CALI COMBAT SYSTEMS

THE CCS PHASE METHOD

The Complete Martial Arts Development Program at Cali Combat Systems

WHAT IS THE CCS PHASE METHOD?

The CCS Phase Method is the teaching framework through which all training at Cali Combat Systems is delivered — a structured, progressive, lifetime curriculum based on Guro Dan Inosanto's Phase Method approach and organized around Bruce Lee's three stages of cultivation from the Tao of Gung Fu: the Primitive Stage, the Stage of Art, and the Stage of Artlessness.

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It is not a belt system. It is not a checklist of techniques. It is a philosophy of development — a framework for turning a raw, untrained adult into a complete, functionally capable martial artist across every range and every dimension of real-world combat.

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Four complete martial arts systems form the core curriculum — one for each dimension of real-world violence:

• Kali-Silat Motion — Southeast Asian weapons and empty-hand combat. The science of the weapon.

• Fight Rhythm Jeet Kune Do — the stand-up striking, interception, and trapping game. The science of the fist.

• First 2 Fight Retzev Combatives — Israeli Krav Maga, RAT, and offensive combatives. The science of continuous aggression.

• Integrated Ground Fighting Systems — submission grappling and Combat JuJitsu. The science of the ground.

All four systems are trained in every class, across all four phases, from your first session through the lifetime of your training. You never graduate from one art to the next — you develop in all four simultaneously, building the Combat Flow that is the hallmark of a complete martial artist.

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"Studying different arts simultaneously is a great way to develop. Each art helps the assimilation of the others. As these different arts mix, an explosion of technique and training method develops." — Sifu Jeramiah Giehl

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THE FOUR SYSTEMS IN EVERY CLASS

Every CCS Phase Method class integrates all four programs across the complete spectrum of combat ranges:

• Weapons Range — Impact weapons (single and double stick), edged weapons (knife), and gun defense drawn from Kali-Silat Motion and the Military Edged Weapons curriculum.

• Kicking Range — JKD kickboxing, Muay Thai round kicks, Savate low kicks and push kicks, and Panantukan Dirty Boxing entries from Fight Rhythm JKD.

• Hand Range — Jun Fan Gung Fu striking combinations, JKD straight blast, Wing Chun centerline tools, and Panantukan upper-body weapons from Fight Rhythm JKD and First 2 Fight Retzev Combatives.

• Trapping and Clinch Range — Wing Chun chi sao sensitivity, Kali hubud-lubud flow drills, Panantukan destructions and limb attacks, Muay Thai plum clinch, and RAT forward pressure from Fight Rhythm JKD and Kali-Silat Motion.

• Grappling and Ground Range — Submission grappling, Combat JuJitsu, Filipino Dumog, Harimau Silat ground survival, and KinaMutai asymmetrical grappling from Integrated Ground Fighting Systems.

• Mass Attack and Environmental Awareness — Multiple opponent tactics, situational awareness, use of environment as a weapon, and improvised weapons from all four systems.

The goal of every class is Combat Flow — the ability to move seamlessly between all ranges, all systems, and all tools without pausing, resetting, or thinking. A weapon entry becomes a Panantukan combination becomes a Silat sweep becomes a KinaMutai finish. One flow. No seams.

 

"Defense is the other guy's problem." — Tuhon Apolo Ladra

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THE CCS FIGHT-RANGE TARGET ACQUISITION PRIORITIZATION PROCESS (FR-TAPP)

Every class at Cali Combat Systems follows the FR-TAPP — the priority framework that determines which threat is addressed first, second, and third in any real-world confrontation. This is not a technique checklist. It is a tactical decision-making system trained until it becomes instinct.

1. Weapons — Projectile weapons, blunt weapons, edged weapons, and improvised weapons of opportunity. Weapon threats are always addressed first.

2. E.T.G.S. — Escape To Gain Safety — Women's and Children's Self-Defense. Getting away is always the primary objective when possible.

3. Free Fight — Jun Fan Kickboxing — Stand-up striking when no weapon and no mass attack is present. The Brim of Fire. Fight Rhythm.

4. The Shutdown Phase — Trapping, Clinch, Pummeling. Closing distance and shutting down the opponent's offense.

5. Combat JuJitsu / KinaMutai — Bite to Create Space. Fight to Establish Dominance. Stand Up to Get Away.

6. Multiple Opponents / Mass Attack — Never fight in a phone booth when the door is open. Mass attack management and environmental awareness.

