Hendersonville Martial Arts

Hendersonville Martial Arts Premier Karate and Krav Maga training in Hendersonville, TN serving families from Gallatin and across Sumner County. Free trial available.
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Kids Karate builds confidence and discipline. Teen & Adult Krav Maga teaches real-world self-defense. Head Instructor - Sensei Swanson
-4th Degree Black Belt with over 20 years of training in Karate, Krav Maga, Kickboxing, Jiu-Jitsu & Mixed Martial Arts.
-Certified Krav Maga Alliance 3rd Degree Black Belt Instructor under John Whitman
-Trained under Black Belt Hall of Fame members Don and Christine Rodrigues.
-Certified instructor with extensive experience working with Adults, Teens & Children.
-Avid fitness enthusiast with a passion to motivate students to reach their fitness goals.

09/23/2026

🥊 HMA Krav Maga Technique of the Week: Backward/Rising Elbow

This week, Sensei Swanson is breaking down another elbow angle borrowed from Muay Thai — the backward or rising elbow.

Think of it like our Krav Maga #5 elbow, but instead of striking behind you, we’re bringing that same powerful motion forward and up the centerline.

👊 Use the jab to set it up
↪️ Blade the body slightly to disguise the angle
💥 Drive the elbow upward through the centerline toward the chin
🥊 Regain your stance, follow with close-range weapons, and exit

The setup is what makes this one so effective. The jab helps hide the elbow, and the rising angle can make the strike difficult to see coming.

Different angles. Different weapons. More options at close range.

Want to build your striking and real-world self-defense skills? Come try an HMA Krav Maga class!

09/22/2026

John Whitman, founder of the Krav Maga Alliance and 7th Degree Black Belt, is excited to be at Hendersonville Martial Arts THIS SATURDAY, September 26th, for an Advanced Weapon Defense Seminar!

🥋 Saturday, September 26th
⏰ 6:00–8:00 PM
📍 Hendersonville Martial Arts

John will be sharing advanced strategies and skills for dealing with weapon threats, including concepts for preempting threats before they fully develop.

This is a rare opportunity to train directly with one of the most experienced and respected instructors in Krav Maga—and SPACE IS LIMITED.

If you’ve been thinking about attending, don’t wait until Saturday. Secure your spot TODAY!

🔥 Come train. Challenge your skills. Take your weapon defense to the next level.

https://member-site.net/VIP/default.aspx?EV--bcMPcb

HMA Krav Maga is fitness with a purpose. 🥊If you’re looking for a workout that does more than just burn calories, Krav M...
09/21/2026

HMA Krav Maga is fitness with a purpose. 🥊

If you’re looking for a workout that does more than just burn calories, Krav Maga may be exactly what you need.

In every class, students work punches, kicks, knees, elbows, defensive movements, pad drills, partner training, and conditioning. It’s a full-body workout that builds strength, endurance, coordination, mobility, and cardiovascular fitness.

But the benefits go beyond the physical.

Krav Maga is also a powerful stress release. There’s something therapeutic about hitting pads, moving with intensity, and stepping away from the stress of work, family, and everyday life for an hour.

It also builds confidence through real skill development. As students improve their striking, fitness, awareness, and self-defense skills, they begin to realize they are capable of more than they thought.

And you’re not doing it alone.

You train with a team. Training partners encourage each other, challenge each other, and help make consistency easier.

Train your body.
Challenge your mind.
Relieve stress.
Learn skills that matter.

Your first class is FREE. Come try HMA Krav Maga at Hendersonville Martial Arts.

Visit hvillema.com to get started.

🥋 BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS!This weekend we held our F.I.S.T. Level One Instructor Bootcamp at Hendersonvi...
09/20/2026

🥋 BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS!

This weekend we held our F.I.S.T. Level One Instructor Bootcamp at Hendersonville Martial Arts!

Becoming a great martial artist is one thing. Learning how to lead, teach, communicate and bring out the best in others is another skill entirely.

Throughout the training, our future instructors worked on:

🥋 Key leadership principles
👊 Effective teaching techniques
🗣️ Strong communication skills
🎯 How to give feedback and correction
💪 How to motivate and challenge students
⭐ How to lead by example on and off the mat

One of the best parts was seeing martial artists of different ages and experience levels come together with the same goal: to challenge themselves, grow their knowledge and become better leaders.

We’re proud of everyone who invested their weekend in leveling up—not just as martial artists, but as teachers and leaders.

The future of HMA is looking strong! 👊🥋

09/15/2026

🥊 HMA KRAV MAGA TECHNIQUE OF THE WEEK

This week Sensei Swanson is demonstrating Bear Hug from the Front — Arms Pinned with No Space.

