Naga - Martial Arts | Self Defense | Community

Poekoelan Tjimindie Tulen is the full name of the art.

Thank you for asking, Andrea! Yes, Naga has a self-defense podcast. We would love for you to take a listen! You can find it on most podcast platforms by searching "The Empowerment Podcast by Naga" or you can find it on our page - with transcriptions for the hearing impaired - here: https://nagacommunity.com/the-empowerment-podcast/ Thanks again for asking! Connect with us if you have any questions!

Thanks for asking, Ari! This is a podcast hosted by Silvia Smart, our Head Instructor. With over 30 years of experience teaching empowerment self-defense, she wanted to share the information with a broader audience. It's like streaming a self-defense class to your device. It's available on most podcast platforms and is also available on our website with a transcription for those who are hearing impaired. You can find it on the navigation bar under "resources". Thanks again for asking!

Everyone's path to feeling safer is different. Our hope or goal of the empowerment classes is to educate our graduates to be less fearful, more aware of their boundaries, and speak up sooner than before. The key here is taking the right type of class. Our classes are state-of-the-art best practices and nationally certified.

Yes! The Empowerment Project is committed to teaching self-defense class to all vulnerable populations. Our goal is to make you safer and more empowered and to decrease violence. Once you take an empowerment self-defense class such as ours, your likihood of assault lowers. Our aim is to keep people from being victimized to begin with. You are always welcome here. Every participant brings with them a unique perspective, life story, and individual awareness of our place in the world of politics and power, which informs our understanding of violence and safety. As experts in self-defense and empowerment training, we, your instructors, are doing our best to understand how these differences affect not just our teaching, but all of us in this shared space. We teach universal tools and concepts you can use in your everyday life as you move through the world. Our hope is that you feel seen, heard, and embraced in this safe space. Thank you for your trust in us and welcome!

Our programs are thoroughly researched and we use state-of-the-art best practices in all of our classes. We are nationally recognized and have over thirty years experience in the field. Our instructors are professionally trained and of the highest calibre. We have worked with the FBI, the Association of Women Martial Arts Instructors, the National Women's Martial Arts Federation and self-defense instructors from all over the country to bring you top-of-the-line training that is hands down, the best you'll find in Oregon. We know that participants in an empowerment self-defense course such as ours are 63% less likely to face assault. You owe it to yourself to be schooled by the best empowerment program around.

Yes! We have done the research and know that once a child has been assaulted, the likelihood of re-assault increases exponentially over the course of their lifetime. We know we can’t control everything that happens to our children, but we CAN give them tools to stay safer when we are not with them. Our classes are age-appropriate, safe and empowering. We use current research and best practices to provide the highest quality experience in town.

Silvia Smart and Jeff Denson met on the mat. They were teammates and buddies first, and then they got married, had kids and opened up a martial arts school! Naga is a labor of love. Between the two of them, they have nearly 60 years’ experience training and teaching. The love they have for their art and their students is evident from the first moment you step in the door. Silvia and Jeff consider it an honor and a privilege to pass along this art, and feel grateful to be on this journey together.

Our students come from all walks of life and range in age from 4-60+. They are moms, dads & grandparents, elementary, middle and high school & college students and young adults. We have musicians, baristas, professionals, cooks, artists, IT & development experts, law enforcement personnel, librarians, retailers, teachers, you name it. Some people start training with us to get in shape, while others want something new and different in their workout. Naga is a safe and loving place where students are included and accepted. We come together to challenge and support one another to be our best and highest selves.

After ongoing research and study, and after a lengthy national certification process, we are proud to announce that we have reimagined all of our self-defense programs. The Empowerment Project offers state-of-the-art best practices through various programs for children, women, vulnerable communities, corporations, and private groups and organizations. Our commitment to quality has never been stronger. We know that when a person participates in an empowerment self-defense course such as ours, the liklihood of assult is reduced by over 60%. We offer both beginning and advanced courses and are committed to your safety. Please join us in our quest to make the world safer and less violent for everyone.

We do! Our owner, Silvia Smart, has 30+ years of experience training and teaching self-defense. Companies like Dr. Marten, HDR Engineering, Tri Met and more have benefited from having Silvia come in and teach their teams. Not only do companies report that the skills they learn are awesome, but they report team bonding and empowerment as well.

We do! We are known for having some of the best summer camps in town! We know that because parents bring their children back to us year after year after year! Summer is a time for fun, and camps are a great way for kids to dip their toes into new experiences. Not everyone wants to join us on a journey toward black belt, but stepping onto the training path for a week or two is a fantastic option! Open this door and your child will be welcomed into an exciting journey through the Indonesian jungle! They will make lots of new friends, have plenty of time to run and play outside under the trees, and importantly, they will learn essential elements of this holistic martial art, along with self-defense skills that last a lifetime. You want to know your child can trust themselves, set boundaries and speak up at school, on the playground, at sleepovers, other camps, and whenever and wherever the situation demands it.

At Naga, we train a traditional martial art from Indonesia. Many students get on that path and stay with us through black belt. We also offer pure self-defense classes, one off workshops for women and children during which we focus on awareness, prevention and action strategies. We offer corporate classes in self-defense, de-escalation and active shooter. We also have amazing summer camps for kids!

Great question, Jennifer! "Naga" means "dragon" in Indonesian!

A student begins their training as a white belt, symbolizing purity and humility. In our art, students go on to earn colored sashes: gold, blue, green, and then brown. Black belt is a huge step in our art and once a student achieves this rank, it is likened to a new beginning. There are nine degrees of black belt in our art. Here is a look at the ranks in our art and what the training path looks like: (https://nagacommunity.com/about/the-training-path/)

At Naga, we train the art of Poekoelan (pu-ku-lan) Tjimindie (chi-min-dee) which is a traditional style from the islands of Indonesia. This art is a form of Penjat (or pencak) Silat, which is the overarching art of Indonesia - the national style. Poekoelan Tjimindie is based in self-defense, so from the beginning, the moves are incredibly effective. As you proceed through the ranks, you learn to fight from close range and on the ground. This is an animal style, which makes it fun for the kids and for grown-ups who are open minded and young at heart!

Our students come from all walks of life and range in age from 4-60+. They are moms, dads & grandparents, elementary, middle, high school & college students as well as young adults. We have musicians, baristas, professionals, cooks, artists, IT & development experts, law enforcement personnel, librarians, retailers, teachers, you name it. Some people start training with us to get in shape, while others want something new and different in their workout. Naga is a safe and loving place where students are included and accepted. We come together to challenge and support one another to be our best and highest selves.