No Contracts. No Belts.
We are the only non-commercial MMA school in Whatcom County for children, teens and adults.
If you are turned off by the pressure of a commercial school...
If you have ever wanted to:
Locally owned and operated since 2003, UMA offers sessions for Private Lessons and Corporate Training.
For 40 years, Rob Eis has been dedicated to the practice of martial arts. Inspired by live action Japanese superheroes he watched as a child on TV growing up in Hawaii, Rob’s martial arts career began with the study of traditional Shito-ryu and Goju-ryu Karate at the age of 10. By age 15 he was competing internationally and that year he was the youngest member on the U.S. Junior National Karate Team. Since then, he has studied a multitude of styles that he now teaches to others, including Doce Pares Escrima, Shamrock Submission Fighting, Judo, Western Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, JKD concepts, and Muay Thai kickboxing. Learn more
UMA is amazing in the respect that Rob teaches useful street applications immediately as well as sport training. I love the focus on physical conditioning along with light stretching that starts out each class. I feel that these classes are ego-free for a more safe environment for beginner to advanced student interactions, as well as formatted to all learning paradigms, from auditory and visual to kinesthetic and written. Through repetitive drilling to sparring the class reinforces good martial habits and is built upon over time while still having immediate use in day to day life. I also respect that Rob is always free to answer any questions about a particular drill or maneuver. In summary, I believe that UMA is unique in its no-nonsense approach to producing well-rounded martial artists.
I thought I had an idea of what the self-defense training would be before attending but was pleasantly surprised to get some review as well as important information to consider. I really appreciated the emphasis on keeping self-defense techniques simple, that one can perform them swiftly in an emergency without over thinking them, as well as the fluidity in quickly being able to go from one self-defense attack move to another. What I found to be the most critical and new for me to learn was being conscious about how attentive I am in my surroundings, conscious of my space and distance, and how attentive I appear to others to stay safe and aware. I additionally found value in learning strategies for making my home appear more protected or guarded from the outside than it may be in actuality.
I was impressed, my first day of class, by the informal atmosphere. Everyone is introduced to the program at their own pace according to their abilities and background. There is lots of encouragement, not intimidation. The class time is well structured and makes good use of the time. The instructor uses a broad range of effective but basic and easy to learn techniques that a student puts into action much more quickly than “traditional” schools. My personal reasons for going to this school is that I can get a brisk workout (about as much or as little as I put into it) and learn a skill at the same time. There are no pressures to get to that next rank level. You’ll know if your skills are getting sharper without a new rank to show your friends. After a bad day at work, this is an excellent way to get out those frustrations and get a good nights sleep.