About Us
Yi's Martial Arts Fitness Academy is developing life skills that help kids in school, home, socially and so MUCH More in Wood River, IL.
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About Our School
We’re the Alton Riverbend’s and Metro East Area’s oldest premier martial arts training facility, specializing in bully prevention, anti-abduction, street self-defense, and birthday parties. We offer classes for Men-Women-Children-Teens and Families ages 5-up. Our classes are taught by the Area’s highest ranking Grandmaster in Tae Kwon Do with over 50+ years of martial arts experience. Founder Grandmaster Chris Lee started his training at the young age of 4 and achieved his Jr Black Belt at age 10. He tested for his 4th Degree Black Belt at age 21 and became one of the youngest Asian American Masters at the time. He trained under his father Yi In Soo as well as other several grandmasters including his uncle in Texas. He has taught and promoted over 500 Black belts on the east coast. He combines the ancient ways of martial arts learning with the modern ways of physical fitness and sports conditioning. He has taught and trained many local, state, regional, and national ranked champions in MMA, Olympic TKD, Sport Karate, NAGA, and Submission Grappling. We are a family friendly, no ego, martial arts fitness facility with an emphasis on life skills and character development that sets us apart from other programs. Our academy motto is “Empowering Lives through Martial Arts” as well as changing lives One Black Belt at at Time.
Master Chris Lee
Grand Master Chris Lee has been studying martial arts since the young age of 4. He studied under his father Great Grandmaster Yi In Soo who at one time had five locations throughout the Metro East Area including Alton, Jerseyville, Collinsville, Granite City and Edwardsville as well as satellite locations in Brussels, Mt. Olive, Staunton, Litchfield, and Lewis and Clark Community College. At the age of 10 Chris Lee attained his 1st Poom/Dan rank in Tae Kwon Do, at the age of 21 he became one of the youngest 4th Dan Asian-American Masters in the United States. He has travelled extensively in his later years acquiring martial arts knowledge, sports conditioning, life coaching, personal development, as well as competing nationally in AAU TKD. Grand Master Chris Lee has combined the asian methods of teaching martial arts with the modern science of sports conditioning, mental acuity, and street realism through self defense scenario training. He continues to update his training knowledge and building his repertoire of techniques to teach you and your family how to succeed in today’s everchanging world of electronic distractions and social media.
Why Choose Yi's Martial Arts Fitness Academy?
Professional Instruction
Choosing a Martial Arts School is just as important as Choosing a Doctor or Lawyer!!! You wouldn’t go to the cheapest doctor to get your surgery done or the one whom just got a diploma from any second rate college???
Would you go to a Doctor or Lawyer who just does their practice part-time or as a hobby???
Grand Master Chris Lee has over 45 years of experience of teaching and instructing martial arts as well as curriculum development to bring out the best in your and your family’s training. Grand Master Chris Lee continually updates his teaching instruction every year through seminars, workshops, etc…. martial arts is a tool that needs to be sharpened to be effective, if you don’t keep your tool sharp when the need arises to use it for defense it won’t be as effective as it could be. We don’t just do martial arts we live it and breathe it!!!
More than just Punching and Kicking!!!
Many people want to learn to kick and punch and that’s great, but after the workout many people want more. At YMAFA we emphasize not only the physical but also the mental as well through character development, life skills, goal setting, anger management, etc….
Our classes will not only have you sweating from a good workout, but you’ll be smiling with the comradery and the friends you make. We want to empower you not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well.
We offer different classes for different age groups because not every child can be fit into a cookie cutter mold, that’s why we have Lil Dragons for Pre-School kids, Jr Mixed and Family Classes for ages 8-up.
