Five Rings has a fantastic youth program. It works for very different kinds of kids, giving them BJJ skills, sure, but all the other benefits you expect from martial arts in an extremely positive and caring environment. Kids are organized by age and then earn different belts in each tier. The vibe works for kids who love it all, and those who never want to go to class. Good rates that are flexible with the amount of classes you want in a week. The adult classes are also lead by thoughtful and engaging teachers.
I started training at Five Rings Jiu Jitsu through the We Defy Foundation a program that helps disabled veterans like myself get back into an active and empowered lifestyle. Even before day one, the team at Five Rings has gone above and beyond in making me feel welcomed and supported.
Before my official program started, they invited me to join classes and made sure I felt comfortable. Every instructor has been encouraging, patient, and genuinely invested in my progress and not just as a student, but as a person. They take the time to teach, check in, and always greet me with a smile when I walk in the door. That kind of consistent support and community means everything.
If you're looking for a place to train, whether you're a beginner or coming in with life challenges, I can’t recommend Five Rings enough.
Thank you so much for sharing this! We’re truly honored to have you as part of the Five Rings Jiu Jitsu family. It means a lot to know that the We Defy Foundation program and our martial arts school have helped you reconnect with an active, empowered lifestyle.
Our goal has always been to create a space where everyone, no matter their background or experience, feels welcomed, supported, and motivated to grow. We’re proud of your progress and grateful to have you training with us. Keep up the amazing work, and we’ll keep cheering you on every step of the way.
I don't write many reviews, but this one is long overdue. I can't say enough good things about Five Rings Jiu Jitsu. My three children have trained here since 2017, and it has been an integral part of my family's journey. Coach Tom and Coach Dan are incredible teachers, master jiu jitsu practitioners, and amazing humans. Not only are they knowledgeable educators, but they also live what they teach. I am grateful that they create such a positive space for people of all ages to learn excellent jiu jitsu and to grow as people. They have supported my children's development from youth to young adulthood. Thank you!
I came did a drop in for open mat and their black belts worked with me on my game and toke time to help my technique and showed me valuable positions to help with my game. I really appreciate this gym !
Five Rings is simply awesome for kids. Through jiu jitsu at Five Rings, my kids have developed the grit, discipline, and confidence that have helped them in other aspects of their lives. The fact that they are also getting stronger and learning how to defend themselves is an added bonus. They let kids try one class for free, so give it a try!
My 9-yo daughter has been doing the Dragons class (7-9 year olds) at Five Rings for two years & my youngest has been attending the Samurais class (4-6 year olds) for 6 months. My girls are both quite small for their age and generally not very physical or athletic. Despite this, they have thrived at Five Rings. This is mainly because of the great instructors at the school. Coach Tom and Coach Dan are very in tune with their students’ abilities, personalities, and physicalities. They make sure there are no major size or experience mismatches to make sure kids stay safe (rule #1 at five rings) and have fun (rule #2). The coaches are very good with kids. The decades of experience in teaching kids really comes through in this regard. They set clear expectations and communicate clearly with the kids. When kids misbehave or act out, the coaches are firm, yet patient and kind. The coaches are also very positive with the kids and emphasize learning and effort over winning (rule #3 is to try your best)
Compared to the other big JJ place in Beaverton, which we tried prior to Five Rings, Five Rings’ classes are more structured, less chaotic, and provide more personal attention. You can tell they have fine-tuned their curriculum and classes throughout their years of teaching. Every class begins with the black belt pledge, a mantra emphasizing discipline, perseverance, accountability and effort. Kids then do a game of tag to warm up their body and prepare their minds. Then teachers demonstrate a new move or chain of moves and let the kids practice with each other. Higher intensity work comes next through movement lines to help kids build strength and agility (think crab walks, bear crawls, rolls, etc). After more demonstrations and practicing, kids get to practice their skills with positional sparring (ex. trying to get out of/keep mount), sudden victory (first person to score a point wins), or even full 2-min matches (Samurais have a variation called scrambled eggs where they stay on their knees). Samurais then have a game of sharks and minnows at the end (a favorite amongst the kids!). By the end of each class, most kids are sweaty and better for it. Classes then end with a positive message for the kids and they each get a stripe or star for attending, which is another great thing about Five Rings. Kids like the stripe and get a sense of accomplishment; The stripe also serves as a way for the school to keep track the training each student has received that curriculum. Curricula run 10 weeks each and students must attend at least 16 classes to go up a belt. This sets clear goals for parents and kids and makes it clear that you have to EARN your stripe!
