Hawaii Judo Academy

Excellent training facility! Great vibe!I have trained BJJ for a short time and was looking for a place to start Judo. After searching the underbelly of Reddit and several places online, all positive arrows pointed to Hawaii Judo Academy.They offer a trial class-you can call or sign up on their really user-friendly website. I signed up and attended a class the same day.I absolutely loved the breakdown of instruction during class; I felt the concepts and application were taught very well.They have two floors to their facility and offer jujitsu as well. The schedule is on their website.I highly recommend this training facility! The owner and staff are incredibly welcoming.

Great open environment. From beginners to seasoned players, Sensei Taylor is always open minded to provide constructive feedback!

Best decision we've made bringing out son here. The teachers are so attentive and they keep the kids engaged the entire time. Other places we've gone to my son has had to wait in line to do the exercises and 1/2 of the class ends up with him just standing around bored. You won't regret coming here!!

Came on a Friday and our daughter did the kids intermediate class. Sensei Taylor and Cory were welcoming and took the time to talk and get to know us. Sensei Joel and the others helping to teach were awesome with providing instruction and extremely patient with correcting the kids. The gym environment is laid-back but still also very structured. Location is easy to find and plenty street parking. We'll be back for more judo training and I plan to do the jiu jitsu classes too. So grateful to find this gym!

Looking for a new Judo or Jiu Jitsu school? Come check out HJA! Its conveniently located in Aiea so it's perfect if you live in Central Oahu. They have lots of parking either on the street or in a parking lot right next to the building. The instructors are very friendly and helpful. I've visited a few times for their jiu jitsu gi open mats and all the students are nice and you can tell they are at a good skill level. They also host a variety of jiu jitsu seminars from time to time. If you're interested in trying out a new martial art or wanted to start training again, contact them!

Met the guys from HJA at Youth Nationals in Texas. It was obvious from watching their kids compete that they were so fundamentally sound. When I mentioned that I was going to be in the Honolulu area the following week, we were invited to practice. We happily accepted and got to experience their wonderful instruction in person the following week. One of the benefits of having coaches and kids that compete is that they have a very clear picture of what works at different age levels, how to build solid fundamentals, and how to put kids on the path to be successful in wherever their judo takes them.The coach to student ratio was excellent. The practice was very efficient in execution. The technique was taught, and the kids had situational and live sparring.The only thing that I didn't like is that they're 3000 miles from home. Thanks to the coaches and the rest of the HJA family for treating us like part of the family.

Although my personal experiences extend as far as their welcoming jiu jitsu open mat, I cannot sing enough praise about Hawaii Judo Academy. Surprisingly, they have a truly central location on the island that is quite accessible no matter what direction you are coming from. Located just behind Ani's Bakery (ALSO a great snack both pre or post training), there is ample parking on the street and next door in the adjacent parking lot. The BJJ black belts, Chris and Joel, are truly welcoming to any and all visitors to HJA's mat. Just as warm as their welcoming is the wealth of technique they both posses to both demonstrate and teach to all. Having also rolled with the students that do take jiu jitsu classes at HJA, it is of no surprise that they are all extremely talented - to me, a sign of great instruction by the teachers. I have been attending the open mat for a few years now and needless to say it is a mainstay in my weekly schedule. Additionally, it goes without saying that the founder of HJA, Taylor Takata, is an absolute savage. If you are lucky enough to attend an open mat that he's there, do yourself a favor and get a roll in. A truly humbling experience. I do not have personal experience with HJA's judo curriculum, but I do have multiple friends that have their children taking judo classes, and for quite some time as well. I occasionally get to see the end of their classes and it is always filled with hardworking students. HJA is also heavily invested in their competitors, with whom I have had the chance to also train with - again, all absolute savages. If you are looking to train in either discipline, or heck - even both, it'd be a disservice to yourself if you don't check HJA out. They are all very friendly and you can look forward to improving in all aspects of your game.

My niece just started Judo 2 months ago, and she absolutely loves it! Would have been great if she started when she was four(she's 8), as they have classes for that age. All of the instructors there are so kind and helpful informative. My brother also trains Jiu-Jitsu there, the instructors are so knowledgeable.

Great place. Friendly people there. They don't only do Judo, they also got Jiu Jitsu.

This academy is a literal hidden gem, tucked away on Halawa Valley Road. The place is just awesome, the atmosphere, the people there, the coaches. I have both my 8yo and 6yo sons going here and they love it, they love the coaches and just have fun every time they go. I would 100% recommend anyone to go and check it out, especially if you have kids and you're looking to put them in something. My 6yo is so much more confident now since he's been going to HJA. He already competed twice and is looking to compete some more in the future. He's more disciplined from what I notice, not saying that he was a handful but there's a fire in him now that wasn't there before and it's just awesome to see, I can't wait to see what else he does in the coming years!