Kahala Jiu Jitsu

We’ve had such a great experience with the Kahala Jiu Jitsu program for our 3-year-old. The instructors are incredibly patient and kind—even when he gets silly or distracted (because… he’s three 😄). They meet the kids exactly where they are, keep things fun, and still teach real technique at a level they can understand. We’ve already noticed him building confidence, listening better, and learning valuable skills like focus, respect, and perseverance—not just physical moves. It feels like they’re teaching life skills as much as Jiu Jitsu, and that means a lot to us. Highly recommend for any parent looking for a positive, age-appropriate martial arts environment!

My kids have been going here for the past 9 years. They are now 15 and 17 years old and have learned and grown so much in their time here. The instructors have been true mentors to them and have helped them to become leaders and grow into confident and assertive young adults. The teen leadership development program is unique to this school. My kids have benefited from this program, starting off as teen assistants to the coaches and are now teaching their own keiki classes as teen coaches. The value of having their first jobs also be what their passionate about has been an invaluable experience. I highly recommend this school to any parent looking to foster confidence in a fun and nurturing environment.

My daughter has been going to Kahala Jiu Jitsu since she was 3 years old. I would like my daughter to practice BJJ for the long term. So my approach is not to push her too hard or put her in an intimating environment that she feels scared or overwhelmed. That is why I like coach Daynin’s approach. Coach Daynin is great with kids, and works with them according to their age. The first 2-3 years, my daughter just had tons of fun learning playfully (really that is the only way with the little ones). She loved the positive, playful attitude of the coaches and staff while learning at her pace. I believe this made her love the art and the environment. Now that she’s almost 7, her learning is advancing, and more importantly, she still loves to come. She can’t wait to get promoted and show off her new skills.

I have only lived in Hawaii for 10 months now. For 8 years before that, I lived in China. I met my wife through Jiu-Jitsu and now with a family, I wanted to have us move to a location with a great Jiu-Jitsu scene where my boys can also enjoy a great outdoors childhood. I knew Hawaii was the place for us but I took my time in deciding which BJJ gym to dedicate to. I visited almost a dozen different gyms on this island. All of them were welcoming, but KJJ won me over initially because of location and a thorough kids program. My younger son is 4 years old and other gyms don't have a program for that age. KJJ has kids classes that divide the students by ages from Small Kids (3-5), Big Kids, and Teens. The techniques that the students have to learn based on their age are well categorized and documented. You can see on the wall what the kids have to learn on that day and on the upcoming classes! There are always multiple instructors for the kids classes and the fact that you have teenagers that have continued to stick with BJJ, not only as students but as instructors themselves, is a testament to the positive culture Prof. Daynin has cultivated. As a teacher well familiar with middle and high school students, I just want to say that the teens at KJJ that I get to train alongside with have great character and are excellent examples for the younger students. The secondary reasons why I was convinced KJJ was a strong fit for me and my family are the adult students. Because of KJJ's large kids program, many of the adult students are naturally parents. As parents, we have other priorities in life that could delay our BJJ path but no one takes their training for granted and no one is out to harm anyone. I tend to the more athletic opponent on the mat but I take that opportunity to experiment techniques in a live setting. There is understanding of what your competitive level should be based on who you roll with because there really is no ego on these mats. There are also a decent number of women higher-belt students, a factor that I considered for my wife's training when she arrives here. As a purple belt, I appreciate Prof Daynin's approach of the game in its mental aspects; something that I admittedly haven't reflected as much in the past. I also appreciate her support in my Judo and wrestling training; I know first-hand some BJJ instructors who would frown on their students training different grappling arts and visiting other Jiu-Jitsu gyms would be out of the question. Although you should be committed to one instructor and gym, visiting open mats elsewhere or training with a friend who goes to another gym are great ways to cross-pollinate your skills. I feel like it would be a waste to have your entire Jiu-Jitsu experience be at one gym, especially in Hawaii. Another gym may be a better fit for you depending on your needs (There are a great number of gyms you can choose here), but if you relate to any part of my story then I strongly recommend Kahala Jiu Jitsu as a practitioner and as a parent. OSS!

A couple of years ago, my oldest son refused to try Jiu Jitsu at a place on Kapahulu because of how the lead coach ran practice and treated students. My other son participated, but the students who got paired with him were visibly and audibly annoyed and begrudgingly worked with him. That head coach told my now ex-husband to drop off our sons and they'd shape up if I wasn't there. Nope. Big red flag. We moved to KJJ by recommendations from friends who are no longer at KJJ - some moved off island and some lost interest. There was an awesome family class for parents with kids, but that was cancelled a while ago, which was disappointing. My younger son has sensory issues and when he moved from the family class to his age group, he screamed because of his pants (not joking, for him it feels painful). I was trying to calm him, but a coach came out and yelled at him then told him and me that he can't return. That was disappointing, but he didn't want to return after that anyway. My older son continued, and he seems to be learning gradually, but it really depends on the coaches. He had one coach he really learned quickly from, and she encouraged him so much, but that coach left. Now he has a different coach he likes, so he wants to stay on the day of the week when he has that coach. When he goes for makeup days with others, he feels he doesn't learn as much and that those coaches don't help him individually. Two of the teen coaches are quite good, although one of those we haven't seen in a while, and the rest are still training maybe(?). There is a new adult coach who seems promising but doesn't give much feedback to my son - she gives very clear directions and not only what to do but what not to do for the whole class when she leads. If the coach that my son likes leaves, my son would probably ask to try somewhere else or stop. Most importantly for me, no one yells at or belittles students. Also, most students help each other in practice and get along pretty well. My older son has been going weekly or twice a week if he needed to makeup missed classes for almost two years but still doesn't have a gray and white belt (2nd level) - I don't know what the pace at other places is, but a friend told me that KJJ is not known for producing top competitors, so if that's your priority, maybe ask around. My son hasn't wanted to do the KJJ tournaments, but he probably will next time. As others wrote, there are sometimes closures that you don't get to do a makeup class. Also, promotion classes are now 2-3 classes crammed into one 45-min class to give out promotions with no practice that week, plus you have to pay extra every time for that. But if your child is going to miss a class, you login into the app the day before to cancel and then reschedule for another day within a month - e.g., my son was sick 2 weeks so he took 2 classes/week for the next couple of weeks when he returned. There are tuition discounts offered twice a year if you can pay in advance. Parking is free across the street with a QR code available at the front desk or street parking within 1-2 blocks, but there have been times when I had to drop off my son then drive around waiting for cars to leave. I usually choose street parking and we take a short walk together. Sometimes I've had my younger son and/or toddler with me watching class, and no one has ever scolded them or told me to take them outside - other parents sometimes have a younger child waiting with them too, but it doesn't get too crowded or noisy, at least on the weekday afternoon that my son goes. Update 6/1/25: Parents just got an email that policies are changing again. No makeup classes unless taken in the same week - so if your child is sick, you can't wait until they're healthy. Account holds are no longer a month to accommodate extended family trips or other circumstances, only 2 weeks allowed.