Our Instructors & Staff Members

Our Instructors have spent many years devoted to training in the art of Kung Fu and other martial arts and have attained a certain level of expertise to qualify them as teachers and also mentors.

Through extensive testing, certification and tournament level competition, our staff has attained mastery in this martial art and now enjoy sharing their skill and passing it on to their students.

Sigung Jimmy Tarpley  (8th level Black Sash Grand Master)  Sigung Ling Fu Tao Lung Gra Master Tarpley started his journey in martial arts at the young age of 9 in ju jit su. He began at the local Y.M.C.A. in Lebanon where a friend of his father taught. He studied the style for about two and a half years before going on to play baseball, which he had been playing since the age of 5. Being the shortest child in class, his martial arts background helped him greatly in fights during his school age years. His opponents were bullies, golden glove boxers, and other martial artists. He was challenged by many staying undefeated during his school years. In January 1985 all of this changed. At the age of 20 he started training at a martial arts school in Nashville, Rusty Gray’s Kungfu and Chinese Kickboxing School. This is when Sijo Gray was training hardest for his full contact fighting career. Sijo Gray required on Sigung Tarpleys first day for him to spar everyone in class from white sashes all the way to black sashes. This event truly humbled Sigung Tarpley. Sijo Gray gained a great deal of respect for Sigung Tarpley through many hours of training and hardcore sparring sessions and has always said "Sigung Tarpley was the fastest student to walk into the Nolensville Road School", Sijo Gray went on to be the heavy weight champion of the world in Kou Shou. For the next 9 years Master Tarpley would train in the styles that Master Gray had from Dr. Wing-Lok Ng to Grand Master Jack Lannom who is in the world record books for breaking 3000 lbs ice with a 6 inch palm strike. The only tournament that Master Tarpley fought in was the battle of Nashville where he took second place. He truly had beaten his opponent but this was a karate tournament and Kung fu was frowned upon by all other styles because they were ignorant to Kung fu. Today, Master Tarpley is still short, standing at a mere 5’5” tall but carries a tall line of achievements such as 8th Level Black Sash Grand Master at the Integrated Martial Arts Academy, National Director of the Sil-Lum Curriculum for the Gray Dragon White Tiger Martial Arts Association and Master Tarply was awarded 2007 Kung Fu Master of the year in the association. "Sigung Tarpley wishes every one to follow his motto, a humble Man wears not his art upon his sleeve but within his heart as he enters each battle with confidence and a smile." - Sigung Jimmy Tarpley

Sifu Brian Fussell  (4th Level Black Sash Instructor)  Brian Fussell is a 4th Level Black Sash practitioner, instructor and coach at Integrated Martial Arts. Brian started his training in Wing Chun Kung Fu with Sifu David Cruz and in 2002 became a personal student of one of the most gifted instructors, Sigung Jimmy Tarpley. Spending countless hours of training with Master Tarpley has produced an impressive repertoire of skill sets, ability, and knowledge. As a student of Master Tarpley, Brian has received a true tutelage in the old school, hardcore, no non-sense, fight it out-to find out, way of Kung Fu. Brian has also recevied personal training with Sijo L.R. Gray in Wing Chun Kung Fu and San Shou with Si Dai Gung Chuck Burnett. Also Brian has logged many private training hours with Sifu Billy Brown gaining extensive knowledge of blade and stick combatives and the integration of those techniques into empty hand scenarios. Over the course of his study in Martial Arts Brian has received certificates of training from Wing Chun Master Sifu Francis Fong, Guru Dan Inasanto in Jun Fan Gung Fu, Filipino Kali, and Jeet Kune Do Concepts and Muay Thai with Ajarn Chai Sirisute. Brian currently serves as Senior Instructor at Integrated Martial Arts Academy, is an Apprentice Instructor with Guro Billy Brown of Progressive Martial Arts Training Systems, and as a combatives consultant and board member for the Institute of Modern Combative Sciences.

Lee Allison Lee Allison has numerous credentials and accomplishments. We will be updating this section shortly to detail them.

For more information about the Integrated Martial Arts Academy staff or training programs, please contact us at 615-444-7715 or by clicking here.