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.

Really high class instruction and overall level here. No gi and gi classes were packed with…read moretechnique but still easy enough to digest. I dropped in for two days as I was passing through on my roadtrip up north. The sport of jiu jitsu is safe and sound here in Portland!

Dylan is one of the most articulate and organized coaches I've ever worked with. He has a system, a…read moreplan, and a sense of the big picture. I've sought him out for private instruction over the past few years and I always feel like I get a good value and walk out better than I walked in.

From the owner: Impact Next Generation is a youth MMA, Wrestling, and Jiu Jitsu Academy for the passionate Youth…read moreathletes of the Gresham and SE Portland area.

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.

Highly recommend this place, we have seen our son grow so much since he started! Anthony is truly…read moreone of the best coach we've ever experienced!

I took a private with Anthony while going through Oregon on vacation. The first thing that stood…read moreout to me was the cleanliness of the gym. Large mat space with no sharp edges anywhere. Location was great with ample parking. It was my first time rolling with him, yet he was able to grasp the gaps in my game and helped me expand on my half guard and kimuras. Anthony is a wealth of knowledge and highly recommended for all levels. His instruction was concise and easy to understand. A true professional in all aspects. Oss!

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.

My 7 year-old and a 9 year-old that started with Sensei Chris a few weeks back and we couldn't be…read morehappier. The environment is goal-driven and supportive. Neither of my kids have done martial arts before and they are learning quickly and having fun doing it. I would HIGHLY recommend Brazilian Top Team for parents looking for real-life self defense applications for their kids.

This team is amazing with kids!!! They are professional and instill so much confidence in the…read morechildren. I am glad we found Brazilian Top Team. I cannot express how much my kids have grown out of their comfort zones. They have become confident, outgoing, and resilient. I highly recommend this business!!!

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!

He's a snake, and I'll tell him to his face. All about the…read moremoney. Very sarcastic, which I don't mind particularly, except he does it in front of kids often. 1st time there, signing my daughter up for a "1-year-membership" he asked my then less than 3 year old son if he was a "smart feller, or a fart smeller"? Funny? Yes! Appropriate for a man who will impact the lives of children? Absolutely inappropriate! Very good martial artist. Very BAD professional!

The fact that I drive three hours one way to train at Lobo Jiu Jitsu pretty much sums up how…read moreawesome this academy is. Professor Anibal Lobo is an amazing instructor. The culture of the academy is very welcoming, and the program is very much self defense oriented, although they have a kick ass competition team. Lobo Jiu Jitsu is my home academy for life!

4 of us came here for a trial class and had so much fun! It was most of our first time on the mat,…read morebut the amount of support and help we received from the coaches and other students was noticeably different than other gyms around. Definitely recommend!

I am so impressed with Impact Jiu Jitsu. My nine year old daughter has Asperger Syndrome, which…read more(among many other things) causes her to be very clumsy and both physically and socially awkward. She does not do well in group sports, even though she tries very hard. Because of this, I'd been looking for some kind of sport or physical activity that fit her. Impact Jiu Jitsu recently moved into our neighborhood, and we gave it a week to see if it would work out for her. Not only did they offer a full week (3 classes) with a very nice loaned gi, they also took extra time with her to help her get comfortable with the facility and the staff. Speaking of the staff, my wife is very hard to impress. But she goes on and on about the quality of the teachers there. They are knowledgable, they are so patient, they are focused on safety, and they are fully engaged. My daughter has finally found "her thing," and is excited to go to every class. We're absolutely delighted with every aspect of this gym.