Sifu/Guro Alan Baker
Sifu Alan Baker is a lifelong martial artist with over 46 years of training across multiple systems.
Alan Baker is the founder of Legacy Academy and a lifetime martial artist of over four and a half decades. known as the “Agent of Change” in his Academy. He teaches practical, principle-based training that blends skill, awareness, and common sense for the real world. Alan’s work helps people build capability and confidence while honoring the lineages that shaped him.
Teaching professionally since 1990, Alan is respected for relentless craftsmanship and the mindset of a perpetual white belt. He continues to study, test, and refine across systems so students and coaches get clear progressions they can apply under pressure.
With more than 45 years on the mat, Alan holds a rare combination of ranks across multiple disciplines. In 2025, he was promoted to Full Instructor in Filipino Martial Arts and in Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu and Jeet Kune Do under Tuhon Dan Inosanto, and to Full Instructor in Combat Submission Wrestling under Master Erik Paulson. His broader background includes advanced ranks and instructor certifications across various martial arts, including Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Wing Chun, Chinese Boxing, Pekiti-Tirsia, Muay Thai, STX Kickboxing, Keysi Fighting Method, Maphilindo Silat, Burmese Bando, and Zu Wei Shu Kung Fu, among others. He has trained under esteemed teachers such as Dan Inosanto, Pedro Sauer, Francis Fong, Erik Paulson, Ajarn Chai Sirisute, Tuhon Tim Waid, Sifu Paul Vunak, Professor James Cravens, Justo Diéguez, Sijo Dana Miller, and others.
Legacy Academy reflects that journey. The platform preserves core mechanics, connects them to a live application, and builds a community that trains hard, stays humble, and serves others.
Some of Alan’s Most Notable Achievements
1
Full Instructor Guro In Filipino Kali (Escrima) under Tuhon Dan Inosanto
2
Full Instructor In Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu and Jeet Kune Do under Sifu Dan Inosanto
3
4th Degree Black Belt In Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Under Master Pedro Sauer
4
Full Instructor In Combat Submission Wrestling Under Master Erik Paulson
5
Senior Full Instructor Wing Chun Kung Fu Under Sifu Francis Fong
6
(Guro) Instructor in Pekiti-Tirsia (Filipino Martial Arts) under Tuhon Tim Waid
7
Instructor In Muay Thai Boxing under Ajarn Surachai “Chai” Sirisute
8
Guro Level Three in Maphilindo Silat under Guro Dan Inosanto
9
Coach Level 1 In The STX Kickboxing under Master Erik Paulson
10
Full Instructor Progressive Martial Arts Under Guro Paul Vunak
11
Instructor In Chinese Boxing under Professor James Cravens
12
3rd Degree Black Belt In Keysi Fighting Method Under Justo Diéguez
13
3rd Degree Black Belt In Zu Wei Shu Kung Fu Under Sijo Dana Miller
14
3rd Level Black in Burmese Bando under Saya Mike Jolley
15
2nd Degree Black Belt In Judo under Master Bob Byrd
The Creation of the Legacy Academy
When I first began sharing information about my C-Tac®, Living Mechanics Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Protection Response Tactics® programs, I noticed something interesting. Practitioners from around the world started reaching out with messages and emails asking about the original arts I had studied throughout my career, the systems that shaped everything I teach today.
For decades, I’ve had the privilege of training in and teaching many rare and hard-to-find martial arts, and people wanted access to that knowledge. The challenge was that most of these systems simply aren’t available in many parts of the world. To train in them, you would normally have to travel thousands of miles and study directly under specific instructors.
That’s what led to the creation of the Legacy Academy. It was built to make these arts accessible to dedicated practitioners everywhere through a structured online archive, supported by an annual Legacy Academy Summit where students can come together, train in person, and connect across systems.
At its core, the Legacy Academy is also my way of honoring the incredible teachers who mentored me over the last 45 years. It’s about preserving the knowledge they entrusted to me and passing it forward to the next generation of martial artists who value depth, lineage, and real understanding.