7. Stress Inoculation — Training for Abduction, Hostage, and Trafficking Prevention scenarios.

8. Active Killer Defense — Active Shooter and Mass Casualty Response. E-PAD Protocol.

9. Laws Safe — Use of Force Continuum — Law Enforcement Control Tactics. Force Continuum escalation and de-escalation.

10. The RAT / Military Edged Weapons — Rapid Assault Tactics and Military termination tactics.

11. VIP Close Protection — Third Party Personal Protection.

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THE THREE STAGES OF CULTIVATION

The Phase Method is organized around Bruce Lee's three stages from the Tao of Gung Fu — the philosophical framework that governs how every student progresses through the curriculum:

Stage One — Partiality: The Primitive Stage
"Before I studied the art, a punch to me was just like a punch, a kick just like a kick." — Bruce Lee

Raw. Unformed. Natural instincts without built muscle memory, without refined mechanics, without the scientific study of your own experience. The best starting point. An empty cup. This is Phase 1.

Stage Two — Fluidity: The Stage of Art
"After I learned the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick is no longer a kick." — Bruce Lee

Technique begins to take shape. The simple way you used to move becomes strange as new mechanics develop. Your muscles and brain start absorbing what is useful. Sensitivity grows. Liberation from the nucleus begins. This is Phase 2.

Stage Three — Emptiness: The Stage of Artlessness
"Now that I've understood the art, a punch is just like a punch, a kick just like a kick." — Bruce Lee

Returning to formlessness. Empty of pre-planned intention. Reacting in the moment with the necessary natural response — fluid, adaptable, honest. The daily decrease: hack away the unessential, reject what is useless, remove the excess frames. Simple. Direct. Non-telegraphic. This is Phase 3.

Beyond the three stages — where you no longer do JKD, Kali, Krav Maga, or grappling. You are those things. Phase 4.

THE FOUR PHASES

PHASE 1: BEGINNER

Sticking to the Nucleus | Basic Training | Synchronization of Self

The Primitive Stage.

No experience required. No fitness requirement. No prior martial arts background needed. Phase 1 is where every student begins — regardless of what they have trained before — and it is where the entire CCS foundation is built.

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Phase 1 develops body mechanics, basic self-defense tools, cardio conditioning, and the fundamental vocabulary of all four systems. It is the most important phase. Everything else is built on top of it.

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What you train in Phase 1: 

Fight Rhythm Jeet Kune Do — the JKD on-guard position and fighting measure, the straight lead and basic strikes, footwork and mobility, the Five Ways of Attack as a conceptual framework, Jun Fan Kickboxing basics, and the Wing Chun centerline principle.

Kali-Silat Motion — the twelve angles of attack, single stick basic strikes and defenses, Inosanto-LaCoste Kali Abecedario, knife awareness and basic edged weapon principles, Maphilindo Silat basic footwork (langkah) and triangular stepping, Panantukan Dirty Boxing entries and destructions, and basic Hubud-Lubud sensitivity flow.

First 2 Fight Retzev Combatives — Krav Maga Level 1 foundations (choke defenses, grab releases, basic strikes), the RAT entry formula (Entry, Forward Pressure, Termination), the 8 Simple Tools of JKD combat, Street Safe Program fundamentals, and basic gun and knife threat defenses.

Integrated Ground Fighting Systems — basic takedowns and throws from wrestling and Judo, positional hierarchy (mount, side control, back mount), basic chokes (rear naked, guillotine), the guard recovery and stand-up, Filipino Dumog basic pushing and pulling entries, and introduction to KinaMutai principles.

There are four levels within Phase 1 — each building on the last, each deepening the foundation before Phase 2 begins.

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"No experience? No worries. Out of shape? No worries. Our instructors allow you to train at a pace that is suitable for you. No martial arts weirdness — just great training with great people."

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PHASE 2: INTERMEDIATE

Liberation from the Nucleus | Sensitivity Training | Synchronization with Opponent

The Stage of Art begins.

Phase 2 is where the training becomes genuinely exciting — and genuinely challenging. The more sophisticated and technical aspects of all four systems are introduced. Sensitivity replaces brute reaction. Reading your opponent replaces thinking about your technique.

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The goal of Phase 2 is to learn to feel pressure and respond to your opponent's energy, structure, and mistakes without thinking. The drills and training methods introduced here can be refined and developed over a lifetime.

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What you train in Phase 2:

Fight Rhythm Jeet Kune Do — the Five Ways of Attack in application (Single Direct Attack, Attack By Drawing, Progressive Indirect Attack, Hand Immobilization Attack, Attack By Combination), Wing Chun chi sao (sticking hands) sensitivity development, Lop Sao cycle, hand and foot trapping, limb destructions and wrenches, full contact sparring introduction, and JKD interception principles at the stop hit and simultaneous attack level.

