Nashville Tenn Filipino Martial Arts Seminar
Nashville, Tennessee, Filipino Martial Arts Seminar
With Guro Alan Baker
March 28th, 10 AM to 1 PM
All Levels Of Skill Are Welcome!
What is Filipino Martial Arts
Filipino Martial Arts (FMA), often known as Kali, Eskrima, or Arnis, is a weapon-based fighting system built for real-world self-defense. It’s famous for developing practical skills fast because it starts with simple, functional tools, sticks, blades, and everyday carry style weapons, then translates those same movements into empty-hand application.
What makes FMA different is how it trains timing, distance, and footwork under pressure. You’re not just learning “moves,” you’re learning how to manage range, create angles, protect your head and hands, and solve problems in close quarters. The drills are designed to build attributes like coordination, reaction speed, and controlled aggression, while also improving your awareness and decision-making.
Just as important, good FMA training is adaptable. Whether you’re brand new or already experienced in boxing, Muay Thai, Jiu-Jitsu, or traditional martial arts, FMA plugs in and upgrades your overall fighting ability. It sharpens your hands, improves your defensive structure, and gives you a better understanding of weapons, including how to avoid them, control them, and survive them.
In short, Filipino Martial Arts is a blueprint for functional fighting: smart, efficient, pressure-tested, and built for the modern world.
What Does Training FMA Do For You?
Training Filipino Martial Arts does more than teach you a system. It upgrades the way you move, think, and respond under pressure.
First, it sharpens timing and distance management. You learn how to recognize range in real time, when you’re safe, when you’re not, and how to move to a better position fast. That kind of awareness carries into every form of self-defense.
It also builds footwork and angle control. FMA teaches you how to stop standing in front of problems and start stepping off-line, creating better entries, better exits, and better opportunities. This is one of the biggest game changers for people who feel “stuck” when things get chaotic.
You develop coordination, reflexes, and hand speed through structured drills that are designed to build attributes, not just collect techniques. Over time, your nervous system becomes more efficient, and your responses become cleaner and more controlled.
FMA gives you a realistic understanding of weapons. You learn how weapons change the rules, how to protect your hands and head, and how to make smarter decisions when blades or impact tools are involved. Even if you never carry a weapon, knowing how to deal with one matters.
Where Is This Event Held?
Location The Den Martial Arts Academy
Call (615) 557-3255 – 2805 Donelson Pike, Nashville, TN 37217
http://www.denkungfu.com/
The Den Kung Fu is a small, student-focused martial arts and health maintenance learning center built around Internal Arts and Chinese Boxing. The academy’s culture is centered on “the learning mind” and seeking tested truth in martial arts and health preservation, not chasing rank or tradition for tradition’s sake. Enrollment is limited and classes are run in small groups, with private lessons available as scheduling permits. They also offer one-time seminars and customized short courses in areas like Tai Chi, Wa Lu, and practical self-defense for individuals or groups.
Training includes Internal Arts such as Tai Chi (Yang and Chen styles), Pakua Chang, Wa Lu, and Xingi, taught from a martial perspective for deeper understanding, while still welcoming students who are there primarily for health benefits. Chinese Boxing at The Den is positioned as realistic, no-rules, survival-oriented unarmed self-defense with a strong emphasis on developing the body and mind over time. Their overall approach favors practicality, maturity, and responsibility, with a constant “empty cup” mindset.
Classes are taught or supervised by Sijo Bryan Lewis, who has studied kung fu since 1980 and holds an Instructor’s Certificate in Chinese Boxing under Professor James Cravens. Sifu Bryan also holds advanced rank in Tai Chi 1-2-3 under Sigung Paul Olivas and U.S. Chuan Fa under Sijo Dana Miller, with references available upon request.
Taught By Guro Alan Baker
Guro Alan Baker is a full-time martial arts instructor and program designer with decades of experience teaching practical combat skill across striking, weapons, and integrated self-defense. His training is rooted in lineage based Filipino Martial Arts and the Inosanto approach to cross-training, with a focus on functional application, intelligent structure, and real-world performance.
