SBG Reviews
Learn What Others Have To Say About SBG Portland
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Customer reviews
HIGH PROFILE REVIEWS
Conor McGregor
| UFC Legend, SBG Fighter
“Every gym I went to had their own way: Don’t do it that way, do it that way – you must stand that way, you must punch this way. But SBG wasn’t like that. They encouraged different movements. SBG is my team.”
Randy Couture
| UFC Legend
“The training at Straight Blast Gym has been instrumental in my preparation for reality fighting in the UFC. Matt’s expertise in stand-up and ground fighting techniques have helped me win the Ultimate Fighting Championships.”
Gunnar Nelson
| Famous UFC Fighter, Member of SBG
“I started training with SBG when I was 16 years old. It all started when Matt Thornton visited Iceland. He explained the fundamentals so well, everything else just came freely.”
John Kavanagh
| Famous UFC Coach, SBGi Member
“I run the most successful MMA competition team in Ireland. Matt’s coaching and the SBG philosophy helped me achieve that. Matt is unique in his incredible ability to instill a love for training in students. I’d never witnessed so many people so motivated to train for the sake of training, until I visited his Academy. If you get a chance to train with him, do so, you will not be disappointed.””
Dr. Peter Boghossian
| Professor of philosophy at PSU
“Once I realized the truth behind the Matt Thornton’s Aliveness Idea, it completely changed how I viewed Martial Arts. I also feel that the Aliveness principle has application in other fields of education, and particularly critical thinking skills. At the age of 45 I train actively at the Portland SBG. The training is fun, healthy, injury free, keeps me in shape, and has benefited me in many ways. I can’t recommend the facility enough.”
Rokas Leonavicius
| Famous Martial Arts YouTuber
“I flew half across the globe to train in SBG Portland and never regretted a day. It is an exceptional gym with the highest level of coaching and a welcoming atmosphere. I would recommend it with confidence to anyone who wants to learn functional martial arts.”
Sam Harris
| Author of numerous New York Times bestsellers
“Matt Thornton [founder of SBG] is one of the clearest BJJ instructors I have come across. He uses his considerable talents to teach the fundamentals!”
Chris Haueter
| BJJ Legend, one of the first American Black Belts
“My first black belt, Matt Thornton, is among the best coaches and innovative thinkers currently bound to earth.”
Customer reviews
Video Reviews
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Customer reviews
REAL WORLD RESULTS
“Love this place! I’m very new to Martial arts of any kind. At the time I was so scared and overwhelmed by all of the choices. I had my orientation which helped me decide where to start. I can’t say enough about the atmosphere. Such a vast group of people all striving to thrive not only physically but emotionally, spiritually and mentally. All helping lift each other up.”
“Go here if you want to learn the right way. SBG is as encouraging as it is challenging. The instructors make sure you learn proper technique. This is important in order for you to grow as a fighter. I have been a member at other gyms and it was so ego-driven. You will not find that at SBG. Instead, you will find a supportive community that helps you to get to the next level in your training.”
“Awesome gym with great coaches! These guys know their jiu-jitsu, and most importantly they know how to teach each individual to be their best. All of the other students are great too, there’s a real social atmosphere in the gym. If you’re looking to get into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or Mixed Martial Arts, there’s no better gym in Portland!”
“Very Impressed by the professional staff and friendly Vibe at this gym. It is a place I feel I can really grow as a Martial artist and have the chance to get world-class instruction in a safe, professional environment. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be apart of this Awesome place.”
“SBG really is a great organization. I have been training there for a little less than 4 years and it has completely changed my life. The coaching and training at the gym is top notch, and it is just a great group of people. If you are thinking about training in the Portland area you owe it to yourself to check out SBG.”
“I really cant say enough about this team. Ive literally trained in gyms all over the country, Florida, Colorado, The NW and Cali and so forth. Never anywhere even in PDX have I found a more welcoming team, positive work environment and world class instruction. No drama, no bs, just perfect.”
“I have been set SBG since Feb, and has trained in the past at few other gyms I can say that SBG is top notch. The systematic approach they use helps students progress and provides a safe training environment. I have enjoyed my training so much that I have even signed my 4-year-old daughter up. I would recommend this gym to anyone from beginner to highly seasoned martial artists. The coaches are super friendly and knowledgeable, and the other students have been very welcoming.”
“I train at the Burien sbg location and have been lucky enough to learn from and train with some of the Portland coaches when they come up to Burien. John, Amanda and Cane are fantastic coaches and really break down the fundamentals so you build a solid foundation. I also was able to go to Matt Thornton’s seminar when he came to Burien and it made a huge difference in my jiujitsu. I highly encourage anyone thinking of trying to jiujitsu in the Portland area to go here and see what these guys are all about.”
“My daughter and husband go here and the staff is amazing!! They are knowledgeable and professional. They do their best to help you succeed and be the best you can be! We will never go to any other gym!! The kids classes are taught by amazing instructors that really care for the kids. They are patient and give so much support. This gym is more like family than just a membership!! They help with not only Jiu Jitsu but with building the strength of mind, body and spirit.”
