How one Huntley-based martial arts academy became a national destination for training renowned champion athletes

HUNTLEY – When Rob Zbilski, owner of Z’s Martial Arts Academy (11320 Kiley Drive) and president of the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO), became disillusioned with a career as a stockbroker, he decided to turn his experience in martial arts into a life-changing opportunity by opening his first academy in 1989 in Wheeling, Illinois.

Zbilski eventually sold that academy to make way for his brand-new martial arts school in Huntley back in 2004.

“During that time, you know, I had the opportunity to become coach of the U.S. Kickboxing Team and then I became the president of the organization and we just got full status Olympic recognition earlier this year,” said Zbilski. “So, it’s been a great thing for the sport of kickboxing, and having my school in Huntley it’s become basically the national training center. So, we have a bunch of athletes that come [from] around the country and train and you know, hone their skills as they represent our country in the international competition.”

In July 2022, one of Zbilski’s long-time students will be only one of three American kickboxers that will be competing in the World Games, an international sports event that is held every four years and hosts over 3,000 of the world’s best athletes in various sports. The World Games are also recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

“Her name is Amanda Ginski and she’s been training with us for about 10-11 years. She won [the] Golden Gloves Illinois Boxing Tournament and then she’s a five-time national kickboxing champion. Now she qualified in the top eight [2021 WAKO World Championships] in Italy a couple of weeks ago and we’ll be one of three Americans representing our sport in the World Games,” said Zbilski. “She’s excited because she’ll get to rematch the top eight girls in the world and hopefully medal for the United States. That’s our goal.”

Zbilski says it’s been a rewarding experience to see his students grow to the highest level in their martial arts discipline.

“Every year we have a national tournament and then those athletes have to compete for the spots. We have several athletes out of Z’s Martial Arts that, well we have three, three or four that actually fight in the U.S. Team. We actually [had] two of them going to Mexico to compete. Two juniors, a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old girl,” he said.

Further, Zbilski made it a point to state that kickboxing is not just a man’s sport, pointing out that there are many benefits kickboxing offers to girls and women.

“There [are] women that have lost a lot of weight. They’ve changed their bodies, they built confidence, and it’s become a real routine to come in two, three, four days a week and they see the results and it’s just amazing. I’ve got women that have been in our gym for all 17 years when we opened here, and continue to come and still feel great, look great, and have built a tremendous amount of confidence,” Zbilski said.

One misconception about martial arts that Zbilski encounters often is the fact that individuals associate the sport as too violent.

“There is a very real self-defense side to the martial arts, but I think right now most of the martial arts are becoming more about fitness and health, especially kickboxing. We have, I would say 85% of our kickboxers that are in class are between the ages of 15 and 60 and only maybe 15% of them would actually compete or think about competing. So, most of them are in there doing the same workout and same routine, but they do it at their level. You don’t have to do it at the highest level,” said Zbilski.

As for what the most challenging part about training champion athletes is, Zbilski explained:

“I think the most challenging thing is that a lot of the athletes have other things that they have to do. Some have to work for a living. Like Amanda’s got a full-time job and she has to train two hours at night, sometimes one or two hours in the morning. You know, she’s doing a 10-12-hour day and it’s hard for those athletes because they have to make the sacrifices,” he said.

Zbilski continued, “Sometimes I’ll lose athletes because they’re not making enough money in the sport or you know, they can’t make the sacrifices that it takes to be a champion. So, that’s probably the toughest thing.

Zbilski is grateful that the COVID-19 pandemic has not had any significant impact on his business. In fact, he states that Z’s Martial Arts Academy saw a large increase in enrollment rates right after the statewide lockdown was lifted.

Z’s Martial Arts Academy has classes for children as young as 4-years-old and up. Z’s offers classes in karate, kickboxing, boxing, and grappling for mixed martial arts (MMA).

For more information on Z’s Martial Arts Academy visit their website at teamzsweb.wixsite.com/mysite or follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram by searching their handle @teamz_huntley.