Three Rivers Martial Arts Academy Celebrates 15 Years!

Jason Hawkins

Super cute Jason Hawkins mapped out the idea for Three Rivers Martial Arts Academy on the back of a Chong’s restaurant placemat. This month, Hawkins and team celebrate 15 years of mental and physical fitness with special discounts and a Fort Massac Park student picnic!

Check it out:

• 15 percent off the first month of tuition for students enrolling in June or July
• 15 percent off a uniform purchase for new students,
• Retro Three Rivers T-shirts on sale for $15

Plus, look for fun photo boards of the past 15 years displayed at the academy throughout the month of June, and the center’s new billboard across from Noble Park. Students are invited to a June 5 picnic at Fort Massac Park. Details and sign-up sheets are at the academy.

Jason Hawkins shares his story:

The idea of Three Rivers Martial Arts Academy was developed in March 1995 on the back of a Chong’s restaurant placemat. Seven dedicated martial artists, all from different backgrounds, wrote down what we wanted the academy to be. Wanting to relate to others the change I had seen in myself through martial arts, I’ve always had the desire to develop a training place that is a true academy of the arts.

We wanted it to be an idea, not a promotion. We wanted to teach in a way that would demonstrate to the community we were more than a hobby; that the study of martial arts was on par with any other field of endeavor such as medicine, engineering, etc. That year, we opened in a small space at the Executive Inn, then grew to fill a larger area in the same hotel within a couple of years.

We were excited about what we were doing and knew it was special because we saw growth in the academy despite being located in a basement behind a floodwall. In April 1999, we moved to 900 Broadway in historic downtown Paducah. With the help of friends, family, community leaders and dedicated students who have grown into experienced instructors, the academy has continued to unfold into the most accredited and professional school in the area. To accommodate our growing academy, we made one more move in 2008 to the new expansion of Energy Fitness.

Three Rivers is an organization of dedicated individuals who use the techniques and methods offered through martial arts to help people from all walks of life along the path of self-development, bringing their personal potential into their awareness. Instruction in how to fight is instruction in how to live. This sounds funny, because I don’t know of anyone who wants to live in constant conflict. If taught in the wrong spirit, only to dominate, it can drain you on every level, increase paranoia and promote insecurity. But taught in the right way, as a vehicle of change, you begin to see that to use the most effective, efficient methods, you must give, take, forgive yourself, forgive your opponent, remain focused, change with change and be grateful for your experience regardless of the outcome.

Martial arts is not just about fighting, it’s about balance – physically, mentally and emotionally. For millennia, martial arts have provided the discipline, mental fortitude and calmness under stress to live life to the fullest. This is available to you. Whether your interests are fitness, self-defense, or just overall well-being, we can help you restore the balance in your life.

By Jason Hawkins