“I moved here in 2014 with a brown belt from an affiliated gym. All of the coaches and students immediately made me feel incredibly welcome. All of my favorite people in Portland train at this gym with me. I love it and I love them. They have helped me deconstruct and reassemble many areas of my jiu jitsu game. I’m a trained educator, and I have literally never seen better coaching anywhere. There are of course things that I would want them to do differently, but none of it has to do with the technique, teaching methods, or vibe of the gym. And those should be the most important things.”
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“This gym is like family to me now, and some of my closest friends now are at SBG. The training there, first and foremost is incredible. Every single coach is top notch, relatable, technical, humble, and generous in their time and energy. The community is incredible, and diverse. You have young guns there, in their early twenties, you have littles in the kids program, you have the silverbacks, you have stay at home moms, single people, grandparents, artists, engineers, blue collar, white collar, no collar, they all come together and check their ego at the door, and line up on the mats to learn together, train together, and grow together. I love SBG, my husband and my two children train here, and I am there five days a week.”
“Amazing cast to lead you from zero to hero. Matt is the most honest and authentic mind I’ve learned from – his desire for the most simple, effective and applicable Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is beautiful.
Amanda is one of the most passionate, hardworking and loving people for her students and teammates.
Cane is just a great mind, wealth of knowledge and is an amazing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu player. John Diggins is the 80’s action hero who wants to make you better.
The people at this gym have brought me great joy, they make me want to invest all my time towards learning from them. Amazing tribe with equally great bjj.”
Cane is just a great mind, wealth of knowledge and is an amazing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu player. John Diggins is the 80’s action hero who wants to make you better.
The people at this gym have brought me great joy, they make me want to invest all my time towards learning from them. Amazing tribe with equally great bjj.”
“I’ve been training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu here for over a year now and I can’t say enough good things about this gym. The coaches are world class, the training partners are awesome, and the environment fosters growth in more than just martial arts. The feeling of community at SBG is strong and everyone looks out for each other on or off the mat.
If you’re looking for great exercise, effective martial arts training, or friendly people helping each other better themselves: SBG has it all.”
“There are a lot of really good gyms in the Portland area to train Jiujitsu and this is definitely one of them. Some very talented practitioners and coaches can be found here and every time I have dropped in I have been treated like a welcomed member of the team.”
The black belts I have worked seem knowledgeable, friendly as well as very capable. I believe that Matt Thorton (SBGi founder) has been a black belt longer than anyone else in the Portland area and has had an extremely positive impact on the Martial Arts scene not just locally but as a whole.
The gym works hard to provide a positive learning environment and maintain a strong sense of community. I would recommend this gym to individuals who are new to grappling and Jiujitsu as well long-time practitioners.
Overall a fun place to train as well as improve yourself.”
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“The Straight Blast Gym International headquarters in Portland Oregon has quickly become more than just a gym. Over the past 6 months, I have had more fun than I have in the past decade. I have learned more about myself and my capabilities than ever before in my life. The quality of the coaches and training is top notch, so much so, that I have aspirations of taking their coaching program in the future. Everyone from the newest member of our head instructor Matt Thornton has been friendly and helpful. I can promise you SBGi has turned out to be more than just a gym for me, and it could easily be much more for you. See you on there.
The black belts I have worked seem knowledgeable, friendly as well as very capable. I believe that Matt Thorton (SBGi founder) has been a black belt longer than anyone else in the Portland area and has had an extremely positive impact on the Martial Arts scene not just locally but as a whole.
“The gym works hard to provide a positive learning environment and maintain a strong sense of community. I would recommend this gym to individuals who are new to grappling and Jiujitsu as well long-time practitioners.
Overall a fun place to train as well as improve yourself.”
“For me, it’s most important that I have fun and I enjoy coming in to train. I don’t like to force myself to go to the gym, I want to feel like I have a family of good people I’m going to visit so we can all learn from each other. SBG has that and they also have good instruction in part due to their well thought out system. They don’t just jump into flashy moves and complicated submissions. They build up your game from a strong base and make sure that you understand exactly why and what you are doing. Most gyms do not do this which means the talented and athletic people move along while the rest of us drop out over time.
They offer a full MMA curriculum too and even though I primarily practice BJJ now I like to train somewhere with options and it helps that even in BJJ the instructors have a good mind for full MMA rules or street defense.
If you want to learn and have fun with a diverse group of open-minded people then this is a great spot to try.
To address the bad reviews because I am a bit sad that such a fundamentally good gym would have such issues. I think perhaps the money back offer should go as it looks like it created just about every bad review here, maybe they could have handled things better in that department but I also have a feeling these people were rude as I know the staff here and I can’t imagine they would be anything but honorable. Also, I think they should post the schedule, be very clear about pricing, and drop the contract system to avoid some of the issues I have seen posted about recently.”
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