Northwest Fighting Arts

08/11/2008 Posted by BDNeon

The owner of this gym is substantially more focused on locking you into a contract than leading any martial arts training. I felt very pressured from the get go, and after I signed the contract I didn't see the owner again. Once you sign, the contract is sold to an outside billing agency. The outside billing agency continues to charge you until you cancel with them, not with the actual gym. This company makes it very difficult to cancel and adds extra fees. So once you sign, you can no longer talk to anyone at the gym about your bill or canceling after your contract expires. The workouts are satisfying, and there are a wide variety of martial arts available, but getting your money is the main goal of the staff. I strongly advise against signing a contract at NWFA. And once you walk through the door, that is all they will want you to do.

04/18/2008 Posted by lesliemontgomery734

before discovering Jeff and his northwest fighting arts studio my experience had been a shaollow machismo experience and as a women seeking benefits of strength and endurance to find inner peace and confidence challenged and strengthened by the owner and instructors at NWFA i have been inspired by NWFA with an inner peace, some days the minimal stances were challenged when i was required to hold a stance for 15 minutes i didnt get it at the time and yes it was humbling but i sincerely appreciate the awareness and instruction of the owner to challenge me to overcome the particular position i was slacking on, i respect the instruction technique and philosophy of NWFA to observe the lack of skill i was overlooking I would recommend this martial arts school it has over a ten year history in the SE Portland area and the owner having a 15 year world reknown accomplishments that he shares with the students by bringing his fellow fighting arts collegues into the training facility that is above par professional skills with a clean and fresh atmosphere uncomparable to others : 35 yr old female from portland <3 NWFA

Pros: experienced instructors,sparing ring and heavy bags, open 7 days early to late hours

Cons: no slacking little talking all serious workouts no whining will be hear you can try but...

08/06/2007 Posted by honestee

I was a member here for 3 months, and the other members were really nice and inviting. Not a lot of ego's from the students. The owner of the school was distant and unwilling to compromise on difficult situations-so much so that I quit! Really unfriendly...

Pros: nice facility

Cons: unfriendly staff

06/27/2007 Posted by eberar16

I started at NWFA about 5 or 6 years ago to learn muay Thai, then tried the lameco/kali (Filipino martial arts) classes as well, since it looked like fun. They also teach grappling and western boxing, and tai chi. One of my favorite things about the school is the variety: I can study a mix of different martial arts, all in one place. The classes themselves combine technique and conditioning, so you can get quite a workout in while improving your form. The other students are considerate and helpful, and you can learn a lot from them as well as the instructor. The school recently moved into is current location on Morrison, and has a nice space, complete with a new boxing/grappling ring, and convenient access by car (it has its own parking lot) or bus (there's a stop right there).

06/17/2007 Posted by tekshow

I've been a member here nearly 5 years! I've probably tried over 20 different Martial Arts schools in my life and none have encompassed so much so well. My wife now attends classes with me because she saw what a good time I was having, how it was improving my health and how immediate the self-defense came along. There's other great places in town, but NWFA just offers more and more often. They always seem to be open and the people are really mellow, ready to encourage each other and have a good time. My wife and I have made numerous friends and it's benefited our marriage to do something together. Classes we go to are Tai Chi, Boxing, Muay Thai (kickboxing), Grappling/BJJ, Escrima and Jeet Kune Do. Even the people they have training for competitions are very friendly and there's a great ratio of men to women. If you live in Portland and want to have a good time training real martial arts, this is the place. (edit: Oh, almost forgot, they have a fantastic Youth program. There's usually 4 or 5 adults helping out and they know what they're doing. If you have kids its a great place to have them learn about respect and self-discipline.)

Pros: Private parking, friendly staff, Air Conditioned! Plush facility...

Cons: The workout can be as pricey as something like Yoga, because your learning something of value

05/28/2007 Posted by hybrid1107

I trained at 2 different martial arts schools before becoming a student at Northwest Fighting Arts and it by far has the most to offer. The classes are fun, energetic and great workouts and the staff are friendly and professional. I like that I can go to as many classes a week as I want compared to my old martial arts gym where I could only got to 2 classes per week. I like that there is a wide variety of students, of all ages, who are all there with different goals in mind...some are training to fight, others are there to learn self defense, others are there to study a discipline, while others are there to have a fun workout. There is so much that is offered at this gym that training never gets boring.