Site Navigation

Home
About
Services
Testimonials
Contact

Martial Arts Academy

About Us

Martial Arts Academy Head instructor Bernie Gorak II currently runs a dojo/training center located at 236 w Broadway Bradley Illinois. He started martial arts training age the age of 10 and has been training now for 45 years, and teaching for 30 years.

Martial Arts Academy is authorized to run the Chuck Norris System

Current Rank:
9th degree black belt - kenpo (6/5/23) under Grandmaster Ted Tomeski
3rd degree black belt - kenpo under Grandmaster Larry Tatum
2nd degree black belt- Renzoku Jiu Jitsu under Grandmaster John Cozatt
9th degree kan shu kenpo black belt under John cozatt

Former Professional Lic. Boxer in the State of Illinois
Former Kick Boxer 6-3 record.
Sport Karate Point Sparring record 112 wins 28 losses.

Holds other rank in, Shoeri-Ryu Karate, Soo Bak Do Karate, and Tae Kwon Do.

Sensei to PKC region 1 sparring champion 2006- Katelyn Gorak, 2016 Cody Beland , 2016 Collin Beland. 2019 Brooklynn Gorak, Brynlee Lochner, and Collin Beland,

Sensei to PKC region up sparring 2006- Bernie Gorak III
Sensei to PKC region 1 Champion Self Defense 2016 Zachary Gorak, Collin Beland, and Cody Beland, 2019 Brynlee Lochner, Emmalin Jacob, Aidan Jacob, Brooklynn Gorak, Collin Beland. 2020, Zachary Gorak, Emmalin Jacob, Tucker Jacob, Brynlee Lochner.

Sensei Bernie Gorak II- PKC Self Defense Champion 2016, 2017, (2nd place) 2018, Champion in 2019 and 2020.
PKC National Rank 7th in Self Defense in 2016, 6th in 2018, 8th in 2019.

PKC Region-1, 7th Place sparring 2018.

Areas Served

Will County, IL | Kankakee County, IL | Bradley, IL | Grant Park, IL

Our Professional Associations

Gorak’s Kenpo Systems (president) Chicago Kenpo Karate Association (lifetime) SRMAA (lifetime) LTKKA (lifetime)

What We Offer

Our Specialties include:

Other awards:
Ibba 2023 International back belt association - kenpo instructor of year
Inductee into the USAMA Martial Arts Hall of Fame, Arkansas in July 2021.
Inducted into the Illinois Martial Arts Hall of Fame 2019, by Pete Hoffman and Mike McNamara
Inductee into the Who’s Who in Martial Arts Book (2017) by Jessie Bowen
Inducted into the International Kenpo Hall of Fame class of 2013- by GM Al Tracy
Inducted into the International Black Belt Association Hall of Fame 2015- Kenpo Instructor of the Year.
SRMAA Hall of Fame 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2015, 2016, 2017,2018 and 2019 Kenpo Instructor of the Year
AKA Hall of Fame 2008----Kenpo Instructor of the Year.
Certified Woman’s Safe Network Agent.
Martial Arts Academy is authorized to run the Chuck Norris System

Our Services include:

Kenpo karate and Renzoku Jiu Jitsu
Kenpo Karate System
Classes for Children Aged 3-6
Classes for Children Aged 7-12
Adult Classes For People Aged 13 And Up

Testimonials

On 3/20/2025 Grand parent had this to say:
If you are looking for a great 3-7 year old program this is the place to be … they teach martial arts , takedowns, sparring. Testimonial written by Grand parent on this site.

On 1/17/2025 Anonymous had this to say:
Instructors are very knowledgeable and work great with kids and adults . Hands down 5 stars Testimonial submitted anonymously directly to this site.

On 1/7/2025 Roger had this to say:
Not a belt factory like the rest! They will earn their stripes at Martial Arts Academy , best place around to learn martial arts. Testimonial written by Roger on this site.

On 1/7/2025 Grandmaster had this to say:
Owner and Head Instructor Bernie Gorak teaches realistic self defense and their sparring is second to none, no one in the county does sparring like they do. It’s not point fighting that’s for sure, leg kicks are good, take downs and submissions are also allowed..all done in a safe, controlled, environment. Testimonial written by Grandmaster on this site.

Contact Us

Martial Arts Academy
236 W Broadway St Bradley, IL 60915
Phone: (815) 690-7649
Email: berniegorak@comcast.net

Where To Find Us

Payment Types Accepted

Cash, Personal Checks, MasterCard, Visa

Our Hours

Holiday Hours May Vary. Please Call For Details.

Monday: 5:00 PM - 8:45 PM
Tuesday: 5:00 PM - 8:45 PM
Wednesday: 5:00 PM - 8:45 PM
Thursday: 5:00 PM - 8:45 PM
Friday: By Appointment Only
Saturday: By Appointment Only