Isaiah Hughes

For Isaiah Hughes, martial arts has always been about more than learning how to fight or earning the next belt. It is about helping people discover who they are capable of becoming.

As the Owner and Chief Instructor of True Force Martial Arts, Mr. Hughes has spent years training, teaching, and developing martial artists of all ages. A 4th Degree Black Belt, he founded True Force to provide high-quality martial arts training while helping students develop confidence, discipline, resilience, and leadership that extend beyond the mats.

At the center of his teaching is the belief that character is not something you simply have. It is something you practice. Martial arts gives students a place to practice making difficult choices, responding to failure, accepting responsibility, changing, and continuing to become better. That belief helped shape the True Force philosophy of True Heart, True Mind, True Power, and ultimately becoming a True Force.

Mr. Hughes's work extends into the Coles County community through self-defense education, anti-abduction training, seminars, demonstrations, charitable events, and community outreach. In 2025, he was recognized as a member of the area's 20 Under 40.

His goal for every student is simple: help them become stronger not only as martial artists, but as people. Because who we are becoming matters more than what we earn.