Reviews of Little Rock Aikido Club at UALR

The facilities are basic but well equipped. The mat is very forgiving 😊. The instructors are friends of mine whom I highly recommend. They are knowledgeable and skilled in the art. I highly recommend this dojo to anyone seeking instruction in Aikido.

When you come to this Aikido club you will find a sign that says, "leave your ego at the door". You don't see enough of that in martial arts in general. As I said in the 'headline', these are quality folks teaching a quality martial art. You will learn at a pace tailored to you and I guarantee you learn the necessary skills.

I met these guys and gals years ago and eventually moved away but have yet to find anywhere with the same quality of people. The friendship and quality of instruction are way above anything else I have found.

The classes are fun, purposeful, and very effective. The primary teacher, Mr. Garrett, as well as the other contributing teachers, have the best possible attitude and approach to make the most of a student's abilities, as well as to foster self-confidence and mutual-respect. I cannot recommend the class highly enough.

Professional, knowledgeable and friendly instructors. The atmosphere and the school itself is very student oriented. Everyone is very relaxed and feel at home. Anyone who wants to start changing their lives in a positive direction need to think carefully about joining this school. I know that being a part of the group has significantly improved not only my martial arts skills but also my teaching skills. Can't wait to visit again.

I enjoy coming to class and learning under great instructors in a stress less environment. They are laid back and work at your pace of learning.

I was blessed to get to spend some time at Little Rock Aikido Club recently, and they are a fantastic group.

Dedicated to providing solid instruction, and a fun learning environment.

Their facility is a great size and they have very good mat space, and equipment.

If you get a chance to train with them, I highly recommend that you jump on it.

Not only will You learn effective skills for self defense, you will also get to know some of the nicest people in Budo.

Here you have a friendly diverse bunch of people with good instructors, linked in with other dojos and courses so that the senior instructors keep on learning instead of going through the same old motions. It is affiliated to the University but you do not need to be from UALR to join. Students were from a diverse range of backgrounds, ages and ranks. They will not rip you off or BS you into thinking that they are Gods. They will train you practically and consistently well as long as you put in your end of the training. No McDojo here.

Mat space is moderately large and the actual dojo area as a whole is very big with a weights room if you wish to work out. At time of writing (March 2014) they clearly have plans for improving the set up of the training area. Plenty of well-lit parking and a nearby police station should mean you don't have to practice your self-defense skills when you leave at night.

Please note that this is an aikido dojo, a good stand-alone martial art which aims to use an opponent's power against them which works well whether you are big or small, male or female, but which is not sport-oriented ... though it makes for much more efficient stand up grappling if you wish to use it as an add-on to, for example, judo or BJJ. But its orientation is self-defense with e.g. knife, wrist locks (illegal in most competition) incorporated into the curriculum. If you asked they could teach you effective arresting techniques also.

Disclosure: I have trained with the folks from here and at their dojo, but not on a regular basis

The Little Rock Ikido club is one of the finest Aikido schools in the state of Arkansas. I enjoy training and learing from the best. Thank you Little Rock Aikido Club!!

These folks teach quality martial arts. The founding trainer for this crew is Cliff Norgaard who in turn was taught by Karl Geis, a well known leader in the martial arts world. They are compassionate and care a great deal about their students. I attended this school monthly back in the days when Cliff was leading it; it continues its spirit of excellence. I teach in Monticello now but visit this dojo on occasion and am very familiar with this group of fine folks.

With over 15 years of hard style karate experience, I have to say this is a very accommodating and excellent school to join. Regardless of what martial art experience you may have, it is an enjoyment and challenging experience. I am proud to be a member of Little Rock Aikido Club, and always look forward to my next class. I would recommend this school to anyone looking for an aikido school in central Arkansas.