexibility and my martial art skills whilst continuing to help me develop new ones.
His positive attitude and persistent motivation has made a rather strenuous task seem less daunting and much more achievable than I first believed possible. I am looking forward to continuing my training with Dean for a very long time."
Warren Wiesk, Pilot
09
“I have trained with Dean Khanh both one on one and in a group class scenario between January 2015 and today’s date. Dean has assisted me to develop my martial arts skills and self defence skills while continuing to develop and maintain my fitness, physicality and boost my confidence. Dean has helped to instill in me a sense of self-control through my training which was once not present, I have a much better handle of any unnecessary anger which troubled me in the past. Dean is always humble and this is something he has passed on to me and his other students through his teaching. Dean caters to a wide variety of students of any age, sex and ethnic background and treats all who attend in a professional manner regardless of skill level or their conviction towards training. Dean goes over and above the call of duty of an average trainer or instructor and while training with him I have witnessed he has a true passion for his art. I am sure Dean will be an integral part of my future advancements in martial arts training."
Daniel Goodman, National General Manager at Universal Electro-Tech
10
"I commenced training with Dean since 18 October 2014. The training has included pad work, boxing, self defence, kickboxing and general fitness drills. Dean has developed a number of training strategies to assist me to develop my reflexes, punching techniques and self defence skills.
Dean has also worked on improving my fitness level and has been monitoring my ongoing fitness goals through weigh-ins and nutritional advice.
I have found Dean to be a committed and enthusiastic trainer who has motivated me to continue to develop my skills and training abilities. This is turn has assisted me in gaining more confidence and building my self esteem.
As an older adult, I am impressed that Dean has adapted his teaching style to fit in with my learning abilities which has assisted with gradually developing simultaneous offensive and defensive skills. Dean has also always ensured a high level of professionalism in his training delivery which I have appreciated."
Jacinta, Private Training Client
11
"I only recently started training at "Defensive Kombat", but reckon I can already defend myself in a variety of situations. Being a small-frame female, I was a bit cautious going in for the first time, but once I was there, the group accepted me well and I never felt out of place.
The training elements are focused on practicability and real-life applications. You are always given an explanation how and why these self-defence mechanisms work from perspective of body mechanics. There is an option to take a one-week trial to decide if this kind of training and atmosphere suit you or not. There are also options for people whose work commitments interfere with training schedule, like FIFO and shift workers.
The academy has serious credentials, including endorsement by an international counter-terrorism expert Itay Gil. "Defensive Kombat" is affiliated with Itay Gil's training institution "Protect", and students have opportunities to train internationally if they wish. The chief instructor is up to date on his professional development and brings in a mix of combat techniques from different countries and styles."
Polina, Ambulance Officer at St John Ambulance WA
12
"I started training with Dean initially intending to do PT due to my long break from martial arts and my age (mid 40s) after a couple of lessons Dean convinced me to join the group classes and I’m glad I did. Aside from leaning self defence skills for a variety of real life situations you are also taught to try to defuse and avoid conflict as a first step. Training is physical with a good mix of cardio and strength but also sparring (opt in and with protection) which will really build your self defence skills and confidence from week 1. In my few months my fitness levels have increased and niggly ailments have disappeared. You will occasionally walk away with a bruise or two from conditioning but you will come back stronger and fitter. Highly recommend."
Marijn, Pilot
13
"Been attending Dean’s personal training sessions since July 2020 now and could not recommend highly enough. Flexible personal training sessions that fit around a work schedule is very handy for busy people. The work is tough and the training can be painful, which is the point! I’m enjoying it, I am motivated to keep at it and I encourage anyone who’s thinking about fitness and a self-defence focussed martial art without the frills but with the adaptability, to speak to Dean at Defensive Kombat Krav Maga."
Mitchell, Private Training Client
14
"I started going there as an alternative on my purchase to fitness and to be more active, and I'm so glad I did. The evening group classes are amazing, and everybody there has such great energy. The sessions are very instructive, as they teach us self-defence techniques for real situations you could potentially face at the least expected time. Not to mention it is a wonderful way of exercising as well. On top of that, Dean (the master/teacher) is extremely experienced, professional, and a great motivator that always incentivizes the students to go that extra mile to get the desired results. Honestly, I'm very impressed by my experience there, and I couldn't recommend more!"
Gabriela, Student
15
"Been training here for a couple of months now and have thoroughly enjoyed every aspect and have learnt so much already about self defence against armed and a armed attacks. Dean is friendly and highly knowledgeable in martial arts and everyone who trains here is very welcoming and friendly too. Highly recommend Defensive Kombat to anyone looking to learn practical self defence in a friendly environment."
Tyler, Student