James Yang was born in Lafayette, Indiana in 1978 and is Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming's older son. At 5 years old, he often accompanied his father in going to the YMAA school on weekends. What started out as mere curiosity became a lifelong interest and pastime. James eventually became a serious practitioner of traditional Wushu, Kung-Fu. As his love for Chinese martial arts grew, so did YMAA, providing him with opportunities to travel to various countries and meet different people around the world, people that share this same passion in martial arts training.

James has been an active martial arts competitor since 1993. He has participated in major national and international Wushu tournaments. In 2001, he was awarded the title of Grand Champion in traditional Wushu at a national tournament held by the U.S.A. Wushu Kungfu Federation (USAWKF). Additionally, James often placed in the renowned A Taste of China tournaments, competing in Baguazhang and Xingyi.

Recently, James has changed the focus of his training from competitions to the YMAA curriculum. He is dedicated to supporting his brother, Nicholas Yang, in his brother's endeavors as President of YMAA International.