Weapons · Flow · Function
Filipino Kali
Inosanto-Lacoste Blend
A weapons-based Filipino martial art built on flow, sensitivity, and real-world function. Drawn from the Inosanto-Lacoste blend, trained alive at Applied Martial Arts in Sunderland. Dan Inosanto · John LaCoste · BlendWeapons
Kali begins with the weapon and works out to empty hands. Blade, stick, and everything they teach the body.
Flow
Continuous motion, adaptation, and response. Reading the opponent, redirecting energy, moving without breaks.
Function
No dead patterns. No fantasy defence. Only what holds up under alive, resisting pressure.
What Is Filipino Kali?
Filipino Kali, also known as Arnis or Eskrima, is the traditional weapons-based martial art of the Philippines. Unlike most systems that teach empty hands first and weapons later, Kali starts with the weapon. The knife, the stick, and the sword are the primary teachers. Empty-hand skills grow out of them as natural extensions.
This inversion changes everything. The angles you learn with a blade are the same angles you fight with without one. The footwork that keeps you alive against a knife is the same footwork that closes distance in punching range. The sensitivity you develop from stick-on-stick contact carries directly into trapping and clinching.
Kali doesn't separate armed and unarmed combat. They are two expressions of the same principles, trained together, from the beginning.
The Inosanto-Lacoste Blend
Our Filipino martial arts are primarily drawn from the Inosanto-Lacoste blend, one of the most respected and complete FMA systems in the world.
Developed by Guro Dan Inosanto, Bruce Lee's most senior student, and rooted in the teachings of the legendary John LaCoste, the blend brings together the most functional elements from a dozen or more Filipino systems. Rather than being tied to a single village or family style, it distils what actually works across the FMA landscape into one coherent, adaptable curriculum.
That's the foundation we work from. Broad enough to cover the full art. Focused enough to deliver skills that hold up under real pressure.
Guro Inosanto's lineage back through John LaCoste connects directly to the source of many of the Philippines' most important martial traditions. This is the same lineage that anchors our JKD Concepts curriculum, and it's why our FMA fits seamlessly with everything else we teach.
The Weapons & Tools
The FMA curriculum covers the full weapon and empty-hand toolbox. Every category is trained progressively, with weapons work informing empty-hand and empty-hand informing weapons work.
Solo Baston
The foundational weapon of Filipino martial arts. Angles of attack, footwork, and the defensive framework that supports the whole system are all built here first.
Doble Baston
Sinawali patterns and flowing coordination. Develops ambidexterity, rhythm, and left-right integration that carries across the entire art.
Espada y Daga
Long and short weapons trained together. The classical Filipino approach to combined-range combat, and the source of many empty-hand trapping concepts.
Daga
Practical edged-weapons awareness, offence, and defence. Honest training that reflects what a blade actually does in real conflict, not choreographed patterns.
Panantukan
Empty-hand striking developed as an extension of weapon mechanics. Elbows, headbutts, off-balancing, and destructions that flow directly from stick and blade work.
Dumog
Trapping, off-balancing, and standing controls with weapons awareness built in. Grappling for a world where the ground is not always a friendly place.
Practical & Functional Emphasis
Our approach to FMA is filtered through the same lens as everything else on the mat: does this work under alive resistance? Does it hold up when your training partner isn't cooperating? Does it transfer to real-world scenarios?
That's why we emphasise the practical, functional elements of the blend. The flow drills that translate directly to sparring. The knife work that reflects how blade attacks actually happen. The empty-hand extensions that bridge FMA to your striking and grappling game. Skills you can actually use, not skills that only exist on the training floor.
Function is the filter. If it holds up under alive pressure, it stays. If it doesn't, it goes. The blend is broad, but the standard is the same as everything else we teach.
The Complete Art Is Available
That said, Kali is a deep, rich tradition. For students who want to explore the wider culture and depth of Filipino martial arts, we are able to teach the art as a whole. From traditional single-stick material to sinawali patterns, from doble baston to espada y daga, from empty-hand panantukan to Filipino grappling in dumog, the full art is available.
Some students want only the functional distillation, the parts of Kali that most directly sharpen their combat game. Others want the deeper journey through the tradition itself. Both are welcome. Both are supported. The route is chosen by the individual.
Why Train Filipino Kali?
Weapons Awareness in the Real World
Blades exist. Sticks exist. Improvised weapons exist. Any serious approach to self-protection has to include an honest look at what happens when a weapon enters the picture.
Kali gives you that from day one. Not as a fantasy defensive system, but as a genuine understanding of how weapons work, how they move, and what they do to the human body. The awareness that produces is more valuable than any single technique.
The Empty-Hand Crossover
Almost every technique in FMA has an empty-hand expression. The angles of attack you learn with a stick are the same angles you strike with. The trapping you develop from knife work translates directly to close-range control. The sensitivity you build with sinawali carries into flow with an unarmed partner.
Training FMA makes your empty-hand game sharper, not the other way around. Kali is one of the most efficient tools for developing coordination, timing, and adaptability the martial arts world has produced.
The Same Lineage That Anchors Everything
Guro Inosanto's blend sits inside the same lineage that anchors our Jun Fan JKD. This isn't a bolted-on FMA course from another instructor. It's part of the same coherent curriculum, trained the same way, held to the same standard.
What Sets Our FMA Apart
Plenty of schools claim FMA. Very few teach it with verified lineage, honest standards, and alive training as the non-negotiable filter.
What We Offer
- Inosanto-Lacoste BlendThe most complete and respected FMA blend, taught from verified lineage
- Practical & Functional EmphasisAlive training, pressure-tested skills, real-world application
- Full Art AvailableTraditional depth for students who want it, functional distillation for those who don't
- Weapons & Empty Hand IntegratedTrained together, not as separate courses
- Small GroupsIndividual attention that real weapon skill demands
What You Won't Find Here
- Solo Kata OnlyNo standing in lines going through empty motions
- Fantasy Knife DefenceNo pretty patterns that fall apart against a resisting attacker
- Weapons Without ApplicationNo stick spinning for its own sake
- Empty Hand as AfterthoughtNot a footnote to weapons work, an integrated equal
Who Is This For?
Filipino Kali at Applied Martial Arts is open to all levels, complete beginners and experienced martial artists alike. FMA doesn't require prior skill. Beginners often find it accessible because the weapon is a more forgiving teacher than empty-hand striking. Experienced practitioners find it fills gaps in their weapons awareness and sharpens their empty hands considerably.
You'll Thrive Here If
- ✓You take weapons awareness and real-world self-protection seriously
- ✓You want an art that sharpens your empty-hand game as much as your weapons game
- ✓You value verified lineage and alive training over marketing and mystique
- ✓You're a complete beginner ready to learn a functional, weapons-based art
This Isn't For You If
- ✕You want choreographed patterns without honest application
- ✕You're looking for stick-spinning demonstrations rather than skill development
- ✕You want fantasy knife defences that fall apart under pressure
- ✕You're not prepared to train with honesty and full commitment
Weapons-first. Empty hands as extension. Trained alive, filtered through function, and taught from verified lineage. Whether you want the functional distillation or the complete art, complete beginners are welcome.