Filipino Martial Arts

Filipino Martial Arts

What Is Filipino Martial Arts

Filipino Martial Arts (often called Kali, Eskrima, or Arnis) are combat systems known for developing real-world skill with weapons and the ability to move smoothly between ranges. While most people first notice the stick work, the deeper value is that FMA teaches you a complete fighting framework: weapon use, weapon defense, empty-hand striking, clinch and limb control, takedowns, and close-range finishing skills.

FMA is built around timing, angles, footwork, and adaptability. Instead of memorizing long forms, you train patterns, principles, and pressure-tested drills that sharpen coordination, awareness, and decision-making under stress. A major concept is that the same mechanics you learn with a stick often transfer directly to the blade and to empty hands, which is why FMA is one of the most effective “bridge” systems for building functional fighting ability.

At its best, Filipino Martial Arts makes you harder to surprise and harder to overwhelm. You learn how to manage distance, protect vital targets, and solve problems fast, whether the threat is armed or unarmed, in open space or tight quarters.

What Is Legacy Filipino Martial Arts

Legacy FMA is my personal expression of Filipino Martial Arts, built from a lifetime of training, pressure testing, and teaching. I began training in FMA in the late 1980s and have continued ever since. I am a Full Instructor (Mataas Na Guro) in Filipino Kali (Eskrima) under Guro Dan Inosanto, an Instructor (Guro) in Pekiti-Tirsia under Tuhon Tim Waid, and a Guro Level Three in Maphilindo Silat under Guro Dan Inosanto. I’m also a Full Instructor in Progressive Martial Arts under Guro Paul Vunak.

Over the years I’ve also studied multiple forms of weaponry inside Chinese Kung Fu systems and Burmese Bando, and that experience is integrated into how I teach. The result is a curriculum that develops timing, angles, footwork, and real functional weapon skills with a clear structure, plus the ability to flow between weapons and empty-hand ranges without getting stuck in “stick tricks” or isolated drills.

What Is The Legacy Academy

I built the Legacy Academy for students around the world who want legitimate training, even if they can’t travel to work with me in person on a regular basis. Inside the Academy, you get structured access to my Filipino Martial Arts curriculum, concepts, and training methods through an online platform you can study at your own pace. Train solo, train with a partner, or use it as a support system alongside what you’re already doing in your gym.

And if you want to take it further, you can train with me live. That can happen at the annual Legacy Summit, or at one of my seminars, camps, and events throughout the year. The online training gives you the roadmap and progression. The in-person training sharpens it through hands-on coaching, corrections, and pressure-tested work.

What Areas of Study Does Legacy FMA Cover?

Legacy FMA is a complete Filipino Martial Arts framework, not just “stick drills.” You’ll develop real skill across weapons and empty-hand ranges, with a structured curriculum that’s organized into 12 core areas of Filipino Kali. Each area builds timing, angles, footwork, and decision-making, then ties back into application.

Here are the 12 areas of study we cover inside Legacy FMA:

Single Stick (fundamentals, angles, footwork)
Double Stick (coordination, zoning, broken rhythm)
Stick and Knife (Espada y Daga)
Single Knife (blade mechanics)
Double Knife (Daga y Daga)
Empty Hand / Panantukan (boxing influence)
Kicking / Pananjakman (functional low-line kicking)
Clinch and Off-Balancing (Dumog concepts)
Locks, Controls, and Takedown Paths (when the fight collapses into contact)
Disarms and Counter-Disarms
Improvised and Urban Weapons (everyday objects)
Integration and Sparring (putting it together across ranges)

Heavy emphasis on sparring and pressure testing

A major difference in my approach is the consistent focus on sparring, strongly influenced by my Pekiti-Tirsia training under Tuhon Tim Waid. We don’t just “flow.” We build the skill, then test it through progressive sparring formats that develop distance, timing, awareness, composure, and the ability to make decisions under pressure. That’s where the art turns into capability.

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The FMA Problem Today

Filipino Martial Arts has become one of the most copied and most misunderstood systems in the martial arts world. You can find endless stick twirling, flashy flow drills, and “cool” disarms online, but it’s a lot harder to find training that produces real timing, real footwork, and real fighting skill.

A lot of people end up stuck in the same trap. They collect drills but never build a functional game. They learn patterns, but they don’t learn how to manage distance, pressure, and chaos. They train sequences that look great on video, then realize they have no idea what holds up when someone is trying to hit them back, close the range, or bring intensity.

If you’ve ever thought, “I love FMA, but I want training that’s actually usable,” or “I don’t want to memorize a thousand drills, I want a progression that builds skill,” you’re not alone. And if you can’t travel constantly, the question gets even more real: “How do I train legit FMA, with sparring and pressure testing, without settling for watered-down online material?”

How To Get Started

Getting started in the Legacy Academy is simple. No complicated onboarding, no long application process, and no guessing what to do next.

Step 1: Sign up on the site.

Choose your membership and get immediate access to the training platform.

Step 2: Start training right away.

Follow the curriculum, train at your pace, and build real skill with a clear roadmap. Your membership is month-to-month, and you can cancel anytime, so there’s no long-term lock-in.

Step 3: Get in the room when you’re ready.

If you’re willing to travel, plan to attend the annual Legacy Summit and train hands-on with our team. That’s where the online training gets sharpened through coaching, corrections, and live work.

Meet Your Guide: Guro Alan Baker

For more than four decades, Sifu Alan Baker has lived the martial path. A full-time instructor since 1990, he has trained under some of the most respected masters in the world, Dan Inosanto, Francis Fong, Erik Paulson, Pedro Sauer, Ajarn Chai Sirisute, and many others, and holds advanced rank or instructor certification in more than twenty-five systems.

Alan’s lifelong study across arts such as Jiu-Jitsu, Jeet Kune Do, Filipino Kali, Silat, Wing Chun, and Combat Submission Wrestling has shaped a unique approach that blends tradition, functionality, and modern relevance. His career has taken him from teaching civilians and martial arts schools to designing defensive-tactics programs for law enforcement, protection teams, and Fortune 500 security groups globally.

Legacy Academy was created to share that depth of experience with dedicated students who want authentic knowledge, not marketing. Inside the archive, Alan opens the doors to systems rarely taught together and provides the structure to study them with purpose. Each year, members gather at the Legacy Summit to train side by side, compare notes, and bring those lessons to life.

Alan’s mission is simple: to honor the teachers who came before, preserve what matters, and pass it forward to the next generation of serious practitioners.

Making Progress In FMA

When you train Legacy FMA the right way, you stop feeling like you’re “doing drills” and start moving with real competence. Your footwork gets sharper, your timing improves, and you learn to read distance and intent faster. You become comfortable in contact, confident in transitions between weapons and empty hand, and capable of solving problems under pressure. Instead of guessing what to train next, you have a clear progression that builds real skill, and if you choose to travel, you can get in the room at the Legacy Summit and sharpen it with hands-on coaching and sparring.