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Filipino Martial Arts, often called Kali, Eskrima, or Arnis, is one of the most complete and battle-tested combat systems in the world. It is a military martial art with deep Indo-Malayan, Indo-Chinese, and Indo-Persian roots — historically embedded in real combat, and today practically embedded in law enforcement and military training worldwide.

At Self Defense Lab, the curriculum is grounded in the teachings of Guro Dan Inosanto, who has trained under 34 different instructors in the Filipino arts alone. A teacher's teacher and a lifelong student himself, his system draws on the methods of legendary figures like Floro Villabrille, Johnny LaCoste, Antonio Illustrisimo, and so many more.

Kali trains weapons first — single stick, double stick, sword and dagger, blade, and improvised tools — which develops awareness, timing, and distance management at a level empty-hand training alone cannot reach. From there, everything translates: the same principles apply to empty-hand striking, grappling, and locks. You don't have to have power — you have to have placement.

Training in this lineage means you're learning a proven, adaptable system — not a sport, but a complete method of self-defense built for real situations.

Jeet Kune Do was developed by Sijo Bruce Lee as a philosophy and approach to combat that rejects fixed patterns in favor of personal adaptation. Sijo Lee began by teaching his own method, Jun Fan Gung Fu, which drew from Wing Chun Kung Fu, boxing, French Savate, wrestling, fencing, and more — synthesizing what worked and discarding what didn't. Over time, Jun Fan Gung Fu evolved into something broader: not a fixed style, but a way of thinking about combat. That evolution became Jeet Kune Do.

The result wasn't a new style, but a framework: use what works for you, discard what doesn't, and add what is uniquely your own. This principle — personal expression through martial arts — is what separates JKD from rigid, traditional systems.

Guro Dan Inosanto was one of three people certified to teach JKD by Sijo Lee himself. After Sijo Lee's death, Guro Inosanto continued to refine and expand the art through continuous experimentation, cross-training, and an open-minded approach to learning — staying true to Sijo Lee's original philosophy of constant evolution.

At Self Defense Lab, JKD is taught as Sijo Lee and Guro Inosanto intended: not as a rulebook, but as a method for discovering what functions best for your body, your strengths, and the situations you actually face. It's the art of learning how to learn.

Maphilindo Silat is a system developed by Guro Dan Inosanto, drawing from Silat traditions across Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Guro Inosanto trained with some of the most significant Silat practitioners of the 20th century, including Pak Herman Suwanda, master of Pencak Silat Mande Muda, Pendekar Paul de Thouars, who carried the Serak Silat lineage from West Java to the United States, and Pendekar Suryadi "Eddie" Jafri, one of the first to teach Pentjak Silat in America.

Silat addresses what happens when space collapses. It uses precise strikes to compromise an opponent's structure, then follows through with compressive trips, sweeps, joint locks, and more striking — all built on weight distribution, angles, and leverage.

Training in Maphilindo Silat sharpens your sensitivity to body mechanics — both yours and your opponent's — and gives you control where it matters most.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a grappling-based martial art. Developed from Japanese Judo and Jiu-Jitsu, BJJ was refined by the Gracie family in Brazil to focus heavily on ground fighting and submissions.

The core principle of BJJ is simple but profound: isolate parts of your opponent's body so they cannot use their strength effectively. By controlling limbs, hips, and posture, a smaller, weaker person can neutralize a larger opponent and force a submission through joint locks or chokes.

Many altercations end up on the ground — whether through a tackle, a slip, a wrestling takedown — and most people have no idea what to do there. At Self Defense Lab, BJJ is taught for self-defense; not sport competition. The focus is on escapes, positional control, and high-percentage submissions that work under pressure. You'll learn how to stay calm, conserve energy, and work toward a dominant position, or simply control someone without hurting them.

Sifu Christopher Clarke is a Master Instructor in functional martial arts and self-defense methods. He is a law enforcement consultant with over 30 years' experience, published author, and internationally recognized instructor for integrated force training including: striking, impact and edged weapons, firearms, and arrest and control techniques.

He is a certified Senior Full Instructor in Filipino Martial Arts and Jun Fan Gung Fu / Jeet Kune Do (Inosanto International Instructor Association), Senior Instructor in Muay Thai (Thai Boxing Association of the USA), Full Instructor in Combat Submission Wrestling (Sensei Erik Paulson), Apprentice Instructor in Wing Chun (Wing Chun Association of America). He is also a Full Instructor for the Seattle Police Department in Integrated Combat and Control.

Guro Dan Inosanto is one of the world's foremost martial arts authorities and among the most influential martial artists alive. A pioneer of mixed martial arts alongside Sijo Bruce Lee, he has spent decades producing some of the most accomplished martial artists, military and law enforcement professionals, and stunt performers in the world — and he hasn't slowed down. He is a teacher's teacher. At 90, he still teaches four to seven hours a day, multiple days a week — not out of obligation, but because the arts and the people who come to learn them genuinely matter to him. His knowledge is immense, but what sets him apart is what he embodies through his teaching: grace, humility, and an uncommon kindness that shapes everyone who trains under him.

Guro Joseph Heller is the founder of River City Warriors in Portland, Oregon. Driven by a belief that martial arts knowledge should be openly shared, he trained directly under Guro Dan Inosanto, Ajarn Chai Sirisute, and Masters Rickson Gracie and Pedro Sauer, and built a school that reflects that principle. He is a certified Guro Instructor in Inosanto Kali and JKD, Associate Kru Instructor in the World Thai Boxing Association, and Black Belt Instructor in Pedro Sauer Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.