The quick review: This school has world class teachers, a welcoming environment for all levels of…read moreexperience, and provides some of the best, most relevant instruction in the US. Full review: I started training in CA in 2010, and joined RGPDX about 2-3 months ago after visiting each of the top schools in Portland and taking private lessons from their instructors. Both the classes and privates were the most thorough and impressive I've ever experienced. I've taken classes with Aaron, Eddie, and Hannah mostly, and have been blown away from the start. I can't say enough about their skills as practitioners AND teachers; they are truly invested in their students' growth, are able to pinpoint the holes in their students' games that need improvement, and have an unbelievably vast knowledge of relevant, high-percentage, high-level techniques. They offer a ton of classes that can fit any schedule; early morning through night classes, GI & NOGI. Kids classes, adult coed classes, and women only classes are all available. There are showers, locker rooms, 3 bathrooms, huge upstairs mat, large downstairs mats, a weight room, and they keep it the cleanest facility I've ever seen. The teachers protect the students by fostering a safe practice environment and promote a laidback space while simultaneously taking the level of skill of their students seriously. Most of the teachers compete and win regularly, monthly, staying at the edge of what works at the highest levels of the art. If you want to be the next world champion, go here. If you're thinking about joining to get in shape and have no interest in competing, this is your spot. I came from another school as an 'upper belt' and was immediately humbled yet accepted as if i had been there since day 1. I improved more in these last few months than I have in the last few years. I guarantee you will not be disappointed and if you are, come find me in class and punch me in the stomach.

At age 52, I am two months into my jiu-jitsu journey. Especially since I was starting relatively…read morelate in life, I was intimidated to walk into any jiu-jitsu school. But at Renzo Gracie I have been thrilled to find not only amazing coaching but a welcoming community of training partners. I roll with much more experienced bjj players every week, and they are welcoming, accommodating, and happy to share their wisdom. And for praise I'll single out Ruben, who teaches most of the no-gi fundamentals classes: the guy is just a profoundly gifted coach. Lots of people can demonstrate techniques, but he has a terrific understanding of the basic principles that each of those techniques are based on -- you get to understand not just how to do things, but why, and how they tie into the broader goals of jiu-jitsu. I love jiu-jitsu now, and I'm sure that this place and these people are a big reason why.

i feel sad to leave a poor review of a place i've never been, but therein lies the problem. i want…read moreto learn Muay Thai, and i've been checking out places all around town, looking for what "feels like home" to me. i'm also not experienced in any fighting arts, so it felt important to me to try several places. sadly, it seems classes at Portland Thai Boxing are so full or overflowing they can't manage to get back to me, or they don't care/don't want my business for some other reason. i've tried emailing them twice (one week apart) from different email addresses. i've also tried DM'ing them on Instagram. they seem to have the time to make IG posts and stories but haven't bothered responding to my DM. i would have jumped at the chance to sign up for their unique 6-week fundamentals program. this place was recommended to me by a friend who is a local fighter and very passionate about it, but i guess i'll never know.

Very disappointing experience with Portland Thai Boxing…read more I wanted to train while I was visiting Portland and PDX Thai Boxing seemed like an awesome spot. I emailed the gym to ask about waivers/drop-in fee but didn't receive a response. I figured I could handle everything when I got the the gym. Once I got to Portland I decided to take the 10am Monday class. After spending the money to take a Lyft to the gym, I get there and no one was at the front desk. Someone pointed me towards one of the coaches and I asked him about a drop-in fee. The coach informed me that PDX Thai Boxing doesn't do drop-in's because of Oregon Covid policies. Apparently I was supposed to sign up for some online portal that would've let me sign up for class. Since I didn't sign up, I couldn't train. The coach informed me that there was a phone number I could call to talk to someone and then asked me to leave the gym (he wasn't mean or disrespectful about it). I called the number and got a voicemail. The coach was doing his job and the policy is this policy, but it sucked to get turned away from the gym. I should've called ahead, that was my mistake. Overall, the whole experience felt really bad. The worst part is that the gym looked really nice! If you're looking to train here make sure you call ahead or you might get turned away.

