About Us
If you live in the Rockford area, you need to read this!
P.T. Barnum once said, “There's a sucker born every minute.” And here in the Rockford Martial Arts community, they depend on this fact; because these schools masquerade as combat schools, when in fact they are sport schools.
I (Dr. Joel Bowling) eat, sleep, and drink Martial Arts. It is how I make my living. It is my life and always has been. I know nothing else. It’s not a hobby for me. If an instructor has a job other than Martial Arts, then it is a hobby. Would you go to a doctor that only practices medicine as a hobby? Think about it. It’s your life, your time and your money.
We have one of the largest Martial Arts curriculums in the Midwest and by far the largest in the Rockford area. As far as Mixed Martial Arts (M.M.A.) are concerned, A.F.T.A. is the oldest and only M.M.A. School in Rockford, IL. (since 1984). We co-prompted the first M.M.A. event in Rockford at the Metro Center (June 22, 1996) with the late Tom Litului of Chicago. We were teaching M.M.A. before people in the Midwest even knew what the letters M.M.A. stood for. Unlike the others, we put our money where our mouth is, and we challenge anyone to disprove these facts. Our alumni and present students are among the Midwest’s top kickboxing champions as well as a pay-per-view 2-time King of the Cage champion and Rage in the Cage champion. Not to mention how we train adults and children to defend themselves. (We have page after page of references.)
To see one of our top MMA fighters (Kyle Brees), go to google.com and do a search on “Kyle Brees.” Kyle received his 1st Degree Black Belt from Dr. Joel Bowling at AFTA martial Arts in Rockford, Illinois.
Our credentials speak for themselves. We will comfortably match our credentials and over 20-year winning traditions against any Martial Arts school in Rockford. All this and more, plus we won’t mention Bruce Lee or tell you we are police officers to try and give credibility to a lack of experience and knowledge, this is simply misleading the public. Either you’ve got what it takes or you don’t. Integrity dictates: You don’t use your trusted position in the community for personal gain. Being a police officer certainly gives you no special insight into the Martial Arts. I know, I’ve trained officers from virtually all of the area departments and the state. It is simply misleading and false, and they certainly shouldn’t be promoting this on taxpayer’s time. They need to do what everyone else had to do, build your own credibility. Don’t use your position to make yourself out to be something you’re not. That’s simply betraying the public trust! For those that can recall the Lee Dismuke case, this was unfortunately a perfect example of police officers not having proper unarmed combat skills. My name is Dr. Joel Bowling. I own and am the Master Instructor of A.F.T.A. Martial Arts. The only reality-based Martial Arts school in Rockford! In my over 30 years in Martial Arts, I have never seen a more flagrant abuse of the public trust to promote self-interest. At a minimum, this is an ethics violation.
Facility: Changing rooms, showers, fully matted floor, boxing ring, weights, heavy bags, speed bags and much more in a professional atmosphere. This is one of the finest state of the art training facilities in the nation, and has the ONLY cross trained (Multi Martial Arts) staff in the Rockford area.
Monthly Dues: Some schools say they don't have “contracts” -true, they don't. They request that you pay all dues all up front, or tell you to take out a bank loan, we don't. We understand that this can be difficult, so our courses can be paid on a more convenient monthly basis.
Excellent Safety Record: With the most knowledgeable staff and the best-equipped Martial Arts school in the Rockford area, A.F.T.A. makes your Martial Arts training safe and enjoyable!