Championship Martial Arts proudly serving Holland since 2003
Championship Martial Arts has classes in Holland, perfect for kids, teen, and adult martial arts lessons.
- INSTRUCTOR & STAFF BIO
Master Chan
Chief Instructor
Master Chan is co-owner of Championship Martial Arts. He is the husband to Master Rachael and married since 1990. Together they have 3 grown children, 3 precious granddaughters, and is the middle child of 13 in his family.
Master Chan spent the first 15 years of his life growing up in the country of Laos where his passion for martial arts began.
In 1983 he became a refugee to the United States. During this time, he sought out various martial arts styles like Hapkido, Judo, and Taekwondo and trained under the leadership of instructors across the country until settling in the town of Hamilton, MI in 1985.
In 1992 he began his intentional black belt training in a local Taekwondo school and earned his 2nd Degree black belt in 2000. He knew then that he wanted to open his own school and teach students what he had learned.
In 2003 he and his wife, Rachael, along with her nephew opened the doors of Chan’s Martial Arts on the corner of 8th St and Paw Paw Dr. in Holland. The three of them spent 16 years developing a strong following of students, a culture of community within the doors of the dojang and intentionally becoming a known entity within Holland and surrounding cities that builds a person’s confidence, focus, and discipline habits.
In 2019, at a time of serious growth with the school and Holland City At that time a rebranding took place and Championship Martial Arts was born.
Master Chan earned his 6th degree black belt in 2019 and continues to teach students in black belt classes today!
Master Rachael
General Manager
Master Rachael is married to the amazing Master Chan since 1990. Together they have 3 grown children, 3 precious granddaughters, and is the 3rd child in a family 9.
She is the general manager of Championship Martial Arts and takes great pride in leading a team of homegrown instructors and staff that continue to cultivate the family atmosphere at Championship Martial Arts for families of the Holland and surrounding communities.
She is the person who networks to make valuable connections and to expose martial arts to local businessmen and women but also to understand her community better.
Master Rachael is someone who values learning and prioritizes that for her team by bringing them to out-of-town seminars and training regularly.
Her many hats on the team are HR, Team Lead, Training Coordinator, Therapist, Counselor, Financial Analyst, Maintenance Pro, Inventory Supervisor, Building Improvement Specialist, Mom, Wife, Grandmother, Sister and Friend!
Master Ajay
Assistant Manager/Chief Instructor
Master Ajay Atsaphanthong is the Assistant Manager of Championship Martial Arts and has been training here since 2013. He loves to teach others how to become the best version of themselves. He is also the proud father of 2 dogs named Rue and Mae with his amazing Fiancé.
Master Ajay chose to train in martial arts because it is a great activity that has helped him gain confidence in himself and self-defense skills to protect those around him.
He chose to become an instructor because he enjoys teaching and making a positive difference in others’ lives. Choosing to become an instructor opened the door to a developing career to the position he holds today as Assistant Manager leading our instructors, overseeing curriculum development on the mat, meeting with families, leading our partnerships with areas schools, and leading various classes and programs within our facility!
Ms. Marie
Program Director
Ms. Marie began her martial arts studies in 2022 at Championship Martial Arts simply because it was a childhood dream of hers that was not a reality until adulthood. She began her martial arts journey alongside her husband to develop their fitness after the world reopened from covid 19.
Some of her hobbies include reading, spending time outside, and physical fitness. She currently holds an associate’s degree in health and exercise science and a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
Here at Championship Martial Arts, she became the full time Program Director in August of 2024. She is the first person many people talk to when becoming interested in martial arts.
Marie wanted to become part of the growing team at Championship Martial Arts because of the way this company puts the growth of individuals first, both in students and team members.
She continues to develop her martial arts skills in our evening classes alongside our biggest group of students, our black belts.
Master Chay, holding a 4th degree black belt, is the daughter to Master Chan and Master Rachael. During her late teen years, she left to explore life on her own only to return home at the age of 18 and learn the value of being under the umbrella of great parental leadership.
She was given an employment opportunity to lead classes, develop leadership skills, and earn the trust of a community that made such an important impact on her life. Master Chay earned the rank of Master in 2019 and continued teaching full time until the birth of her first child in 2023.
Today she is the mom of 2 beautiful daughters and married since 2019.
Currently she helps to develop marketing material for Championship Martial Arts, teach self defense seminars for which she is passionate about, is an occasional guest instructor, and photographer for the dojang.
Ms. Rowan
Lead Instructor
Ms. Rowan currently holds a 3rd degree black belt and has been training at Championship Martial Arts for 9 years. She is currently a student studying to get a psychology degree! Her parents enrolled her in martial arts to help her build confidence and acquire self-defense skills.