Amazing group of people. Excellent instructor. Serious practitioners that are welcoming and want…read moreyou to succeed.

A great training environment with great people. Thomas is a fantastic teacher and the group has…read moregreat comradery.

I have grown up training with Instructor Ferrito at Ferrito Martial Arts. He has taught me to…read moredefend myself and confidently use my voice as a young woman. The strength and confidence that learning martial arts gave me as a young teen translated to confidence in the rest of my life and helped me to stand up for myself in many scenarios. As a young female college student living alone in a major city, when I am able to visit home and attend a class at Ferrito Martial Arts, Instructor Ferrito listens to my safety concerns and works with me to find defense techniques that are specifically tailored to my needs. This includes defense techniques for public transportation and other places and unique situations that I regularly feel unsafe in. Instructor Ferrito works patiently and kindly with people of all ages -- I began attending classes as a late middle schooler and am delighted to be returning to this wonderful class during college breaks. Students hold deep respect for each other and Instructor Ferrito because of the respect that he shows us. I cannot more strongly recommend trying a class at Ferrito Martial Arts, you will be warmly greeted and leave with practical tools to for self defense. This Dojang (martial arts studio) is especially great for young women. I have learned realistic defense techniques that can be used in real-life scenarios, including boxing, grappling (wrestling), knife and stick defenses and so so much more.

I was lucky enough to find Ferrito Martial Arts about 3 years ago, it's been a blast. Instructor…read moreFerrito is a wonderful teacher, during busy classes managing to be able to give one on one instruction on a wide range of techniques. I have found Instructor Ferrito to be a very patient teacher whether he is working with a beginner adult or a blue belt pre-teen, he fits his teaching to the student. This class has been great at giving me a good work out while providing vital self defense techniques. Farang Hapkido uses an effective mix of joint locks, strikes, grappling, and weapons to develop a self defense style that can work for any body type and is flexible enough to be adapted to any situation. I feel fortunate to have found a martial arts family with this school.

I mostly train at their sister school, SW Portland Martial Arts (which is near my house), but I…read moreattend one sparring class a week at NPMAAM. I'm the newest and least-skilled guy there, but all of the other students are helpful and encouraging. Sifu Mike is a great teacher and I have a great time in his class.

I have trained at North Portland Martial Arts and Movement (formerly Northeast Portland Martial…read moreArts) for about six years now and my kids trained here for about three years. I cannot speak highly enough about the quality of the training my family and I have received from Sifu Sean Kelly and Michael Wall: they provide a great mix of martial arts fundamentals along with practical application. Mo Duk Pai is a form of Kajukenbo which is an early mixed martial art that came out of Hawaii in the early 40's. This form of martial arts pulls from KArate, JUdo and jujitsu, KENpo, and BOxing and also incorporates elements of Muay Thai, Arnis/Eskrima, and Systema. Mo Duk Pai is awesome! The Mo Duk Pai community in the Portland area is a fantastic group of skilled martial artists that share their experience with all students. With three schools in Portland, there are a ton of classes you can take with some of the best people to train with. And, the classes are very affordable, especially with discounts for multiple family members. In addition to martial arts, check out Functional Range Conditioning (FRC) training with Michael Wall. I've done several classes with him and he is a fantastic resource and wealth of knowledge with respect to getting your body moving to its full range of motion and achieving your fullest potential. This has been a great addition to my martial arts training. Like I said earlier, I cannot speak highly enough about this school! I look forward to training with you.

Amazing martial arts and great community! Everyone is so friendly, and I felt so welcome when I…read morefirst came here 2 years ago. I'm still here and so glad I joined. I would recommend this dojo for anyone (especially women) who is looking to start a martial art and make new friends!

Portland Aikikai is a wonderful place to practice Aikido. The students and instructors are all…read moresuper welcoming and do their best to help you learn and improve. It's also in a great location in the city -- close to several public transit routes.

