Meet Your Coaches
Instructors with
real competition experience.
Our coaches have competed and put in the rounds. You get real instruction, not a YouTube highlight reel.
Matt Violette
Black belt in Shotokan and Tae Kwon Do. Former Regional Sport Karate Circuit competitor — known as one of the top fighters in a 5-state region.
Matt is a black belt in Shotokan under Master Sensei and 6th dan Pete Threet, and a black belt in Tae Kwon Do under 5th dan Johnny Loftis. He competed in the Regional Sport Karate Circuit and was known as one of the top fighters in a 5-state region. Matt really turns up the pace in his classes — intense cardio, relentless drilling, and a never-give-up, no-nonsense approach to fighting.
- Black belt in Shotokan under 6th dan Pete Threet
- Black belt in Tae Kwon Do under 5th dan Johnny Loftis
- Regional Sport Karate Circuit competitor
- Top fighter in a 5-state region
Jonathan Robbins
Runs the gym day-to-day, leads our fundamentals jiu-jitsu classes, and coaches the kids programs. Patient, detail-obsessed, and the person most likely to make a brand-new student feel like they belong.
Donovan Chavez
Leads our fitness-focused kickboxing classes. High-energy, technically clean, and great at meeting every student at their level — whether you're here for fitness or fight prep.
Michael Bartlett
Lead instructor at 10th Planet Cookeville. 1st-degree black belt in 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu. Training martial arts since age 6.
Michael has been training martial arts since he was 6 years old. He earned his black belt in Tae Kwon Do at age 14 under Jack Scott. In 2010, he began training Jiu-Jitsu under Buddy Hallum — a brown belt under Helio Soneca — and discovered 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu soon after. He found immediate success with the 10th Planet system in the gym and in competition and never looked back. Today Michael loves sharing his knowledge with students and MMA competitors who want to sharpen their grappling.
- 1st-degree black belt, 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu
- Black belt, Tae Kwon Do — under Jack Scott (age 14)
- Trained Jiu-Jitsu under Buddy Hallum (Helio Soneca lineage)
- Training martial arts since age 6
Meet them on the mat.
The best way to know if we're the right fit is to train with us. Three classes. $30. Zero pressure.