#1 rated youth Brazilian Jiu Jitsu program in Oregon. MMA earned 18 medals including 6 State Championships.
The most unique and one-of-a-kind
Martial Arts program
We are proud here at McKenzie Martial Arts, to offer the most unique and fun approach to youth martial arts you will ever see. You WILL see a very active class, not kids standing around waiting their turn. You will NOT find another school/dojo that offers more classes for the appropriate age of your child. This format allows the child to grow at the proper pace and this ensures SAFETY.
We use the same philosophy and concepts of Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, but the beauty is how each class is designed for the appropriate age. We do not believe that a 7 year old should be in the same class as a 15 year old. The age, size and maturity level is too great. The techniques and training methods that a teenager is going to learn will be much different than a 4 year old.
*** While it is a common practice in the Martial Arts world to put apprentice and assistant instructors in charge of a Youth Program, ALL OF OUR CLASSES ARE TAUGHT BY THE HEAD INSTRUCTORS OF MCKENZIE MARTIAL ARTS AND FAMILY FITNESS CENTER. This will ensure that all of our members are being instructed in the safest atmosphere possible.
***WE ARE NOT A BELT BUYING PROGRAM. You will NEVER have to pay for a rank or evaluation EVER. We do not support the styles that create 9 year old Black Belts. We have stuck to this belief for nearly 10 years in our JKD Youth Program while developing some amazing martial artists, athletes and State Champions in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
***MORE THAN SELF DEFENSE: All of our staff members are just like you. We have families too, and we are always looking out for what is best for our children. This is how we approach Martial Arts. We stress in each of our classes the importance of: respect for yourself and others, school work, courage, how to win and lose graciously, bully encounters, emergency escapes and many more character building aspects of martial arts that will help them grow into functioning teens and adults.
This is the Level I class; the Skills Building Program. We emphasize the "Self Perfection" side to Jeet Kune Do. This allows the kids to develop as athletes. Our drills and games will prepare them to graduate to the next level class.
Kids at this stage of training will learn basic positions and footwork from arts such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Kickboxing and Jun Fan Gung Fu. We also cover important aspects of "child abduction defense". Drills, games and some light grappling is to be expected from this class.
Junior's (JKD/Gracie Jiu-Jitsu) 7-12 years old
Level II of the Youth JKD program is a very unique time in the childs martial arts career. We begin to take a deeper look into the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and prepare students for the opportunity to compete in local and state tournaments. As we look into the sport aspects of BJJ we also keep in mind that kids MUST know how to safely protect themselves in a bully situation. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has an amazing effect on people's confidence, and that alone can help from being picked on at school.
Attribute development such as speed, timing and agility is one of the cornerstones of Bruce Lee's training methods. We use traditional drills from arts such as Muay Thai Kickboxing and the ancient art of Filipino Kali. Both these arts fit perfectly alongside a strong base in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
We keep true to Bruce's philosophy of keeping an open mind. This prevents us from ever growing stale in the martial arts. A few other arts we will explore in this program are: Judo, Sambo, Savate, Western Boxing, Freestyle and Greco Roman Wrestling and the many different arts of the Philippines.
