Nyam-Ochir Training Center

Head instructor Nyam-Ochir Sainjargal is, in the school's words, an “Olympic and World Championship medalist” and a “multi-time Grand Slam, Grand Prix, and World Cup Champion.” Nyam-Ochir holds a 6th dan red and white belt and opened the Bellevue school in 2024. Traditional Kodokan judo is the school's primary focus, with Brazilian jiu-jitsu for adults alongside it. Lkhamdegd Purevjargal (5th dan) and Sergey Popova (black belt) also teach judo, and Nyam-Ochir and Purevjargal both hold USA National Coach certificates.

Throwing comes later. The school says “learning how to properly fall is the first thing you learn,” and training goes on to drilling, form practice and sparring overseen by the sensei. The permanent padded mats sit on a spring-loaded support platform that softens falls, much like gymnastics mats. Classes mix men and women of all fitness levels, and beginners train alongside more experienced members, who help them along. A black belt takes time: the school puts it at 6 years or more, depending on commitment. Kids train in their own judo classes from age 2.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is for adults (ages 18 and up) and meets on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Sensei Ferdinand Mercado, a BJJ black belt and the 2003 Pan American Champion, coaches it. The school calls it “self-defense for the real world” and builds it around submission grappling and the ground game, for students training for competition or for self-defense.

The first class is free, with no commitment and no payment, and it includes a buddy guest pass. A judo gi is optional for roughly the first month, though the school highly recommends one, and newcomers trying out can borrow a gi from the school's collection. A jiu-jitsu gi is fine in judo practice for anyone who already owns one; competition calls for a judo gi. Judo class times and prices are worth asking about when you set up the free class.