Success Martial Arts Center, LLC

 

Mr. Jason Warren (Owner) began his training at age 9 in September of 1990 in Memphis, TN under Master Terry Brumley, Master Mark Metts and Master Darie Burton. He currently holds a 5th degree black belt with over 20 years of experience. Over the years he has been an active competitor all over the country taking numerous awards including gold medals at the 1997, 1998 and 1999 Junior Olympic Games and Taekwondo Nationals. In 2002 and 2003, Mr. Warren was ranked #1 in the region for forms, fighting and weapons. In 2001 he started the Memphis Xtreme Team out of Memphis, TN where he coached and trained talented athletes to become champions. The team grew to 38 active members and later became the top team in the region. Mr. Warren’s specialties are motivating students to be their best, regardless of their physical limitations and personal abilities. He also is recognized for his ability to take athletes who are serious about competing and taking them to another level. Generally, in most martial arts schools, students who want to compete are usually not involved with a school that has much knowledge of competition, therefore, leaving the student to fend for themselves in competition without the proper training.

Mr. Ronnie Presley (Owner) began his training under Master Jason Warren and Master Darie Burton in Bartlett, TN in 2001. He currently holds a 1st degree black belt with 8 years of experience. He began his training with his wife and 2 sons, Reid and Cole. Shortly after they started, Mr. Presley became father of his 3rd son, Jake. He has been active in the martial arts as both a practitioner and parent. Mr. Presley spent much of his time traveling with Mr. Warren to competitions where his kids and the Memphis Xtreme Team were competing. Though, not a competitor himself, he has a lot of competition knowledge and can help students reach that higher level of training. Mr. Presley is the Director of Operations at Interstate Trucking Company located in Lebanon. He is most known for his coaching and people skills where he motivates and coaches everyone to become more self-confident and believe in themselves.

Mr. Catlin Gentry (Head Instructor) is a 4th degree black belt with 10 yrs of experience under his belt and is also head instructor at SMAC. He started at the age of 9 in 1998 and is one of the original members of SMAC. Most instructors here have come from various martial arts studios but Mr. Gentry has been here from the start. Mr. Gentry is a national forms and fighting champion. From 1999-2006 he has amassed numerous amounts of gold, silver and bronze medals at the Junior Olympic Games and the Taekwondo Nationals. In 2005, Mr. Gentry was invited to join the USSSA National Taekwondo Team where he was coached by Master Rick Blair. He is well-known throughout the state of TN for his accolades and abilities. When Mr. Warren was still in Memphis, Mr. Gentry would compete head to head with Mr. Warren’s Memphis Xtreme Team and proved to be the team’s biggest nemesis in the state. Mr. Warren knew his students had their plate full when competing against Mr. Gentry. He spends much of his time training and coaching at SMAC and teaching students the same values he has learned along his road of success.

Mrs. Mary Besse (Head Instructor) is currently a 3rd degree black belt with over 12 yrs of experience. Mrs. Besse began her Taekwondo training in KY at the age of 18. After 2 yrs of training, she moved to Tennessee and continued her training under Sherri Gentry, owner of Mid-American Taekwondo. Ms. Gentry later sold her school to Mrs. Kimberly Cerami, who then changed the name to Success Taekwondo. Mrs. Besse remained a valuable part of the school as both a student and an instructor. Now she is continuing her training under Mr. Jason Warren. She is best known for her great technique and performance. Mrs. Besse, like Mr. Presley, is also a parent of the sport. She has 2 boys, Aaron and Jacob, who also train at SMAC, and a daughter who is 3 years old and a future student of our school. Mrs. Besse has several tournament wins but would rather spend more of her time teaching and training. She is a student who is always striving to improve herself so she can better train the students. Mrs. Mary is a full-time mother, a photographer, and instructor.

 

Mr. Reid Presley (Assistant Instructor) is the son of Mr. Ronnie Presley. Mr. Reid started training at the early age of 5 in November of 2001 and currently holds the rank of 3rd degree black belt. At the early age of 7, Reid had become the top rated competitor in the region and the country. By the age of 9, Reid won a gold medal in the Junior Olympic Games. He is currently a member of a renowned tournament team called Team AKA and also Team Sideswipe performance team (as seen on America's Got Talent). Team Sideswipe's members have landed roles in various movies, commercials, Vegas shows and even performances with stars such as Brittany Spears and Jonas Brothers. Reid is ranked #1 in the country on the NASKA tournament circuit which sends him all over the U.S. & Canada competing in the nations largest and most prestigious competitions. Many know Reid as Captain America after he landed a role in the latest Captain America commercial that was released in the summer of 2011.