When an attacker has you wrapped up tight, your arms are trapped and there’s no room to move, the first challenge is simple: CREATE SPACE.

Here’s the basic breakdown:

1️⃣ Attack the groin — With your arms pinned, use your hands to strike, grab or attack the groin. The goal is to force a reaction and get the attacker’s hips away from you.

2️⃣ SPACE & BASE — As soon as you create room, drop your weight and step back into a strong base. This makes you much harder to lift or throw.

3️⃣ FRAME THE HIPS — Get your hands onto the attacker’s hips and extend your arms to maintain the space you just created.

4️⃣ DRIVE THE KNEES — Use that frame to control the distance while delivering powerful knees to the groin or body until the grip breaks.

5️⃣ COUNTER & ESCAPE — Once you’re free, follow with additional combatives as necessary, create distance, scan and get to safety.

The important lesson: Don’t fight strength with strength. Create a reaction. Create space. Build your base. Fight your way out.

🥊 Want to learn practical self-defense skills you can actually use? Come train with HMA Krav Maga in Hendersonville!

🥋 TOP 5 WAYS MARTIAL ARTS HELPS YOUNG PEOPLE DEVELOP RESPECTMartial arts teaches much more than kicks, punches and self-...
09/14/2026

🥋 TOP 5 WAYS MARTIAL ARTS HELPS YOUNG PEOPLE DEVELOP RESPECT

Martial arts teaches much more than kicks, punches and self-defense. One of the most important lessons we work to develop is RESPECT.

1️⃣ RESPECT FOR AUTHORITY
Students learn to listen, follow directions, accept correction and become coachable.

2️⃣ RESPECT FOR THEMSELVES
Accomplishing difficult goals builds confidence, self-discipline and pride in doing things the right way.

3️⃣ RESPECT FOR OTHERS
Training partners learn control, patience and responsibility for each other’s safety and success.

4️⃣ RESPECT FOR CULTURE & TRADITION
Martial arts introduces students to traditions, etiquette and history that remind them they are part of something bigger than themselves.

5️⃣ RESPECT FOR COMMUNITY
Students learn to encourage teammates, help newer students and celebrate the accomplishments of others.

🥋 Respect isn’t just something we talk about at HMA. It’s something we practice every class.

And those lessons carry far beyond the mat.

📍 Hendersonville Martial Arts
🌐 hvillema.com

🕵️‍♂️ MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! 🕵️‍♀️Our agents reported for duty last night at HMA Spy Academy Parents’ Night Out, and they...
09/12/2026

🕵️‍♂️ MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! 🕵️‍♀️

Our agents reported for duty last night at HMA Spy Academy Parents’ Night Out, and they were put to the test!

From martial arts challenges and secret missions to testing their stealth, speed, teamwork and problem-solving skills, our young agents had an action-packed night. 🔦🥷

And of course, no Spy Academy would be complete without navigating our LASER SECURITY SYSTEM! 🚨 Our agents had to sneak their way through the fog, dodge the lasers and complete their mission without setting off the alarm!

A huge THANK YOU to all the parents who trusted us with their young agents for the evening and to our HMA team for making another Parents’ Night Out a success.

Judging by the smiles, laughs and energy… we’d say MISSION COMPLETE! ✅

📍 Hendersonville Martial Arts
🥋 Karate • Krav Maga • Self-Defense
🌐 hvillema.com

09/09/2026

🥊 HMA KRAV MAGA TECHNIQUE OF THE WEEK 🥊

This week, Sensei Swanson breaks down what we call the Extended Elbow—a variation of the standard number 6 elbow.

With a traditional number 6 elbow, we fold the arm into a tight cover position and drive the elbow upward. With the Extended Elbow, we keep the arm bent at roughly 90 degrees and extend forward—almost like throwing a jab with your elbow pointed up.

Why use it?

👉 It gives your elbow more RANGE than you might expect.
👉 It can travel straight up the middle.
👉 It’s especially useful for splitting through a tight guard and creating an opening for follow-up strikes.

Elbows aren’t just close-range weapons. Learning how to change the angle, range and trajectory gives you more options when things get crowded.

Watch Sensei Swanson break it down, then give it a try in class this week!

🥋 Want to learn practical self-defense and get a great workout at the same time?

Come train with us at Hendersonville Martial Arts!

Address

393 E Main Street, Suite 10 & 11
Hendersonville, TN
37075

Opening Hours

Monday 11:45am - 10pm
Tuesday 3pm - 10pm
Wednesday 11:45am - 10pm
Thursday 3pm - 10pm
Saturday 7:45am - 1pm

Telephone

+16152658544

Website

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