Welcome to Red River Judo! You've taken the first step towards learning a classic Martial Art that combines physicality with strategy in a fun and challenging way that's perfect for anyone regardless of age or athletic ability, why not come see for yourself?

North Dakota’s Premier Judo Academy — Where Tradition Meets Excellence

Red River Judo has been the heartbeat of Judo in the region since 2002, built on a foundation that runs deeper than two decades. Our founder, Sensei Vern Borgen, didn’t just open a dojo — he spent over two decades first shaping the sport at its roots, teaching Judo at North Dakota State University beginning in 1979 and becoming one of the most influential voices in growing Judo across the Midwest. When he established Red River Judo, he brought that same passion, rigor, and commitment to community with him.

That legacy lives on today under the stewardship of Steven and Melissa Fick, who have led the dojo since 2019 with the same devotion Sensei Borgen instilled in his students. At Red River Judo, we practice Kodokan Judo and several other styles, offering a welcoming community for practitioners of all ages and skill levels — fostering both physical and mental growth through the disciplined practice of Judo.

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ADULT JUDO

YOUTH JUDO

JAPANESE JUJITSU

Class Schedule

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Nationally Certified Martial Arts training.

A small snippet of a fantastic weekend with Sensei Megumi Ishikawa! If you attended, thank you so much! If you missed it, you missed out! #judo #martialarts #fargond

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Thank you all for a very successful weekend with Sensei Megumi Ishikawa. A Special thanks to Ishikawa-Sensei for sharing her knowledge with us. We look forward to having her back again in the future!

@gkjn_official

#judo #fargond #martialarts

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We are so lucky to have such a thriving community here at Red River Judo. 16 kids on the mat today. We have come a long way since 4 or 5 kids being our big class.

Such a smiley group 😁

#judo #fargond #martialarts

We are so lucky to have such a thriving community here at Red River Judo. 16 kids on the mat today. We have come a long way since 4 or 5 kids being our big class.

Such a serious group 😐

We are so lucky to have such a thriving community here at Red River Judo. 16 kids on the mat today. We have come a long way since 4 or 5 kids being our big class.

Such a silly group 🤪

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Congratulations to all the competitors for a very successful Iowa state games. Thank you to the hosts for such an amazing event. It was a great Learning shihai for a group of new competitors like ours, and we took home a bunch of hardware to boot!

#judo #fargo #martialarts

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I don’t normally share videos from the security cameras because the quality is poor, but this was too good not too. An amazing counter throw by Liam here. The whole dojo erupted with this one. Liam is one of the most laid back, unassuming young men, but don’t ever mistake his quiet nature for weakness, he is a hell of a good Judoka.

#judo #fargond #martialarts

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A fantastic weekend of Judo Awaits you!

#judo #fargond #martialarts

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Thanks to everyone who made our clinic with Sensei @stevecohen88 a smashing success. We had a wonderful turnout of judoka from the tri-state area and we could not be more thankful. Thank you Sensei Cohen for all of the guidance he provided over the two days.

Stay tuned! We have more to come.

Come Train!
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#fargond #martialarts #judo

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When it’s 80+ degrees in the dojo and the AC is out, we make it work. Kudos to the team for rolling with the punches and still putting in the work today.

#judo #fargo #martialarts #fargomoorhead #judo

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Instructors

It’s hard to talk about our instructors without sounding like we’re bragging. The plain fact of the matter is that we have one of the best teams of martial arts instructors you will find anywhere. Led by Sensei Steven Fick, our instructors are talented, accomplished, passionate and the kind of people you just enjoy hanging out with, because after all, although we take what we do very seriously, because at the end of the day, Judo is supposed to be fun.

Steven Fick