Another great aspect of Five Rings is their emphasis on developing leaders. More experienced kids are encouraged to help their less-experienced classmates during class. Also, kids have the opportunity to become L.I.T. (Leaders in Training), who act as assistant coaches for levels younger than them. (Ex. A Dragon could LIT for the Samurais class). L.I.T. help monitor kids as they practice, providing suggestions for improvements with their moves. They can even help lead some aspects of class (ex. lead black belt pledge or tell what to do for movement lines).
A few times a year Five Rings coordinates friendship tournaments w/ JJ schools from Salem & Seaside. This gives the kids the opportunity to roll w/ kids they don’t normally get to have a match with and is a great learning opportunity for them. My daughter didn’t always win at these tournaments, but she always had fun. Its one of the best parts of being at a well-run gym like Five Rings
Absolutely loved this gym. The black belts were extremely polite and very technical. The mats were clean and really nice. Definitely felt comfortable with the energy here and will be returning. Also their belting ceremony was lovely.
I generally don’t give out reviews (much less five star reviews) but I’m making an exception for Five Rings…
My daughter and I have had a fantastic experience training here. Dan and Tom are exceptionally gifted at connecting with kids. They manage the youth classes with humor, grace and professionalism. It has been delightful to see my daughter improve week after week.
The adult classes are welcoming, informative and intense without being aggressively competitive. I’m having a blast learning the basics and adding to my Jiu Jitsu tool kit with each class I take (while accidentally getting an incredible workout). As a bonus, I’ve found I’m back to fitting into my favorite clothes from 10 years ago... my style choices aside, I have nothing but positive feedback for Five Rings Jiu Jitsu.
This studio has been life changing for my 5 year old son. The coaches strike an amazing balance of being flexible and kind to the kids while also holding an expectation of good effort and good attitude. Coach Tom and Coach Dan in particular have such a good grasp of childhood development. My son has been here a year and started out not even able to make it through a class session without a meltdown due to being shy or having big feelings. But with patience and persistence, the coaches helped him week by week and now a year later he is confident and happy and loves going to class! Going to 5 rings is one of the best things we ever did for our son. 10/10 recommend.
Really liked the academy until we stopped going and tried to cancel the monthly credit card charge. It's been 5 months and they are still charging my credit card. My son asked multiple times and my card is still being charged
If it happens again I'll be dealing with credit card company
We have been so lucky to come across Five Rings Jiu Jitsu! Our 9 year old son started going here this year after attending their summer camp, and will be transitioning from another gym. The coaches with Five Rings are clearly knowledgeable not only in Jiu Jitsu, but in childhood development. Their classes are designed to be fun, but challenging, for all levels. They also clearly care about the kids and make the effort to get to know families, so it is a very welcoming and engaging space. Our son loves it!
Awesome place and people! I really appreciate the care and extra time new students /white belts get. You get the feeling everyone is there learning and helping eachother out along their own path independent of belt color, age, experience, size, all of it. Good people helping good people!
Highly recommend this academy!! My 7 and 9 year old boys have been training BJJ for almost 2 years and are very competitive. We have cross trained at 10 different academies in Oregon and Washington. Five Rings is exactly what our boys needed! Their 2 main professors are black belts and give such detailed technical advice explaining the why behind the what. They also teach self control and slowing the game down so students can pay attention to the little details that make them better opponents and better training partners. There is a path for everyone at Five Rings whether you want to learn the art of Jiu Jitsu, learn self defense, attain more self confidence or compete. Get to a class!
For me, the experience at 5 Rings Jujitsu has been incredible. I started at about 2 and a half years ago as of writing, and my wrestling skill skyrocketed. I've gotten much fitter, and this is probably the only physical activity I get. I've had a great experience with the many coaches and Professors, Professor Tom, Professor Dan, Coach Ryan, Coach Foster, and many others besides. I would recommend this gym to all that want to learn about the art of Jujitsu, improve their current skills, or just dive in and have fun getting sweaty.
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