What starts with a white belt can lead just about anywhere.

For one student, it's the confidence to speak up in class. For another, it's a national championship. For others, it's the opportunity to travel the world representing Team USA. At ProComp Sport Martial Arts, every journey begins the same way, with a student willing to step onto the mat.

Walk into one of ProComp's East Texas locations in Tyler, Mineola, or Gilmer, and you'll find students of every age learning respect, perseverance, and self control. Some are preparing for their very first belt test. Others are chasing national championships. All are discovering that martial arts has a way of building confidence that extends far beyond the training floor.

"We're not just teaching people to kick and punch," says co owner and master instructor Clayton Watkins. "We're teaching them how to become the best version of themselves."

That philosophy has produced remarkable results.

Since 2020 alone, ProComp students have earned 102 national championships and 296 regional championships, making the academy one of the most successful competitive martial arts programs in the region. Students regularly compete in tournaments throughout Texas and across the country in places such as Birmingham, Memphis, Chicago, and Orlando, where Watkins serves as an official each summer at the prestigious US Open ISKA World Championships held at Disney.

One of the unexpected rewards of competitive martial arts is where it can take you. Last year, Watkins had the opportunity to coach members of Team USA as they traveled to Swansea, Wales, for the ICO World Games, where the American team earned an impressive 164 gold medals. This October, competitors will head to Thonon les Bains, France, with Hungary already slated to host next year's event.

For many ProComp families, what begins as an after school activity becomes an opportunity to experience new places, meet competitors from around the world, and make memories together along the way.

That reach is one of the things that sets ProComp apart.

The academy teaches a Korean based sport karate program rooted in Taekwondo that includes forms, weapons training, sparring, performance, kickboxing, and practical self defense. Every class is taught with the same attention to detail expected of elite level competitors.

The team of instructors truly makes the difference. Alongside Master Watkins, students train with expert sparring coach and co owner Joe Johnson, a fourth degree black belt known for his disciplined approach to doing things the right way on and off the mat; Cody Wilson, a fourth degree black belt who brings a dynamic, competition focused approach to martial arts and weapons; and Jason Ferrier, a second degree black belt who has a remarkable gift for helping young children become the best version of themselves.

"We are not a daycare," Watkins explains. "Whether your goal is confidence, fitness, self defense, or becoming a world champion, we coach every student with purpose."

That level of coaching comes from decades of experience.

During his 24 year professional teaching career, Watkins has taught more than 3,000 students, promoted more than 200 black belts, coached 137 national champions and 297 regional champions, and helped coach 164 world champions on last year's USA National Team. A sixth degree black belt preparing to test for his seventh degree next year under the legendary Master Joey Perry, Watkins has won national sparring titles himself and serves on the coaching staff for Team USA.

His own training has taken him alongside some of the biggest names in martial arts, including actor and martial artist Ernie Reyes Jr., Hollywood stunt performer Carmichael Simon, former UFC fighter Alan Belcher, and other elite competitors. Students from across the country even seek Watkins' instruction through weekly virtual coaching.

Yet despite the impressive résumé, the academy measures success one student at a time.

No one understands that better than Watkins' own family. His 13 year old son, Conner, is preparing to earn his black belt this July after capturing back to back national championships in 2023 and 2024. His 11 year old daughter, Eva, is a blue belt who already has her sights set on one day representing Team USA in international competition.

For Watkins, coaching isn't just a profession. It's personal. He's watched his own children experience the same lessons he hopes every student gains: confidence, discipline, resilience, and the belief that hard work pays off.

They are part of ProComp's largest age division, students ages 9 through 12, a group that demonstrates just how much young people can grow when they're challenged, encouraged, and surrounded by positive role models.

Watkins believes that's the real power of martial arts.

Over the years, he's watched shy children find their voices, students with ADHD improve their focus, children on the autism spectrum grow more comfortable socially, and kids struggling with anger discover healthier ways to channel their emotions.

"There really is a place for everyone," Watkins says. "Martial arts is a lifestyle. Every personality can find something here."

While trophies and championships are certainly worth celebrating, they're only part of the story. The lessons learned on the mat, respect, resilience, humility, and determination, have a way of carrying into school, careers, relationships, and everyday life.

For many East Texas families, ProComp has become much more than an extracurricular activity. It's a community where students are challenged to grow, encouraged to dream big, and reminded that success isn't measured only by medals, but by the confidence they carry long after they step off the mat.