Read the room.
Build awareness and practice making clear choices before a situation escalates.
Portland, Maine · Established 1985
Strength through
self-awareness.
American Martial Arts Foundation
A nonprofit school dedicated to Chinese Goju, practical self-defense, and a stronger community.
DisciplineRespectConfidenceCommunity
The practice
Every movement
has a purpose.
Chinese Goju brings hard and soft together. Learn to notice, adapt, and act with intention—on the mat and beyond it.
Move with intent.
Train balance, technique, and self-control through purposeful repetition.
Stand together.
Grow alongside fellow students in a school rooted in respect and community.
Our Portland dojo · 2025Our school
A Portland tradition.
An enduring purpose.
Founder Mark Hider trained directly under Grandmaster Ron Van Clief, creator of Chinese Goju. That lineage guides the school's instruction in Portland.
Meet the founder and his teacher →Free learning resources
Continue your practice.
Read Mark Hider's self-defense book and stream the complete vintage home-study workout while shopping is being set up.
Visit the school
A place to begin.
Room to grow.
Find us at 70 Cobb Avenue in Portland, Maine.
Location and common questions ↗