Dragon Claw Academy

Specialties

Dragon Claw Academy is a professional, family-​oriented martial arts studio that teaches dynamic and challenging Chinese Martial Arts to people of all ages in the Champaign and Urbana area.

History

Established in 2012.

Dragon Claw Academy began here in the Chambana area as an after-​school enrichment program. But it was clear that the community wanted more. DCA rented a small room at the old McKinley Center and began there with 3 students. (Two were my own kids.) Within 2 months we were looking for new space. The Refinery opened their doors to us. We were there from March 2013-​December of 2013. Around November of 2013 we knew it was time to start looking for our own space. We were too big to stay where we were, however we were still too small to really afford what we needed. That when we met our current landlord. We told him about our needs. He said, «There’s something about you guys. I can work with you.» He made us an incredible offer so we could move in. We made our residence there January of 2014. We have continued to grow and make a positive impact in our communities. And in January of 2016 we moved to the other side of the building, more than doubling our space. From here? We’ll just keep going.

Meet the Business Owner

Aaron C.

Business Owner

Shifu has 19 years of dance and kung fu instruction. He continues his own education by going back to Jackson to study with his teacher, as well as expanding his knowledge of martial arts through his studies in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Aikido, Wing Chun, Shaolin, and Tai Chi. He attends competitions to continually expand his exposure and test his skills.

Shifu Chen loves Kung Fu and its philosophies of hard work, no fear of failure, skill, respect, and excellence. He stresses the importance of these virtues in his classes, and more importantly his everyday life.

«Try, fail, adjust, and repeat. Try, because you’ll never know what you can do until then. Fail. It’s a vital part of the process. Adjust. Learn from your mistakes, and don’t let the mistakes define you. Repeat. Don’t give up.»