Cancel

Open app

Search

Eugene Aikikai

5.0 (3 reviews)
Closed • 5:00 pm - 9:00 PM

Eugene Aikikai Photos

You might also consider

Recommended Reviews - Eugene Aikikai

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

4 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Nan H.
68
35
13

4 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

9 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Ask the Community - Eugene Aikikai

Verify this business for free

Get access to customer & competitor insights.

Verify this business

Best Martial Arts Institute - Karate for Kids

Best Martial Arts Institute

(8 reviews)

Great dojo for kids and adults. My 7 y.o. studies karate and…read morejudo under sensei Alan Best. Sensei best has a great balance of patience and high expectations with the kids. I've seen my young one grow in discipline and technical competence under Sensei Best's instruction. My oldest son and I attend the teen/adult Judo class and it's awesome. It's a heck of a workout. The instructors are highly proficient and good at teaching what they know. From teenage girls to old guys like me everyone is treated with respect and a growth mindset. Very kind and supportive culture which is important when you are choking and throwing your classmates.

Best Martial Arts Institute is, in my opinion, the finest martial arts studio in Lane County. They…read moreoffer a wide variety of martial arts classes, from aikido to judo to systema to the more traditional karate and taikwondo, and their instructors are without peer. Sensei Alan Best has been teaching martial arts professionally for over 20 years, and his instructors are all highly qualified. Sensei Jay Kufner deserves special note, as he teaches some of the best kids classes I have ever witnesses. Furthermore, he is able to bring his knowledge of other styles (eskrima and capoeira, for example) and incorporate them into the more traditional adult classes. Yes, the classes are hard, but in a very good way; you will sweat, you will learn, and you will have a great time doing so. If you are looking for a great workout, want to learn a new skill, or are just looking for a fun new activity, I highly recommend giving Best Martial Arts Institute a try.

Big Foot Gym - Ajarn Mike Walrath with fighter Ciara Irvine

Big Foot Gym

(3 reviews)

Honestly I can't say enough good things about Big Foot Gym…read more I started training Thai Boxing here when I was 16 years old (eons ago)! In fact many Muay Thai instructors in Eugene, and throughout Oregon, began their training here. Ajarn (Master) Mike Walrath treats his students like family, while teaching the pure martial art of Muay Thai. I've trained many other places through out the US since starting here, but getting to train with Ajarn Mike and the rest of my Big Foot peeps, is always the best thing about being in Eugene!

If there's anything Big Foot Gym has no shortage of, it's character. A small, dingy garage space…read morewith blue mats covered in black sharpie scrawl envelop the main training area. Worn, beat up heavy bags (some coming apart at the stitching, held together with duct tape) hang by chain from the splintered supports above and old Thai boxing flyers adorn the walls. A large mirror occupies a majority of front wall, while above, portraits of Thai Ajarns gaze downward. To the side, a rack exhibits rusty krabi (sword) and krabong (staff) among a small fleet of aged cardio machines that any Goodwill would be envious of. The rear door leads to an outdoor covered area where a small boxing ring lies. It's hardcore, old-school, not for everyone, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Ajarn Mike Walrath is an eccentric. He'll be the first to tell you, and he definitely won't be the last. He's kind, quirky, and a damned good teacher who is passionate about the learning and well-being of his students. But don't take my word for it; the belts and trophies that stand in plain view are testament his students' success. What really makes this gym special are the people. All the other instructors are also students of the Ajarn, and are equally kind and helpful. The gym has such a positive, nurturing atmosphere, and anyone approaching the gym with trepidation immediately feels at home after spending their first hour training here. No one ever has the "I'm going to f*** you up" mentality, or has anything to prove; everyone just wants to help each other get better and have fun training. Its an amazing thing; beautiful, even. As such, the gym caters to everyone, from complete newbies to competitive fighters, and everyone in between looking for a killer workout. But what amazes me the most about this place isn't the thorough instruction, reverence of Thai culture, quirky atmosphere and strong comraderie, but rather, the whole that supersedes the sum of its parts. Big Foot Gym is a quintessential embodiment of Eugenian culture, quietly tucked away in the corner among a few automotive businesses. Easily overlooked by most, but never taken for granted by those who recognize the gym's true value. The gym didn't just teach me how to fight; the gym represents a conduit from which I was able to grow and develop in an existential manner. This gym has changed the lives of many of its patrons, myself included, and comes with the highest of recommendations.

McKenzie Martial Arts

McKenzie Martial Arts

(6 reviews)

If you're looking to develop/begin your martial arts journey this is an awesome place!…read more Adam is truly an encyclopedia of JeetKuneDo and Juijitsu knowledge. Always breaking things down in the most digestible way, making sure the vibe is light, fun, and no one is ever left hanging. You can tell he cares for his people and his gym, always keepin it real Very grateful for my time here and wish other gyms offered the same foundational skills Adam and the team here had done for me, I've found that it's rather rare. If you're looking for a place to start, go here! I am grateful I did.

I had 2 children in the classes for a year. The staff was nice, I like the messages and base…read moreskills they were teaching. I wanted to start my kids off with a non confrontational martial arts, and that is what I received. The pricing was not bad, 2 kids twice a week for under $300. If we missed classes, they could make them up. You have to pay for 2 additional months after canceling, which I get. Its inconvenient, but they have a business to run. The issue we had, particularly with my youngest, was the classes were not made for active kids. There is not much warm up for the kids, so those who have the need to move still have the zoomies. The punishment for talking or being over active is to sit out. Sitting down and having to be still, while a punishment, does not actually help and makes things worse. In my past martial arts experience punishment was doing something physically active. At times, my child would not get to participate in half or more of the class. What is the point in coming and paying for a martial arts class? The second to last day, we still had over half a month of classes left to us, my child was out for over half the class. The next and final day, the whole class. Not for being aggressive or argumentative or loud, but for getting up and moving. Yes, this disrupts class, I get that. Making them sit out the whole class though, was not only a waste of time and money, but of opportunity and frankly a bad teaching practice. The coach did not even come talk to us afterwards. So, while in general it was not bad and had many good qualities, if you have active/overactive kids, I do not recommend.

Eugene Aikikai - martialarts - Updated May 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...