Not everyone who is good at doing stuff is good at teaching it. Hannah and Eddie are not only…read moreaccomplished martial artists who are constantly reevaluating how effective techniques are in high level competition, but they are also talented teachers and coaches of competitive athletes and hobbyists alike. This is a fantastic training environment, where standards are uncompromisingly high, but students of all levels are met where they are and helped along, with nobody ignored or excluded. The vibe couldn't be less toxic. I'm an older, injury-prone guy, and I feel lucky to experience legit, high-intensity rolls in a setting where I trust my training partners to be safe, because that is part of the culture here. Oh, and my son loved Hannah's and Eddie's superb kids' program, which is no babysitting service, but delivers authentic skills instruction in a fun, supportive environment. Finally, for those looking around at schools, I'd advise looking for a few green flags- rates transparently posted on website, pressure-free trial classes, no sketchy contracts, no requirement to purchase branded uniforms, no bs. Honestly, I love jiu jitsu but it's not for everyone, and I wouldn't advise anyone let themselves get talked into a big financial commitment before getting the chance to try it out a bit.

I'm new to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and I was incredibly nervous. Thankfully the coaches Eddie and…read moreHannah were so kind and welcoming. The other students as well. You can tell they teach that kind of empathy and openness to everyone involved. There was no pressure to continue if I was too tired to continue. I'll be back for sure. Thanks guys!

They aren't kidding when they say things like "ego free" or friendly. Definitely want to sign up…read morewith them. Went with my teenage daughter and she was into it too. I'm glad they exist!

I highly recommend Lightning Hand Academy because they teach techniques that can be used for…read morepractical, real world self defense, it's a great workout, and the school has very good, supportive community feel. Full disclosure - I studied with Lightning Hand regularly from early 2016 until August 2017. In July 2017 I met someone in Washington, dated long distance, then moved so I wasn't able to make time for martial arts. I thought I had written a review for LHA 4 years ago and just found that I had not, so I figured late better than never! I was primarily interested in practical self defense and a good workout. I was afraid of making the mistake of "studying the wrong martial art". The Wing Chun approach seemed practical to me - techniques are all standing up, emphasis is on close range & punching technique, early techniques are very simple which makes them faster to cement into muscle memory. Wing Chun doesn't do high kicks, which are flashy but high risk and in my opinion unlikely to be used in a real life self defense situation (by the time you know someone intends to actually attack you, not just posturing, they are inside kicking distance). LHA's class approach creates a good training loop in my opinion - warm up, discuss ideas and theory, practice smaller skill subsets - agility or striking drills, then integrate smaller skills into practical fighting application by sparring, repeat. Enough variety in techniques and drills to keep you from getting bored, but also comes back to basics frequently to make sure they are solid in your muscle memory. There can be BS (or fear of BS) around martial arts, but I felt LHA was a very low BS environment. All humans have egos, so Ray would regularly talk to the benefits of overcoming your ego, because it gets in the way of learning. Students are expected to teach each other by being good training partners, and held to this expectation. I was once corrected by Ray in I thought a very skillful manner. I was doing a drill with someone that is supposed to be about sensing and technique, but I was using muscle to overpower my partner. Neither of us were learning what we were supposed to be. Ray came over and swapped my partner out, and did the same exercise with me. He was pushing me all over, but I could feel that he was using better posture and technique, not muscle force. I was tiring quickly and he was barely exerting effort. He asked if I still feel strong. This was pointed enough that I understood his meaning clearly - knock it off! But also conveyed one to one so I was not embarrassed in front of the class. I got really clear from this teaching moment that I was responsible for helping others learn and resolved to be a better training partner. COVID has made a lot of things difficult, but I believe LHA is still operating, doing remote training. There is a lot in Wing Chun you can learn practicing solo with minimal equipment - forms teach correct movements, you can practice striking with a wall bag full of rice that will cost less than $30. The best training experience will still need another person, but maybe you can recruit a friend or significant other to train with you? If you're feeling cooped up and would like to try learning a new skill, there is no time like the present!