Miss Judy started her Black Belt Academy training in the summer of 2002. She tested for her orange belt in August of that same summer. Even thought she was scared to death (ask her about people who cry at testing!) she persevered and was successful in passing her first test. From there, she simply exploded in to the whole martial arts world.

Having never competed in anything in her life, Miss Judy allowed Mr. Page to talk her in to competing in a Taekwondo tournament. The tournament he chose for her: The Songahm Taekwondo World Championships in Little Rock, AR!!! She was thrilled (NOT!) but she trained hard, and incredibly, she won second place in forms! For three days Miss Judy had trouble keeping her feet on the ground. She floated! It was amazing to see.

In all seriousness, the victory changed her life . From there she became an instructor trainee, the school’s program director, and an icon in our school. With all her successes she eventually became a top, world class competitor. Yet, she has never lost her humility and sense of reverence for the lessons she has learned, and continued to learn in her martial arts training. 

Miss Judy has continued her martial arts training, becoming both a 2nd degree Black Belt, and a certified Tai Chi instructor as well. She continues to work, train, teach, and spread her love of martial arts at the The Black Belt Academy of Poplar Bluff, and we are lucky to have her!!!

Mr. Randy Johnson became interested in martial arts as a child when the Green Hornet T.V. series was on the air in the 1960’s. Bruce Lee played the character of Kato the Green Hornet’s sidekick and chauffeur. On the show, Mr. Lee used the art of Kung-Fu to defeat the evil doers. His portrayal of the art fascinated the young Mr. Johnson however, at that time martial arts schools were not very common and the opportunity to train did not present itself until years later.

In 1975, Mr. Johnson enrolled in college and signed up for the Tang Soo Do class offered there. The instructor of the class was Dr. Thomas Carter a Chuck Norris affiliated Tang Soo Do black belt and a Kodokan Judo black belt. Mr. Johnson advanced quickly through the ranks and became the assistant instructor responsible for teaching the beginning students.

After completing college, Mr. Johnson began to study under Dr. Carter’s instructor Mr. Tip Potter. While studying with Mr. Potter, Mr. Johnson had the privilege of testing for and receiving his first and second-degree black belt from Mr. Norris. Throughout the seventies and eighties Mr. Johnson continues to train, teach, and compete in the martial arts. In competition Mr. Johnson always placed at the top of his division, however for Mr. Johnson a greater sense of accomplishment came from helping his students reach the black belt level.

Mr. Johnson considers his open-mindedness in life in general, and in martial arts in particular, as one of his greatest assists. His interests in the ground fighting aspect of martial arts lead him to attend the first Gracie Jiu-Jitsu seminar in the mid United Sates in the early nineties. This seminar (which took place in Chicago before the first UFC) was an eye opening and life changing experience for Mr. Johnson. He soon became addicted to the art and used every opportunity to gain more knowledge of the art. Over the years, Mr. Johnson has trained with members of the Gracie family, the Machados, members of the Brazilian Top Team and many others.

When the popularity of MMA increased in recent years, students came to Mr. Johnson requesting him to help them with their training. It was from this original group that Team Evolution was formed. Today the home of Team Evolution and the Evolution Fighting Method is Black Belt Academy of Poplar Bluff. This young program has produced amateur MMA belt holders from lightweight division to super heavyweight, grappling champions and more importantly a great place to study martial arts.