Alan is a Full Instructor and Mataas Na Guro in Filipino Kali (Eskrima) under Guro Dan Inosanto, and also a Full Instructor in Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu and Jeet Kune Do under Sifu Dan Inosanto. He is an instructor in Pekiti-Tirsia under Tuhon Tim Waid, bringing a strong emphasis on tactical footwork, range control, and blade and impact weapon understanding. He is a Kru in Muay Thai Boxing under Ajarn Surachai “Chai” Sirisute, adding a proven striking base that blends seamlessly into his FMA and JKD approach. Alan is also a Full Instructor in Progressive Martial Arts under Guro Paul Vunak, known for building fast, aggressive, pressure-oriented skill sets. Rounding out his Southeast Asian influences, he is a Guro Level Three in Maphilindo Silat under Guro Dan Inosanto, adding off-balancing, limb control, and positional dominance to his overall method.
For this event, Guro Alan Baker’s goal is simple: give students a clear, usable training path that improves timing, footwork, and problem-solving under pressure, while honoring the source arts and presenting them in a way that makes sense for modern practitioners.
Regester For This Event
This event will fill up quickly, click on this link to hold your spot: https://buy.stripe.com/5kQ5kD0b93hz0bMaJn7EQ0Z
Aditional FMA Study Options
The Legacy Academy Kali Program
If you want to get more out of this event, or show up already speaking the same language, take a little time to study the supporting material inside the Legacy Academy Kali Program. It’s built to give you the foundational concepts, drills, and structure behind how we train, so you understand what you’re doing and why it works. This Academy will also give you a source for your training after the event.
Inside the program you’ll get a clear path for developing timing, footwork, range management, and practical weapon integration, along with the core training methods we’ll be using on the mat. If you want to sharpen your fundamentals and walk in already dialed in, this is the place to start.
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.
Learn more here: https://sifuacademy.com/filipino-martial-arts/
Schedule An Event With Professor Alan
We’re already booking seminars, workshops, and training camps for 2026. If you’re an academy owner, program director, or training coordinator and you’d like to host an event with Professor Alan Baker, the best way to get the process started is to contact our Operations Director, Jennifer Wood. Jennifer handles scheduling, travel logistics, and event coordination, and she’ll help you lock in dates and get everything organized on your end.
You can reach Jennifer through our Team page here: https://sifualanbaker.com/our-team/
Physical Requirements
Participation in this program requires a basic level of mobility and fitness, including the ability to get down to one knee and return to standing safely. We also understand that injuries, limitations, and medical considerations are common. When appropriate, we can modify drills and training methods to support your participation while maintaining the safety and core intent of the training. If you have any concerns, please let us know ahead of time so we can plan smart adjustments. We aim to provide a high-quality learning experience for every participant, and we will make reasonable modifications when needed unless doing so would fundamentally change the nature of the training or create a safety risk.
Before engaging in any physical activity, including this event, it’s advisable to consult with your doctor for guidance and to ensure it’s suitable for your health and fitness level.
Refunds
Because this course has limited capacity and requires upfront commitments (venue, staffing, travel, and materials), we maintain a firm cancellation policy and ask that you review it carefully at the time of registration. Clear refund policies set expectations and help avoid disputes, especially for high-demand events.
Cancellations made more than 30 days before the event are eligible for a full refund. Cancellations made 8 to 30 days before the event are not refundable, but your tuition may be applied as a credit toward another program within 12 months (subject to availability). Cancellations within 7 days of the event result in forfeiture of tuition due to last-minute staffing and fixed costs.
If we cancel the event, enrolled students will receive a full refund.
Equipment Needed For Event:
- Filipino Kali Sticks
- Training Knife
- Safety Glasses
- Notebook
Release Form
If you have not signed our release form this year, we will need you to do so HERE: https://form.jotform.com/250637570654158