Jesse James Tucker
Founder & Chief Instructor
Krav Maga; Krav Maga Sparring & Grappling; Rising Leaders Youth Krav Maga; Group Fitness; Private Instruction
Jesse is the founder of Tucson’s Rising Phoenix Self-Defense and Fitness and its chief instructor. He has experience as an amateur MMA fighter and has been teaching self-defense for over 15 years. He holds black belts in four different Krav Maga systems and has pioneered the development of the Rising Phoenix Krav Maga system.
Jesse holds certification as a Krav Maga instructor with the Federation of Israeli Martial Arts (FIMA) and is also a certified Level 3 instructor in Master Roy Elghanayan’s Krav Maga (REKM) system. He’s trained champion grapplers, competition fighters, law enforcement officers, and military personnel.
Jesse obtained his first Krav Maga black belt in 2013 under the Ultima Krav Maga system. Later that same year, he was awarded a first-degree black belt by Mark Slane, the founder and chief instructor of the United States Krav Maga Association (USKMA), becoming the original USKMA-certified Krav Maga black belt in Arizona.
Jesse went on to become the lead instructor for the USKMA Western Regional Training Center, when it was first established in Tucson.
In recognition of his development of the Rising Phoenix Krav Maga system, Jesse was awarded his 4th Dan black belt in August 2021 by Grandmaster Jacov Bresler, the Chief Instructor for KAPAP Krav Maga in the United States. Jesse earned his black belt in Grandmaster Bresler’s Street Smart Survival System of Israeli Krav Maga in February 2022.
Jesse also holds a purple belt in combat Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a brown belt in combat Judo, both under Master Chancelar Ward. In 2022, Jesse was conferred the rank of black belt by 10th Dan Senior Grandmaster Victor Moore in Grandmaster Moore’s Traditional World Karate system.
In September 2021, Jesse was nominated for induction into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame and was inducted in October 2021. At the time of his induction, Jesse was named Defense Master Instructor of the Year.
A month later, in November 2021, Jesse was inducted into the Israeli Martial Arts Hall of Fame, with Tucson’s Rising Phoenix being named the Best Krav Maga School in Tucson, Arizona.
Jesse specializes in adaptive training that modifies standard Krav Maga techniques and self-defense practice for differing abilities, fitness levels, and body types, and for wide-ranging variations in attacker/defender body dynamics.
He’s available for corporate self-defense training, group workshops, custom group classes, and one-on-one private instruction.
Danielle Fradette
Instructor
Group Fitness
Danielle is our group fitness instructor. She has been teaching group fitness for 5+ years and incorporates strength, cardio, agility, endurance, and functional training into her classes. She is also a certified yoga instructor.
Danielle is passionate about fitness as a way to relieve stress, feel good, and live an active lifestyle for years to come. A component of her Master’s Degree in education is focused on behavior and the key components for helping people make long-lasting changes to their habits and lifestyle.
Danielle has trained Krav Maga for over 7 years and has 4+ years teaching Women’s Self-Defense Classes. She specializes in teaching women and children.
Mike Madison
Senior Instructor
Krav Maga; Krav Maga Sparring & Grappling; Group Fitness
Mike was raised in Tucson, Arizona. He’s a veteran of the United States Army Military Police Corps, as well as a former instructor with the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), certified as a PADI Open Water and specialty scuba diving instructor.
Mike began training Krav Maga and self-defense under Jesse James Tucker in 2011.
He became the first person to receive a black belt in the Rising Phoenix Krav Maga system under Master Tucker, receiving his black belt in April 2018.
In August 2022, Mike was awarded a brown belt in combat Judo under Grandmaster Chancelar Ward.
In November 2022, Mike was awarded a second black belt in the Street Smart Survival System of Israeli Krav Maga by Grandmaster Jacov Bresler, Chief Instructor for KAPAP Krav Maga in the United States.
In November 2023, Mike was awarded his 3rd Dan (degree) black belt in the Rising Phoenix Krav Maga system by Master Tucker and Grandmaster Jacov Bresler.
In April 2024, Mike received his Level A instructor certification in Israeli KAPAP face-to-face combat from Grandmaster Moshe Galisko, president of the International KAPAP Association (IKA) of Israel, and became officially registered as an IKA instructor with the Israeli governmental authority.
Mike is a proud member in good standing and a certified instructor with the Federation of Israeli Martial Arts (FIMA).
Known for his challenging Krav Maga and Fitness classes, served up with an always encouraging attitude and sense of humor, Mike notes that he continues to grow as a student and as an instructor, “as this is the way,” he says.
Besides Krav Maga, Mike likes smooth jazz, long walks on the beach, and Chinese noodles… And neck cranks. We here at Rising Phoenix think it’s possible Mike is on a one-man quest to find a way to end every self-defense technique in a neck crank. Stay tuned for updates on his progress ….
Brian Bennett
Instructor
Krav Maga; Krav Maga Sparring & Grappling; Private Instruction
Brian began training Krav Maga and self-defense under Jesse James Tucker in 2014. He received his black belt under Master Tucker in February 2021, becoming only the second person to be black-belted in the Rising Phoenix Krav Maga system.