She became an assistant instructor in June of 2023 because she developed a deep passion for the sport and wanted others to discover the same love for it. She also wished to help others build their confidence, just as she had done herself. Her goal is to strengthen and expand the community both within the walls of Championship Martial Arts and beyond through the shared love of martial arts and continue its legacy.
Mr. Joel
Lead Instructor
Mr. Joel is a loving father of 4, and a devoted husband. His primary career is a software engineer, and he holds a part time gig as a college instructor. In all of his roles he enjoys helping people attain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to be great at whatever their goals may be.
He decided to start martial arts because it looked like a blast, but he also liked the idea that it could help him stay steady on his feet as he got older. For him, it was a win-win: have fun learning new moves and boost his balance and flexibility at the same time.
He chose to become an instructor at Championship Martial Arts because he loves encouraging others and making genuine connections. For him, it’s the perfect way to share good vibes and hang out with some truly awesome people—why not spend more time with a great crew?
Mr. Brammie
Assistant Instructor
Mr. Brammie, also known as Mr. Brownie by our beloved Lil Dragons students, is a high school sophomore who’s been training in martial arts for about 10 years. He’s trilingual, has dual citizenship, and is a multi-instrument musician. Bram’s main goal is to share God’s love by using his talents and passions.
Bram started training because his parents saw the value in martial arts and the positive character traits it builds. He’s grateful for their decision, saying CMA has made a big impact on where he is today.
He’s always wanted to be an instructor. Inspired by the dedication and support from instructors like Master Ajay and Master Chan, Bram decided early on that he wanted to give back to the next generation. Now, he feels blessed to help and support students as part of the CMA family.
Mr. Joshua
Assistant Instructor
Mr. Joshua is a junior in high school who’s really into making short, fun films for his YouTube channel. He loves hanging out with family and friends, and he’s super active in Leaders for Christ, where he’s learned a ton about the Bible.
He thinks learning is awesome, especially because the people around him make it fun and always have great advice about life. Martial arts taught him how to grow as a person. He started training because he used to get scared a lot as a kid, but now, thanks to martial arts, he’s gained courage and confidence—and it keeps him active, which he really enjoys.
Now, as an instructor, Joshua wants to pass on what he’s learned to others, just like his own instructors inspired him. He’s been practicing martial arts since he was four years old and holds a 2nd degree black belt. When his friends wanted to learn what he was doing, he discovered how much he liked teaching them—and that’s what got him interested in becoming an instructor himself.
His family has his back every step of the way and are his biggest supporters.
Mr. Joe
Assistant Instructor
Mr. Joe is currently a junior in high school. Alongside his passion for martial arts, he plays violin in the school orchestra and mandolin in the school’s folk ensemble.
Some of his favorite things outside of martial arts include spending time with his family, going to youth group at church, enjoying music, watching movies, traveling, and learning about history.
He chose martial arts because he wanted a physical activity that would help him gain confidence and important life skills. Becoming an instructor appealed to him because he loves helping people get better at things and enjoys encouraging others, which being an instructor allows him to do.
Ms. Avery
Assistant Instructor
Ms. Avery became a student at Championship Martial Arts in July of 2021 because her best friend was already training. She thought it seemed exciting and wanted to learn how to defend herself.
In her free time, she loves to read, crochet, and play video games.
Becoming an instructor was a way for Avery to step outside her comfort zone and try something different. She’s thrilled with her decision and absolutely loves the experience so far, especially working with all the students.
Mr. Henry
Assistant Instructor
Mr. Henry Luten is 57 years old and grew up in Florida. He currently resides in Zeeland with his wife and son. As a Chemist, he has worked at Gentex Corporation for more than 20 years.
Henry originally studied Tae Kwon Do during his high school years but paused his training when he started college. In 2019, he resumed Tae Kwon Do at Championship Martial Arts when his son began training there. Teaching has always been one of his passions, so after earning his Black Belt, he was eager to become an instructor. He truly enjoys teaching at Championship Martial Arts and helping students reach their goals.
master dan
Assistant Instructor
Master Dan has been part of Championship Martial Arts since October 2003. He worked as an environmental engineer until his retirement at the end of December 2025.
Dan initially joined CMA with six other colleagues simply to get some exercise, but he is the only one from that group who continued training and earned several ranks of black belt. When he was dating his now wife one of the conditions was that she too needed to love martial arts and she joined our school and became a black belt as well. They married in 2009.
After catching the martial arts bug, he began assisting in classes and continued his journey toward earning his black belt. Now he holds a 5th degree black belt.
What he enjoys most about teaching is watching kids develop and gain confidence as they come out of their shells.
