Filipino Kali

These names appear across a family of Filipino martial traditions. Schools can differ in language, lineage, and what they emphasize. At Detroit Kali Silat, Kali is the foundation for the rest of the curriculum.

The school’s archive uses terms such as solo baston for single stick, doble baston for double stick, and sinawali for patterns whose name evokes the woven bamboo panels known as sawali. These terms connect the vocabulary of the practice to the culture it comes from.

Guro Jeff studied Pekiti-Tirsia Kali with Grand Tuhon Leo Gaje Jr. and Guro Doug Marcaida. The school’s archive traces the family lineage through Grand Tuhon Leo Gaje Jr.’s grandfather, Conrado Tortal, and describes how Gaje brought the art to students in the United States and Europe.

Detroit Kali Silat also draws on San Miguel Escrima and on Guro Jeff’s studies with Ama Guro Jun de Leon in Toronto. The journal includes an interview with de Leon about his teachers and early years in the Philippines, along with a report from the academy’s 2013 visit to Toronto.

Students study the art in its cultural and historical context. Call Guro Jeff to discuss your background, goals, and whether the current class is a fit.