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The Ballers Map · Illinois

Youth martial arts in Illinois

18 programs in 9 cities. The most are in Chicago, Aurora, Champaign. OpenStreetMap also maps 116 public dojos and martial arts studios in Illinois.

Search near a ZIP in IllinoisAll youth sports in Illinois

Illinois at a glance

Programs listed
18
Cities with programs
9
Most programs
Chicago (10), Aurora (1), Champaign (1), Des Plaines (1), Forsyth (1)
Mapped to a street address
94% (the rest at ZIP or city centre)
Public dojos and martial arts studios (OpenStreetMap)
116
By type
Club 12 · League 2 · Training 4

Statewide organizations

  • High school sports

    Illinois High School Association

    State high school athletics association (NFHS member): school sports, eligibility, seasons and state championships

    Website (opens in a new tab) ↗

Names and links from public directories: NFHS member state associations, USA Swimming LSC websites, USA Wrestling state associations, US Youth Soccer state associations.

City guides

Chicago 10

Aurora 1

Champaign 1

Des Plaines 1

Forsyth 1

N Barrington 1

Northbrook 1

Springfield 1

Yorkville 1

Youth martial arts: ages and seasons

Typical starting ages
Many schools offer classes from around age 4 to 6, with belt or rank systems instead of age teams.
Seasons
Classes usually run year-round, with tournaments throughout the year.
National organizations

General orientation only. Every program sets its own ages, fees and calendar.

How to choose a youth martial arts program

  • Clubs and travel teams usually hold tryouts or evaluations. Ask about the total season cost (dues, uniforms, travel and tournament fees), how often they practise and compete, and how playing time is decided.
  • Leagues and rec programs register by season, often several weeks before play starts. Ask whether teams are balanced by skill and whether every child gets playing time.
  • For trainers and academies, ask for a sample session plan, the group size, and how progress is tracked.
  • Check that coaches have passed background checks and current safety training (for example SafeSport and concussion awareness).
  • Confirm the age or grade rules and any birth-year cutoff before paying.
  • Listings here are unverified. Contact the program directly, and if you run it, claim the listing to fix the details.

About these listings. Listings come from public sources. IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File: nonprofits in the recreation and sports group with a recent filing, whose registered name identifies them as martial arts programs. Their city is the registered mailing address, and their category is inferred from the name. Every listing is unverified until the program confirms it, and none is an endorsement. Always confirm ages, fees and tryouts with the program.

Data: IRS EO BMF and U.S. Census Bureau (Gazetteer, Geocoder), public domain. Places-to-play data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL). Map tiles OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles. Nonprofit records link to ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.

Neighboring states

For high school athletes & families

The Recruiting Playbook

A recruiting toolkit for grades 9–12 and their families: a recruiting calendar, school-fit scorecard, outreach templates and a 90-day plan. Built as a soccer recruiting toolkit.

Get it on Gumroad · $29 (opens in a new tab)

Run a program?

Make sure families find you.

Listings are free. Claim yours to correct the details.

Add or claim a listing