For Miss Tammy, martial arts has always been about learning how to kick and punch and much more. Tae Kwon Do is a lifelong practice of challenging yourself, continuing to learn, and discovering what you are capable of.

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Tammy opened Blue Wave Martial Arts & Fitness in Edwardsville, the community where she grew up, because she wanted to share the invaluable lessons, personal development, and growth she experienced through her own martial arts training with others in her community.

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She takes her responsibility as an instructor seriously. Her goal isn't simply to develop capable martial artists, but to create an environment where students can be challenged, receive honest feedback, make mistakes, persevere through difficulty, and recognize their own progress.

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A Martial Artist Who Continues to Train

Miss Tammy is a third-degree black belt in Chung Do Kwan Tae Kwon Do who began training under Master David Blevins in 2007.

Before opening her Edwardsville location, Tammy spent five years working for and being mentored by Master Blevins. She has served as head instructor of Blue Wave Edwardsville since 2012 and continues to actively train under Master Blevins and participate in the Chung Do Kwan Tae Kwon Do Association.

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Tammy believes an instructor should never stop being a student.

 

Continuing her own training keeps her connected to the experience she asks of her students—the challenge of learning something difficult, accepting correction, working through frustration, refining familiar skills, and discovering that there is always another level of development ahead.

 

A Lifelong Commitment to Movement

Tammy's interest in physical development extends well beyond Tae Kwon Do.

With more than 20 years of experience in fitness and numerous fitness certifications, movement has remained an important part of her life. Her interests over the years have included running, cycling, swimming, hiking, rock climbing, paddle boarding, snorkeling, strength training, and cardio kickboxing.

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This broad experience influences her approach to martial arts and fitness instruction. Rather than viewing physical ability as something a person either has or doesn't have, Tammy believes that strength, coordination, mobility, endurance, and confidence in movement can all be developed through consistent practice.

 

Experience Beyond the Training Floor

Tammy brings an unusually varied professional background to her role as an instructor.

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Her experience has included working in corporate information technology, communications, special education, and the fitness industry, along with volunteering with local youth enrichment organizations.

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Those experiences have reinforced an important part of her teaching philosophy: students do not all learn in the same way, progress at the same pace, or arrive with the same strengths and challenges.

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Good instruction requires expectations and accountability, but it also requires understanding the individual standing in front of you.

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Family, Community & Life Outside the Dojang

Outside of Blue Wave, Tammy is a wife and mother of two adult children, grandmother to one, an outdoor and fitness enthusiast, and has a deep love for animals and wildlife.

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She continues to seek out opportunities to move, learn, travel, explore, and challenge herself—because personal development doesn't end when class does.

 

That same philosophy is at the center of what she hopes students experience at Blue Wave:

Show up. Be willing to learn. Accept the challenge. Keep working. Keep growing.

You don't have to know what you're capable of when you begin.

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That is what training helps you discover.