Josh and James are great coaches and teachers! I highly recommend Gracie Technics…read more It's a really good place to train and learn.

This place is very welcoming and neighborly to everybody coming in. All of the instructors are…read moreknowledgeable and open to answer any questions in an authentic manner. I brought my daughter in here for off-season training and she loves it. We are definitely coming back here when she is here for cross-training. Everyone welcomed my daughter every time she arrives for training.

Universal offers jiujitsu, self defense and striking classes for kids and adults. The amount of…read moreclasses and different times offered, really helps make it possible to get in and train, even with a busy work/life schedule. On top of the basic fundamentals and advanced technique classes, they have women's only classes and a Masters class tailored to serve older grapplers. The instructors offer a variety of training styles and have different perspectives, allowing for a well rounded approach to jiujitsu. The facility is conveniently located in downtown Camas. It's a very family oriented environment and everyone is very welcoming. Professor Mel Locke has done an amazing job as one of the very early BJJ pioneers in the PNW.

Universal is a awesome gym & I can't recommend it enough. The owners are are great coaches & the…read moreenvironment is very family friendly. If you are wanting to train jiu-jitsu in Clark County, WA you should definitely try Universal Jiu-jitsu.

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.

So we've been going here about 15 months now. Four or five days a week, each week, day in and day…read moreout. They were still in a shared location with snap fitness when we started a brief relocation down to boring and now we're in our final new location at the Troutdale outlet mall Absolutely beautiful spot, mats are always clean, people are always fresh. Lots of kids and younger guys here and teen class for the teens that are kind of in between the adult and the kid learning mindset. Professor here as a fifth-degree black belt Brazilian as it gets. An absolute master of the craft. You won't be getting anything water down here. Prices are very comparable from what I have seen online for other places in the area. It's been an absolutely amazing experience for me and my kids. As a 36 year-old that started JiuJitsu with zero athletic background I can honestly say it was a bit intimidating to get on the Matt for the first time. Both of my kids had done taekwondo and receive black belts and worked for years at it. That was my turn on the second path to join in with them. The fun thing is on Saturday. There is a family class where you and any age kids can all be in the same class together and it really does give a unique experience. Right now, the school is growing their numbers up again at the new location and is a great time to start because you're gonna get some smaller class sizes for the new students and really emphasize the learning mindset . I don't get anything for it but if you show up, tell him Chase sent you and ask for a free week. I'm pretty sure they give everyone a free week, but it sounds cool. First rule of JiuJitsu look good doing it

I frequently visit Portland from out of state and wanted to find a gym that would allow me to…read morecontinue my training in BJJ while away from my home gym. After a ton of googling and researching (with not any options that I was thrilled with) I finally found Checkmat Portland. Being a new gym, it took some searching to discover, but I'm so glad I didn't settle. After coming across them, I ended up checking out their IG: Checkmatportland and I had a chance to speak directly with the owner, Professor Junior. Professor Junior was very nice, welcoming, and incredibly knowledgeable in the sport. Immediately after speaking with him, I knew this was the gym to choose for my stay. During my visit, I attended 3 classes, all of which were were great. I walked away with new moves, and really good training tips from each session. I was very impressed with his passion for teaching and how quickly he was able to identify areas in my personal game that I could improve upon. I am forever grateful for the opportunity I had to train with Professor Junior, for his assistance and knowledge he shared with me. I will definitely be returning every time I'm in town!

I had been looking for a martial arts school since I moved to Vancouver, WA from CA. I've trained…read morein martial arts prior and knew the type of school I wanted to be a part of. I visited a few jiu jitsu schools both in Portland and Vancouver, but struggled in finding the right school and instructor. I wanted a school where the instructor is knowledgeable, skilled, patient, humble, respectful and effectively communicates techniques. Justin Bendsneyder exemplifies all these characteristics. He is an excellent instructor that truly cares about his students and teaching them proper jiu jitsu skills and techniques. Equally important for me was the overall vibe of the school and the students training there. I wanted to train hard, but didn't want to join a place that had a "bro" mentality with people that have a chip on their shoulder. This isn't the case at Inertia - everyone was nice, friendly, and there to learn with no attitudes. It is a welcoming atmosphere for all; beginners as well as advanced practitioners. I was very happy to find Inertia Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & Justin B and highly recommend it to anyone looking to both get in shape & learn jiu jitsu in a positive environment.

I normally don't post reviews yet felt compelled to write this one. Bottom line: Your coach can…read moremake all the difference in your development and passion for the sport and art of BJJ, and I can think of no better coach than Justin Bendsneyder and no better place than Inertia BJJ. When you sign up to join, you sign up for Justin to be your coach, so you learn directly from him. Perhaps what is most telling is that my original plan was to take up a different martial art. However, after observing how Justin taught his students, it became instantly clear to me that I had to seize the opportunity to become a student of Justin's. Truly gifted martial arts instructors can be hard to come by. I realized that this rare and special opportunity was right before me and so I approached Justin [he is very approachable!] and told him that I wanted to learn from him. That happened about a year ago and since then has been one of the best experiences of my life. Justin breaks down techniques and move sets in a way that make it clear and simple to apply, are mechanically sound, and reliable under pressure. The way he communicates that though is what initially caught my attention. Justin has the rare ability to distill down the complex into the simple -- yet in great detail. For me, great communication contains words and instruction yet goes far beyond that to also include patience, respect, the ability to understand things from the student's perspective, always being positive, being a good listener, encouraging questions, demonstrating moves from different angles until you get it, explaining not just the 'what' but the 'why' behind it; the list goes on. Humility, integrity, self-respect, respect for others... Justin leads by example. Always positive, downright friendly, and encouraging to make the learning and mat work fun! The way he carries himself is imprinted throughout Inertia BJJ and as a consequence there is a strong bond of trust, respect and camaraderie among all students. Again, this makes training fun and rewarding because everyone shares the same mindset of wanting to help your fellow training partner. Respect and friendship; you make others better and they in turn make you better. Justin continually strives to improve even though he is an advanced Black Belt with undeniable proficiency in the many facets of BJJ: Gi, No Gi, Self Defense, Sport/Competition. He constantly seeks out new techniques to test out to ensure that the techniques he teaches us are as refined and optimal as possible. In this way, he is constantly driven to make himself better and all of us -- his students -- better; session after session. That is the kind of integrity Justin brings to Inertia BJJ... tirelessly practices what he preaches. Simply the best BJJ coach and the best kind of person that you will find.

I have trained with the instructors Ian, John, and Chris for a lot of years. They are top level…read moreinstructors. The only reason I don't regularly train there is because I no longer live in the area. If I ever moved back to the Vancouver area, Forge would be where I train, without a doubt. These guys are more than just top level instructors. They are like family. It doesn't get any better than that. The highest level instructors who truly care about their students. Highly recommend this dojo.

Forge is an awesome place to learn. Owner Chris is fantastic and Ian and John ( black belt…read moreinstructors) are great, attentive and detailed in there approach to Brazilian jiu jitsu , above all ( new students of all levels) they care about there students and treat everyone like family at Forge. Outstanding team , amazing environment.

Best gym ever! You will get a great workout, learn new skills and meet some truly amazing people.read more

I am not from here, but was in the area visiting a friend. Though I'm not a regular, all the…read moreinstructors and students have been welcoming since I walked in the door. On top of the great atmosphere, the instructors and lessons have all been top-notch; every class I went to, I was able to learn and utilize something new. Simply put, this place is the epitome of the best side of the martial arts community.