36 Chambers Martial Arts & Fitness was founded in 2019 by Alex (Stokman) Brackett. Alex feels strongly that every warrior has their own path, and is committed to helping each individual discover and thrive during their journey. She has been training, fighting and coaching Muay Thai and other combat sports for over 23 years.
The name ‘36 Chambers’ is a reference to the 1978 movie, “The 36th Chamber of Shaolin”, a kung fu movie about a young student who seeks liberation for his people from the Manchu government. The student goes to train with the Shaolin monks, and embarks on a journey of rigor, discipline, and self-reflection. The monks train novices in Shaolin Kung Fu in 35 different temples, focusing on 35 different skills. The student advances so rapidly, and asks to create a single chamber for civilians to learn kung fu, so they may defend themselves against their oppressors. The temple does not agree, so the student goes off and creates his own training camp, the 36th Chamber. The movie was the inspiration for 36 Chambers Martial Arts & Fitness.
In 2014, Alex pursued a dream to own and operate her first successful gym, and opened Peoria Muay Thai. The gym was highly successful, producing 6 national champions in less than 3 years, and quickly grew a large membership.
In 2017, Alex moved to North Carolina for work, and sold PMT. with the intention of starting a gym again. Since officially leaving competition in 2015, Alex still actively trains, but stays focused on coaching. Alex is joined by Coach Frank Dees, who coaches Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and “Sensei” Seth Adams, our amazing Kids Karate instructor. Find out more about our instructors, here!