FMA Method Self-Defense

Guru Ilan was the answer I had been looking for! After serving with Force Recon and fighting professionally, I needed something to expand my skills that I knew would work in the reality of combat.
After the first session with Guru Ilan, I was hooked. He took my existing skills and enhanced them with is style. Training with Guru Ilan is empowering and fun.
I have to share how exciting it is to learn new techniques and much more effective use of old techniques. I always leave feeling jazzed and can’t wait for the next session.
He is extremely knowledgable in not only the physical parts of self defense and martial arts but also the psychological elements. Guru Ilan is very patient and will take the time needed to make sure that you understand the lessons and can perform the techniques correctly. He is also very flexible in that he will adapt the strategies and techniques to your physical make-​up.
I would recommend Guru Ilan to anyone who wants to learn efficient and effective self-​defense, self protection, and gain great confidence and a passion for martial arts.
As an added bonus, his style will greatly enhance your sport MMA skills as well. He taught me countless of little tips and tricks to improve my striking, clinching, and grappling.
If you want to be your best, just take one class and see for yourself.

FMA is a dream come true for me. I have trained in various martial arts, from Aikido, Hapkido and Boxing. FMA, first and foremost is one of the most efficient form I have studied thus far. Its fundamentals lie in body mechanics and honest human reactions and NOT old methodologies or ridget forms. Guru ILAN is a great teacher who has patience and works with you until you get the technique perfect. He is humble with a plethora of knowledge regarding the physical and physiological effect of self-​defense and fighting principles.
I could keep going on but I urge who ever is reading this to find him by stopping by the above address between Monday and Wednesday at 8:00PM and try his class. You will not be disappointed! I also should indicate that what make his class so great are the students as well. Sometime you get a great teacher but the students suck. HERE IS NOT THE CASE. All of the student are humble and eager to learn. Even if they are more advanced than a beginner they are all willing to help get you up to speed. TRY FMA, you will not be disappointed!

I have been around martial arts and martial arts teachers all my life. As a kid and teenager I studied karate and danzan-​ryu jiu jitsu along with training with my uncle who has black belts in both danzan-​ryu and wing chun. In a nutshell the issue I find with most schools is the separation between what is taught in the gym or dojo and what actually happens in a street fight, leaving you the student less prepared for the harsh reality of how you would actually use what you are learning. The difference with the FMA Method taught by Guro Ilan is that not only do you get the training in the traditional aspects of Filipino stick fighting, empty hand defense, weapons defense, ground fighting, grappling and control tactics, but you are also taught every art from a reality based stand point. I can truly say I have never felt more confident in my reflexes and ability to defend myself under extreme pressure than I have after just a week of studying the FMA Method. I was sold after my first class and I can guarantee that for anyone looking to learn a truly great and practical martial art, you won’t find any system as effective, fun or as conditioning as this one.

Having a background in Kyokushin karate, boxing, traditional karate, and tae kwon do, my own style was effective but was lacking certain elements. These elements that I was missing I gained in the FMA method. The FMA method has completely filled the holes in my style. Guro Ilan has opened my eyes to different aspects of martial arts such as close quarter combat, grappling, knife and stick training. The FMA method is great for all aspects of the martial artist, whether a person is a beginner, intermediate or an advance martial artist looking to enhance their options in the martial arts realm, the FMA method is a great choice. The style is very comprehensible, no nonsense, very realistic and an applicable method of self defense combat. I highly recommend the FMA method to any aspiring martial artist, advance martial artist or a person just looking for some self-​defense maneuvers, to give it a go. YOU WON’T BE DISSAPOINTED!

To say this is the best martial arts school I’ve ever attended is an understatement. Truly. I’ve been training in martial arts for the last 12 years and this embodies everything I’ve been wanting. It’s realistic, it encompasses stand-​up fighting, clinch work, ground, empty-​handed, conditioning, and weapons.
I’ve searched LA (and the surrounding areas) for the last 3 years looking for something like this, and it’s been near impossible to find all in one place. I tried other, more famous Filipino/​JKD schools in the same area and felt incredibly lost and unimportant as a beginner.
Here with Guru Ilan you always get one-​on-​one attention. He works the class with repetition so you have time to develop muscle-​memory as well as the small intricacies of the moves, which are all practical and used for numerous positions. You’re not just memorizing moves like in a lot of schools, you’re learning how they apply in a variety of ways and situations.
The small classes and personalized attention is seriously amazing and rare for MA schools. Whether a beginner or highly trained, Ilan will meet you at your level. The atmosphere is respectful, laid-​back, and actually fun (sounds obvious but it was a surprise for me). There’s no ego’s and everyone is super supportive.
And that’s all she wrote.

