Training at Connection Rio in Bend, Oregon: Our Family’s Jiu-Jitsu Experience
Whenever we arrive in a new city, one of the first things I look for is somewhere for our kids to train.
Because our girls have trained jiu-jitsu and wrestling for years and compete regularly, finding a gym while we’re traveling isn’t always as simple as finding the closest kids’ jiu-jitsu class. We specifically look for gyms with strong kids’ programs, good coaching, and competitive training partners who will challenge them.
Before we even arrived in Bend, Oregon, I had Connection Rio on my list.
Why We Wanted to Train at Connection Rio
I initially found Connection Rio through social media and noticed that they had several talented, competitive kids.
One little girl in particular caught my attention because she was around the same age and weight as our daughter Sullivan. Finding a good training partner who matches up well in both age and size can be difficult, so I really wanted to see if we could get the two of them on the mats together while we were in town.
My first attempts to contact the gym weren’t successful.
Since we were only in Bend for a week and needed to make training plans, I eventually reached out to another local jiujitsu gym.
The only reason we ultimately didn’t train there was because I was still hoping Sullivan could train with Maddy, the specific girl I’d found at Connection Rio.
That Monday, the day were supposed to start our training, I decided to reach out directly to Maddy’s parent over instagram.
Her dad responded, was incredibly understanding, and connected me with the owner of Connection Rio. I was finally able to speak with someone.
As it turned out, the difficulty reaching them had a pretty understandable explanation and once we connected, Professor Dennis Asche was incredibly kind and immediately welcomed our girls to come train.
So we changed our plans and headed to Connection Rio.
And I’m really glad we did.
First Impressions of the Gym
The first thing we noticed when we walked in was how beautiful the new facility was.
It honestly felt more like walking into a mountain resort lodge than a jiu-jitsu gym.
There were beautiful wooden beams throughout the building, everything was incredibly clean, and the bathroom was really nice.
The gym has two separate mat spaces, giving them plenty of room to run different classes.
They also have a rock-climbing wall for the kids, which was an immediate hit with ours.
Overall, the facility was easily one of the nicest and most unique jiu-jitsu gyms we’ve visited while traveling.
The Foot-Washing Station
One small detail that really stood out to us was the foot-washing station.
Before stepping onto the mats, the kids could wash their feet using soap, water, and a small scrubbing mat set up specifically for that purpose.
I LOVED this.
Staph, ringworm, and other skin infections are legitimate concerns in wrestling and jiu-jitsu gyms, especially when you have kids training frequently and traveling between facilities.
Anything a gym can do to encourage cleanliness before athletes step onto the mats is a win in my book.
We have only been to maybe a handful of gyms before this that offered this, unfortunately. I genuinely wish more gyms had something like this.
Kids’ Jiu-Jitsu Classes
Connection Rio offers kids’ classes throughout the week for different ages and skill levels.
Our daughters trained Monday through Thursday from 5:30 to 6:30, which gave them four days of training during our stay.
They trained two gi classes and two no-gi classes.
Our son also joined one of the classes designed for younger kids, around ages 4–6.
His class was much more beginner-friendly and age-appropriate. He had a great time participating and especially loved getting to try the rock wall.
For our girls, though, we were specifically looking for competitive training.
And they got it.
Competitive Training
There were quite a few gray belts in the girls’ classes along with some white belts. My daughter Sullivan was the only yellow belt during the classes they attended, but belt color didn’t really matter—the kids were competitive!
The overall level in the room was strong, and the girls had plenty of competitive partners.
The classes included a good mix of conditioning, drilling, and live rolling, which is exactly what we like to see.
They also incorporated some creative warm-ups and conditioning exercises that were different from what our girls normally see. When kids train as often as ours do, sometimes just changing up the routine makes training fun again.
What stood out most, though, was the coaching style.
Letting Competitive Kids Work
One of the things we appreciated most was Professor Dennis Asche’s coaching style and the tough, competitive environment he created while still actively watching what was happening on the mats.
He was willing to let experienced kids work through difficult positions.
There were moments during live training where another coach—or even a referee in a competition—might have stopped the action sooner. Instead, Professor Dennis watched closely and gave the kids an opportunity to figure things out.
Could they escape?
Could they adjust their position?
Could they stay calm and solve the problem themselves?
Obviously, coaching beginners and very young children requires a different level of intervention. But with experienced competitive kids, there’s value in allowing them to struggle safely through uncomfortable positions rather than immediately stepping in.
Our girls are used to hard training, and we appreciated seeing them challenged. Professor Dennis was engaged, paying attention, and encouraging the kids to train hard. The room felt competitive without feeling uncontrolled.
That’s a difficult balance to get right in a kids’ program.
Would We Train at Connection Rio Again?
Absolutely.
Our biggest regret was simply that we only had one week.
The girls trained four days, and by the end of the week, we felt like they could have learned so much more from Professor Dennis and the other coaches and training partners if we’d had more time there.
The facility was beautiful and clean.
The kids’ program was active.
The training was competitive.
The coaching style worked extremely well for our girls.
Our youngest had an age-appropriate class where he could have fun and participate.
And everyone we met once we got connected with the gym was incredibly kind and welcoming to our traveling family.
If our travels bring us back through Bend, Connection Rio will absolutely be on our list of places to return.
For families with competitive kids who are visiting Bend and looking for somewhere to get quality training while traveling, this is one we’d recommend.
And if we ever find ourselves back in Bend for another week, our kids will be back on these mats.
