MISSION

Three Rivers is an organization of professional martial artists who use the techniques and methods offered through practice of the arts to help people from all walks of life along the path of self-development. Our goal is to help our students awaken their potential.

HISTORY

The idea of Three Rivers Martial Arts Academy was developed in March 1995 on the back of a Chong’s restaurant placemat. Seven martial artists, all from different backgrounds, wrote down what we wanted the academy to be. We hoped to relate to others the change we saw in ourselves through martial arts.

We wanted it to be an idea, not a promotion. We vowed to teach in a way that would demonstrate to the community 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, and 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. To accommodate our growing academy, we moved again in 2008 to Energy Fitness. Our last move was in 2020 to our new location on the opposite side of The Gym, which is a state-of-the-art fitness facility, formerly Energy Fitness.

With the help of friends, family, community leaders, and dedicated students that have grown into experienced instructors, the academy has continued to unfold into the most accredited and professional school in the area.