I had been looking for someone to teach me self-​defense to build confidence and learn new skills. I did have a year of MMA training previously but I didn’t see it as applicable to the street where people get mugged and/​or harassed.
Just my luck I saw Guro Ilan training some guys in the park and got his info. Even better, I came to find out this was exactly what I was looking for after the first lesson. I couldn’t be more thrilled that I bumped into him that day. He’s a natural teacher with a great attitude and a complete professional.
I’m excited that I have this opportunity and it’s very reasonably priced but also the skill level is exceptional and unique to any other training I’ve experienced. More spontaneous, more realistic to actual conflicts that could happen in public with aggressive people.
Finally, training outside in the park is the best. If you’re looking to add this skill-​set and confidence level to your life, you don’t want to miss Guro Ilan.

Since I moved to Santa Monica, I’ve been looking for a place to train in self-​defense. I did some research and didn’t fine too many places that focused on self defense training. Lucky, my buddy told my about this place and recommended I come check out one class. I did… I was sold day one… I had a list of things I was looking for which were as follows:
Small class size: Since Guru Ilan just started teaching a week prior to me attending, I was his third student… check!
Focus on self defense: Before we started the first class, Ilan laid out the objective of the class…“using forms of Filipino martial arts (empty and weapons) to defend yourself”…check!
Location: Within 10 miles of my place… check!
Instructor (most important): Since I didn’t have any self-​defense training before starting the class, I wanted an instructor who created an atmosphere where I felt I could train at my pace. It can be an intimidating experience walking in to a self-​defense class for your first time… However, Ilan’s humble approach made me feel right at home… Doesn’t hurt (no pun intended) that he can kick some serious ass. CHECK!!!
Just living the dream!!!

If you’re interested in learning practical, reality-​based self-​defense, FMA Method Self-​Defense is the place to be. I’ve been doing martial arts most of my life and have had many, many instructors along the way, but I can already say in my short time training with him that Guro Ilan is one of the most knowledgeable and well-​rounded martial arts teachers that I’ve ever had. He teaches a comprehensive system of Filipino martial arts that emphasizes the seamless integration of stick, knife, empty hand, and grappling skills. You get plenty of individualized attention from an instructor who is truly passionate about what he teaches and cares about every single one of his students. He breaks down techniques step-​by-​step and will work with you until you’ve got it down pat, especially if you are a straight beginner with no prior martial arts experience.
Now about the martial arts taught at FMA Method Self-Defense…if you’ve never heard about the Filipino martial arts (FMA) before, you may have seen it in the fight choreography of movies like the Bourne Identity/​Supremacy/​Ultimatum, Book of Eli, and Hanna, just to name a few. It is a badass, weapons-​based martial art designed to take care of an attacker in the quickest, most efficient way possible. Although many people have the misconception that the Filipino martial arts are just about stick or knife fighting, there are actually several subsystems within the arts that focus on empty hand skills such as dirty boxing, clinch fighting, trapping, joint locks, ground fighting, etc. It’s basically MMA on steroids! The difference is that the emphasis is on street survival and not sport fighting, which is a HUGE difference! This is also where FMA Method Self-​Defense differs from most academies that teach Filipino martial arts – there are separate classes here that are devoted entirely to just empty hand techniques (Filipino dirty boxing & Filipino grappling). Guro Ilan always shows how something we learn in one class is integrated in other areas of the academy curriculum.
For years I searched around for a legit instructor who could teach me practical, street survival skills. Like I mentioned before, I’ve trained martial arts my entire life with many top-​notch instructors in many different styles so I’m not easily impressed. After my first trial class with Guro Ilan, I was blown away by his knowledge and knew instantly that I’d found exactly what I’d been looking for all these years. If you come in for a free trial class at our academy, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about! If you don’t believe me, well… you’ve just gotta come in and experience it for yourself!