Teaching Philosophy
My approach to teaching is rooted in structure, mechanics, and real-world application. I believe martial arts should work anywhere, not just in a classroom or under perfect conditions. The foundation of every art is its mechanics, and when you understand how to align the body, apply leverage, and use timing intelligently, everything else begins to make sense.
I also believe training should be clear, organized, and taught on multiple levels. I call this the Layered Skill Development principle:
- Technique: precise mechanics and step-by-step execution
- Attributes: timing, sensitivity, pressure, speed, endurance
- Body State: posture, breath, tension control, expansion
- Mind State: Perspective, awareness, intent, decision-making under stress
Over the years, I’ve learned that clarity in teaching matters just as much as technical skill. My goal is to make complex ideas simple and usable for everyone, regardless of experience or background. Martial arts should be accessible, honest, and functional.
This philosophy is at the heart of the Legacy Academy. We preserve the depth and integrity of traditional systems while adapting them to modern realities. Every lesson, whether in person or online, is designed to help practitioners grow, not just as martial artists but as thinkers and problem solvers on and off the mat.
Global Teaching Work
For more than four decades, I have taught seminars, private lessons, and instructor camps across the United States and internationally, sharing training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Filipino Kali, Jeet Kune Do, Wing Chun, Keysi Fighting Method, Chinese Boxing, and several other systems. My teaching focuses on functional mechanics, pressure-tested drills, and clear progressions that practitioners and instructors can immediately integrate into their own training or academies.
Over the years, I have collaborated with leading organizations such as the Executive Protection Institute (EPI), the Vehicle Dynamics Institute (VDI), Tactical 21, ALIVE Active Shooter Training, The Royal Range, the Warrior Poet Society, and retired Navy SEAL Lieutenant Jason Redman. These partnerships have allowed me to help develop specialized programs for both professional protectors and private citizens seeking real-world capability and personal growth.
In addition to my martial arts and tactical instruction, I have designed and delivered training programs for high-level corporate security teams and high-net-worth families around the world. Each program is tailored to the specific needs of the environment, ensuring that the methods taught are functional, legally sound, and visually appropriate for real-world application.
I have also built and helped operate associations for several of the top martial artists in the world, creating systems for instructor development, curriculum organization, and ongoing professional education. Through these efforts, I continue to promote standards of excellence and integrity across the broader martial arts and protective training communities.
As an author, I have written and published four books: The Warrior’s Path Revised Second Edition, Morning Mastery: A Warrior’s Guide to Conquer Your Day Before It Begins, The Universal Principles of Change, and The Scholar Code: A Blueprint for Self-Education. Each book reflects my lifelong mission to merge martial philosophy, personal development, and disciplined living into a clear framework for growth.
Today, through the Legacy Academy and my ongoing teaching worldwide, my goal remains the same, to pass on the knowledge entrusted to me, help others grow in skill and confidence, and preserve the living traditions of the arts that have shaped my life.
Personal Philosophy
One of the most valuable lessons I learned from my mentors, and one that I continue to carry into my teaching today, is the importance of living by a code. Throughout my career, whether teaching at my academies since 1990 or traveling the world through my various programs, I have held firmly to two guiding principles: the warrior’s code and the gentleman’s code.
Some of my students used to joke and call me “old school” because of my belief in these values, but I see them as essential. A true warrior should have a code. It is one of the few things that separates the good from the bad. I believe deeply in the warrior mindset and the discipline it represents. It is what I was made to be, and it continues to shape everything I teach.
Over the years, I have watched as fewer people embody that mindset in today’s culture, and that is something I want to change. One of my primary missions is to train and develop protectors, men and women who not only possess skill in the arts of combat and protection, but also the wisdom and restraint to use those skills responsibly. The warrior’s code exists to keep power in check and ensure it is used with integrity and purpose.
Along with that, I hold a strong belief in chivalry. I expect those who train with me to live by their values, not just speak them. Character, discipline, and service matter as much as technical ability. In the end, our actions define us far more than our words ever could.
This is what the Legacy Academy represents, a place where we cultivate skill, character, and purpose in equal measure.
Respectfully, Alan Baker