In August 2021, Brian was awarded his 2nd Dan black belt by Grandmaster Jacov Bresler, the Chief Instructor for KAPAP Krav Maga in the United States. A year later, in August 2022, Brian earned his brown belt in combat Judo under Master Chancelar Ward.
Brian became certified as a Krav Maga instructor with the Federation of Israeli Martial Arts (FIMA) in July 2022.
Brian continues to train under Master Ward in disciplines on which Krav Maga was founded — Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, and Muay Thai. Brian also trains under Grandmaster Bresler in Grandmaster Bresler’s Street Smart Self-Defense system of Israeli Krav Maga.
“My ambition is to explore the origins of Krav Maga and to bring value to the self-defense world,” Brian says, “forging a stronger community that stands tall together.”
Brian specializes in Muay Thai sparring and the application of catch-wrestling techniques, combat Judo, and combat Jiu-Jitsu to real-world self-defense. He’s available to both Rising Phoenix members and non-members for private instruction.
Victoria Suchanek
Director & Lead Instructor, Women’s Self-Defense
Instructor, Krav Maga; Rising Leaders Youth Krav Maga; Private Instruction
Since the first time she learned about it, Victoria wanted to try Krav Maga. Ten years later — tired of thinking about doing it but only watching from afar — in September 2014, she finally got up the courage to try a free Krav Maga class at REACT Defense Systems in Glendale, Arizona.
She was instantly hooked and began training six days a week, four to seven hours a day. In May 2015, under the primary instruction of black belts Michael Bolles and Tony Sprague, she earned her blue-level certification in the REACT Tactical Black Krav Maga system.
In June 2015, after only nine months at REACT, Victoria had to put her training on hold when she moved to Tucson. Victoria never stopped wanting to return to Krav Maga. And after a five-year hiatus, in September 2020, she nervously walked into Tucson’s Rising Phoenix for an introductory training session with Master Jesse James Tucker. She hasn’t looked back since.
Victoria began teaching the women’s self-defense classes at Rising Phoenix in November 2020, expanding the program from one to two classes per week. In 2021, she became an instructor in the Rising Leaders Youth Krav Maga program. Victoria was named the director of the Rising Phoenix women’s self-defense program in April 2022.
She earned her Level 1 certification in the Rising Phoenix Krav Maga system in December 2020, her Level 2 certification in August 2021, and her Level 3 certification in April 2023.
In August 2022, she was awarded a brown belt by Grandmaster Jacov Bresler, the Chief Instructor for KAPAP Krav Maga in the United States, in Grandmaster Bresler’s Street Smart Survival System of Israeli Krav Maga.
In September 2022, she became certified as a Krav Maga instructor with the Federation of Israeli Martial Arts (FIMA). And in March 2024, she was certified as a Level A instructor in Israeli KAPAP face-to-face combat by Grandmaster Moshe Galisko and the International KAPAP Association (IKA).
Victoria has led a number of Krav Maga and self-defense workshops and classes in the Tucson area, including corporate training sessions, university workshops, classes at middle schools, private group classes, and the first-ever Women’s Assault-Prevention Workshop at Rising Phoenix.
In the spring of 2022, she worked with local charter school AmeriSchools to create and lead afterschool self-defense clubs for girls and boys. With sponsorship from Master Tucker, she started a summer scholarship program to offer free training at Rising Phoenix to the standout students from the clubs.
Victoria continues to train in the Rising Phoenix Krav Maga system under Master Tucker. She also trains in combat Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, combat Judo, and weapon tactics under Master Chancelar Ward.
Victoria specializes in adapting conventional Krav Maga and self-defense techniques for different body types, sizes, and levels of ability — with a special focus on defending against taller, larger, and stronger attackers.
Victoria is available for self-defense presentations and demonstrations, as well as corporate self-defense training, group workshops, women’s self-defense workshops, and small-group or one-on-one private classes.
She’s fluent in Spanish and offers bilingual English/Spanish private group classes and one-on-one training, along with classes in all Spanish.
If you’d like to contact Victoria, she can usually be found at Rising Phoenix, training very quietly, not being the kind of person who would ever yell at her training partner to do more burpees faster. And for the record, to anyone who’s wondering, Victoria is absolutely 100% still Not Tired.
Lauren Redman
Lead Instructor, Rainbow Connection
Assistant Instructor, Women’s Self-Defense; Rising Leaders Youth Krav Maga
Pronouns: She/Her, They/Them
Lauren is the lead instructor of the Rising Phoenix Rainbow Connection Self-Defense program and an assistant instructor in our women’s self-defense classes.
They began training Krav Maga and self-defense under Jesse James Tucker in September 2020 and received their certification as a Level 1 Instructor in the Rising Phoenix Krav Maga system in 2022.
As a private investigator with over five years’ experience and as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, she focuses on teaching practical, real-world self-defense tactics, with an emphasis on scenarios relevant to the queer community and its allies.
Lauren strongly believes that everyone has the right to feel safe, and she strives to make self-defense skills accessible and available to everyone. She’s dedicated herself, as both a student and an instructor at Rising Phoenix, to helping create an inclusive safe space for those looking to gain confidence and to learn how to protect themselves.
Lauren has a background in AKKA Kenpo and continues to train under both Master Tucker and Master Chancelar Ward in Krav Maga, Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and third-party protection tactics.
Michael Barney
Instructor
MMA
Bio coming soon!
