Cant say enough positives about the gym. The head coach Sean is an outstanding instructor and everyone we met during class were helpful and friendly. The training was top class and laid out in a way that was easy to follow and understand. There were always people willing to help and explain. Only down side is its too far from Alabama to train at regularly.

Lessons are well-designed to be suitable for both beginners and experts. Rather than focusing only on form drills and sparring, the instruction also covers how to use self-defense skills in real-life scenarios.

This is one of the best places I’ve been to. Has great professors/instructors. Everyone is very welcoming no matter what your experience level is. Highly recommended!

Best place to train. Sean, Andrew, and Alex are the best

I stopped by Silverback Academy for open mat while in DC. I’m a purple belt from Colorado. They were very friendly and hospitable. Awesome rolls with high level people!! Definitely highly recommended and will be coming back

Sean is a great coach/training partner and the people are very welcoming. The facility is nice and well maintained with a large space. There is also a nice strength and conditioning section.

Sean is a great instructor & makes the gym a welcoming place. Always learn a new detail or two when I stop by. Highly recommend.

I can’t recommend Silverback Academy enough!! I started doing Krav Maga there 3 years ago based off of a female friend’s recommendation when I told her I wanted to learn self defense techniques. I quickly realized the instructors and close-knit community are unlike any other, which has led me to start doing most of the other classes as well - including BJJ and kickboxing.The instructors are incredibly encouraging, patient and knowledgeable, not only in the material, but in how to convey that material to each student’s unique learning style. All of the classes are well structured and intentional, leaving you with a great workout and a lot of useful knowledge.Sean has done an amazing job of creating a supportive and inclusive atmosphere in the gym. If you’re thinking of trying a class, I highly recommend it!!

I joined because I wanted to get back into jiu jitsu and learn the new school game. This was the only local school with a connection to the Danaher curriculum. Classes were often started without any warm up. Technique time was limited, and lots of careless rolling going on. When I cancelled my membership they didn’t reply to my many attempts to contact them and attempted to charge my card after I had clearly cancelled. Bad form and bro mentality abound at this school and I was very let down by the whole experience.

Best BJJ school in town

I had never done anything like this before and was nervous about trying it out. The instructor did a great job pairing me up with people who could teaching me and I was surprised how comfortable I felt. Plus, it was a great workout even though it was my first time. Definitely would recommend this place to someone looking to try Jui-Jitsu out!

A great community for martial artists of all skill levels. Patient and knowledgeable instructors, very clean and welcoming. Anyone in the area, especially beginners, should check it out.

What is sad is that I really, really enjoyed this place. Until I tried to leave. Now, almost 6 months later they are STILL charging my credit card and I have verifiable emails showing I cancelled my membership on 3 separate occasions.Sadly, cant recommend that kind of business to anyone.

Excellent gym. Instructors are super nice and helpful. Great focus on technique and form. Great workout.

Best in the area and Sean know his stuff. Very Professional and knowledgeable. I shall Return.

Excellent Gym. A great alternative to a traditional workout and a great positive atmosphere. All the instructors are welcoming and very good teachers.

This is a fine group of individuals that care about the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and I learned something every time I visited. I love their approach and mindset and give them my highest recommendation. I am a novice when it comes to the vast number of other programs they offer in addition to BJJ but I believe that if you apply their process to any program then the program that results will be stellar. I cannot speak higher of Sean, Joseph, Alexa, Andrew, etc. Great people, great place.

All my life I have wanted to practice a form of self defense, but I never found anywhere to go until I moved down here to Northern Virginia. After looking around at the best forms, I learned about Krav Maga, and through that, I found Silverback.From my first class, I was hooked. It was not only the exact kind of realistic self-defense that I was looking for, but no one here is gimmicky or will teach you things that just arent plausible in a real-life scenario. Even as a 55, 113lb woman, youre taught techniques that are used to overpower individuals that are much stronger than you by targeting weak spots, while keeping yourself as safe as possible. Not only are these classes providing you with a great skillset that could potentially save your or another individuals life, but its a great workout, as well. The classes are an hour long, but they feel like 15 minutes. Youll find yourself getting addicted and just wanting the classes to be longer and longer so you can practice more.They also hold many other classes, such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (which I also attend), AMOK, MMA, and more.As for the people that both run SBA and attend, there is an incredible sense of camaraderie among everyone. No matter how new or skilled you are, you will always be pushed to do better and encouraged every step of the way. Your weaknesses will be exposed and you will learn from them in a positive and educational way. Everyone here just wants to see you do your best. The owner, Sean, and his wife Alexa are two of the kindest and most down-to-earth people you will ever meet in your life. There are not enough words to properly describe how incredible these two both are. They will help you improve every day, and in a way that doesnt make you feel incompetent or dumb (because lets be honest, we all can get that feeling when trying to learn something new).The entire gym is an incredibly welcoming community of people, regardless of your background, beliefs, or color of your skin. Everyone is so supportive of each other all the time. Speaking from an introverted (and anxiety-ridden) point of view, its very hard for me to want to be around other people, much less ones I dont know.. However, at Silverback, that feeling tends to disappear very quickly as everyone makes learning with one another so easy. We all make mistakes and were all growing together. I live nearly an hour away from the gym and I come here as often as I possibly can. It is 100% worth it.There honestly isnt a better place to learn self defense or to better yourself as a person. Sean has created a beautiful gym with beautiful people and Im honored to be a part of it. I can honestly say that attending Silverback and meeting Sean has changed my life for the better in an immeasurable way.

Im very happy I have found Silverback Academy even though it is a bit far from where I live. Master Instructor Sean Stoopman, puts a lot of emphasis on realistic defense/offense training against all sorts of threats you could potentially meet in the street. I have taken Martial Arts classes before from places such as the one you find in strip malls which left me wanting more.But with Silverback Academy my first day in Krav Maga I immediately got a taste on how to defend against gun threats or stick attacks! I have learned Krav Maga now for 2 months and I LOVE IT!There is the Stress test (physical and mental conditioning so you can still function under stress of a violent attack) which Sean puts as through. I swear every time we go through one of these Im covered in sweat from head to toe afterwards! During class other students who have belts are always willing to help newcomers such as myself.Good place to learn Krav Maga, I cant recommend it enough It almost seems like a no brainer why not learn a skill which could potentially save your life or your love ones life while getting fit at the same time.

I am very happy I found Silverback Academy. I had been out of shape and the gym was just not cutting it. Silverback has provided the discipline and motivation I needed.Master Instructor Sean Stoopman brings a positive and disciplined atmosphere to self defense and personal fitness. He is very knowledgeable in various disciplines of self defense, not just Krav Maga and BJJ, and occasionally combines various techniques to improve on existing ones. Each technique class is structured for both beginners and advanced students. Every one of them is a workout.Other than technique classes, there is the Cross Fit inspired Krav Fit class. It is partially to supplement the physical requirements of the techniques class and to figure out how sore your whole body will be after a proper work out.For more advanced students, there is Competition BJJ and Sparring. At sparring, you learn to apply the techniques learn in the techniques class with other advanced students. One of the first lessons I learned was blocking a punch with my face was not good and should be avoided at all costs.