Nicholas C. Yang

Nicholas C. Yang began training Kungfu/Gongfu (功夫), at the age of 8 under the tutelage of his father, Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming, at Yang's Martial Arts Association (YMAA) in Boston, Massachusetts. After years of practice, Nicholas began competing in several international and national tournaments, held by the U.S. Wushu Kungfu Federation, the U.S. Kuoshu Federation, and the U.S. Wushu Union, performing Shaolin Long Fist and White Crane. He was awarded several medals and awards for events in barehand, sword, saber, staff, and two short rods. Throughout his teenage years, Nicholas helped to teach adult Shaolin classes at YMAA in Boston. He has also traveled with his father to many countries around the world, including Poland, Portugal, France, South Africa, Qatar, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil, oftentimes assisting Dr. Yang in seminars and teaching as a YMAA instructor.

Outside of YMAA, Nicholas is an avid aficionado of computers. He earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Computer Science in 2003 and 2004, respectively, from Brown University. After working in the field as a software engineer, Nicholas decided to return to college in Emeryville, California to pursue a degree in digital art at Ex'pression College for Digital Arts. Graduating as Salutatorian, he earned his a B.A.S. degree in Computer Animation & Visual Effects with a concentration in 3D Technical Modeling in October 2007.

After graduating from Ex'pression in 2007, Nicholas returned to Boston to manage YMAA International as the organization's new president. His father now resides as Executive President, supervisor and advisor of YMAA International, and Director of the YMAA California Retreat Center. Nicholas has performed in several YMAA instructional DVDs and has also authored a few Long Fist DVDs of his own. He is currently the Assistant Director of Dr. Yang's YMAA Retreat Center.

"Throughout all of my life, YMAA has been my international family, a closely-knit community with a very unique and positive energy. It has become one of the greatest pillars of support in my life, a gathering of good people and indomitable spirit. I've watched several YMAA generations come and go, and I've watched YMAA evolve so much over the years, both as a school and an international organization. From a modest old building in Boston to a multinational network, YMAA has grown into a pioneering world symbol of tradition, quality, and friendship. It is one of the greatest honors of my life to help carry this legacy forward. I am always humbled by the amount of respect, good karma, and positivity that my father has created through YMAA. He is, without a doubt, a hard act to follow. But I will nevertheless strive to maintain and improve the standards, quality, and name that YMAA has come to stand for.

"Knowing its history, legacy, mission, and culture, I will be forever proud to be a part of this organization. I hope to see all of YMAA International and the worldwide martial arts community continue to grow stronger together, to propagate martial morality and discipline, to persevere and push for martial arts to become as alive and creative as the art once was hundreds of years ago."

- Nicholas C. Yang