The Bay Area Kali Group has many Instructors in its lineage, all deserving honors. Listed here is the Certifying Lineage regarding both Jeet Kune Do and Kali.
1.Bruce Lee: Si Gung (founder of Jeet Kune Do) Bruce began his studies in Hong-Kong with Judo and Wing Chun Gung Fu (under Yip Man), the later forming the foundation for his exploration into Life, and for Truth in Combat - eventually lead him to develop Jun Fan Gung Fu (Lee Jun Fan being Bruce's Cantonese name), and subsequently, Jeet Kun Do. After moving to the U.S., Bruce blossomed into a true pioneer and Martial Art Master who was way ahead of his time. He adopted many training tools that were scoffed at by the Martial Art community, but which now are considered common place and essential for Martial Art training - such as the kicking shield or focus mits, and even weight training. He was one of the first people in recent history to break from tradition and cross train in multiple arts and modalities, and his public acceptance of any serious student, regardless of race or background, was unheard of. Though many only know of Bruce Lee through television and movies, he was an accomplished martial artist well before he made Martial Art films. His abilities, innovations, philosophy and teachings earned him the the respect of many of the top Masters of the time, such as Ed Parker and Wally Jay. Bruce also attracted the
champions of the day, who sought him out to train them and make them
the very best they could be at fighting. Throughout his life, Bruce opened three schools; the first in Seattle, the second in Oakland, and the third in Los Angeles.
2.Dan Inosanto: Guro (Filipino term for "Teacher" or "Master") Inosanto was Bruce Lee's training partner and the head instructor at the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute in Los Angeles from the mid 1960’s until Bruce Lee's death in 1973. Since then, Guro Dan has been considered the world's leading authority on Jeet Kune Do. He is the only person that was ever certified by Bruce to teach - or promote anyone in - JKD, and one of only three people certified by Bruce in Jun Fan Gung Fu. Guro Dan has been an ambassador of the Filipino Martial Art, History and Culture, bringing them into the main stream of Martial Art around the world. He studied with over 20 different Filipino Grand Masters, among them Leo Giron, Regino Illustrismo, Floro Villabrille, John Lacoste, Angel Cabales, Jack Santos, Lucky Lucaylucay, Edgar Sulite, and Leo Gaje Jr.. His Instructors in Silat included Eddy Jafre, Paul de Thouars, and Herman Suwanda (as well as John Lacoste). Guro Dan holds Black Belts in multiple arts, among them RCJ
Machado Brazilian Ju-JItsu (which he has studied under all of the
Machado Brothers), and Kenpo Karate under Ed Parker. Guro Dan was instrumental in bringing Thai Boxing to prominence in the United States by introducing Ajarn Chai Sirasute (founder of the first Thai Boxing Assoc. in the US) to the American Martial Arts scene. He also helped to give the Indonesian and Malaysian Silat arts their exposure outside of their native lands. He is responsible, along with Larry Hartsell, for bringing Shooto to the U.S., and helping that sport get onto the world stage. Many of the worlds most respected and sought after Martial Art Instructors and Stunt People are directly linked to Guro Dan's influence and teaching. Few people in Martial Art history have done so much for so many arts.
3.Larry Hartsell: One of Bruce Lee's original students in Los Angeles. Larry had been studying Kenpo Karate with Dan Inosanto under Master Ed Parker. Larry saw the value in training with such a pioneer as Bruce Lee. Larry began his training with Bruce, only to have it interrupted for a few years while serving in the U.S. Army in Vietnam. After leaving the Army, Larry resumed his training with Bruce and helped to develop the grappling areas of JKD. After Bruce's death, Larry continued his training with his good friend and teacher, Dan Inosanto, as well as seeking out masters of other arts to train with and study under, like "Judo" Gene Le Bell and the late Edgar Sulite. Though Larry is most well known for his trapping and grappling skills (having written two best selling books on the subjects), he was also an incredibly skilled boxer and weapons specialist. Perhaps his greatest gift was his ability to distill techniques to their basic essence, and then design drills and progressions that built upon one another, flowing from movement to movement, bringing out the very best in his students, and helping them discover how to apply technique in a way that suited them.
4.Rick Faye: Rick Faye has been teaching and training in the art for over 25 years and is only one of five Senior Full Instructors under Guro Dan Inosanto in the world (the only one outside of the state of California), in both the Jun Fan Martial Arts/Jeet Kune Do Concepts and in the Filipino Martial Arts. He also holds a fifth level Instructorship under Guro Inosanto in Silat (Maphilindo Martial Arts). Rick is a Full Instructor in Muay Thai and is one of only 6 regional directors in the country for the Thai Boxing Association under Ajarn Chai Sirisute. Rick is also an Instructor under Sensei Erik Paulson in Combat Submission Wrestling (CSW), and holds Instructorships from Paul Vunak and the late Sifu Larry Hartsell. Rick is well known for his devotion to the arts, his belief in constant training of the basics, and his impressive attention to detail. In 1982, he opened the Minnesota Kali Group (MKG) where he is Head Instructor. MKG evolved to become MKG International, with affiliate schools around the world.