Kali-Silat Motion — Sumbrada (counter-for-counter flow), advanced Hubud-Lubud, Pekiti Tirsia Kali Tri-V entry system, Lameco Eskrima corto and largo mano range applications, DFA Kali-KunTao Silat knife offense and defense, Harimau Silat low-line sweeps and tiger claw strikes, KunTao Silat close-range explosive striking, Espada y Daga (sword and dagger) two-weapon work, and Madjapahit Silat entries. Muay Thai clinch, plum position, and Thai clinch pummeling.

First 2 Fight Retzev Combatives — Rapid Assault Tactics complete (Ground RAT, Clinch RAT, Weapons RAT), Military Edged Weapons intermediate curriculum, HAGANAH pre-emptive striking and weapon neutralization, full Krav Maga Level 2 (knife attacks, gun threats from multiple positions, multiple attacker scenarios), Guro Burton Richardson For The Street Series introduction (MMA for the Street, BJJ for the Street, Silat for the Street), and Guro Daniel Sullivan's Panantukan Dirty Boxing combinations.

Integrated Ground Fighting Systems — advanced positional transitions, leg lock game introduction (straight ankle lock, heel hook, kneebar), Catch Wrestling submissions and pain compliance holds, Russian Sambo body lock throws and leg grab takedowns, KinaMutai systematic training (biting entries, eye attack methodology, pressure point attacks), Judo throwing curriculum, and guard recovery with weapons awareness.

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"Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. Be water, my friend." — Bruce Lee

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PHASE 3: ADVANCED

Returning to the Original Freedom | Functional Training | Application Under Fight Conditions

The Stage of Artlessness approachAikido, es.

Phase 3 is integration. The arts, the ranges, and the techniques you have been building across Phases 1 and 2 begin to speak to each other — not as separate systems but as one expression. Combat Flow becomes real. The complete martial spectrum reveals itself.

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At Phase 3, Bruce Lee's axiom becomes lived reality: use no way as way, have no limitation as limitation.

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What you train in Phase 3:

Fight Rhythm Jeet Kune Do — Chinatown JKD refinement (Jun Fan Gung Fu straight lead, stop hits, the JKD on-guard under pressure), advanced trapping sequences, full JKD sparring across all ranges, interception timing at reflex level, the daily decrease — removing excess frames, simplifying technique to its most direct and economical expression, and advanced application of the Five Ways of Attack against live, resisting opponents.

Kali-Silat Motion — full flow through all Kali ranges (Largo, Medio, Corto) without seams, Espada y Daga live application, advanced knife grappling, full contact stick sparring concepts, Maphilindo Silat complete sweeping and off-balancing game (sapu/biset entries, kuncian locks, buah finishing), integration of Silat footwork with Kali weapons work, and advanced Panantukan Dirty Boxing integrated with Silat lower body.

First 2 Fight Retzev Combatives — full Retzev combination game (entry to forward pressure to termination flowing without pause), Krav Maga Level 3 (active shooter response, multiple armed attackers, tubular environment defense), mass attack tactics (managing three or more opponents using JKD angles and Kali OCR game plan), Defense Against Attacks in Tubular Environments, Three Laws Safe law enforcement applications, and full integration of the For The Street Series into live training.

Integrated Ground Fighting Systems — weapons-aware grappling (knife grappling, gun grappling, ground RAT with weapons in play), advanced KinaMutai integration in all positions, street grappling scenarios (hard surfaces, multiple opponents, environmental tools), advanced leg lock game, back take sequences and rear naked choke finish chains, complete Dumog clinch game integration with Silat sweeps, and ground survival under mass attack conditions.

Sparring at Phase 3 uses the Fight Rhythm framework — the Brim of Fire concept (staying outside the opponent's effective range), JKD interceptions and destructions to enter, ABC (Attack By Combination) and SDA (Single Direct Attack) timing, managed distance and rhythm, and the deep breathing and relaxation that allow technique to emerge naturally under pressure.

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"We shouldn't have wasted motions. We should not collect techniques to collect techniques. To fully express oneself, techniques need to be simple, direct, and non-telegraphic."

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PHASE 4: EXPERT

Becoming Jeet Kune Do | Expert Training | The Black Belt Level

The Stage of Artlessness.

You no longer do JKD. You no longer do Kali. You no longer do Krav Maga or grappling. You are those things. The art has become you.

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Phase 4 is non-stop, cross-spectrum Combat Flow through all ranges, all systems, and all tools. There is no script. There is no technique to remember. There is only the honest expression of what three-plus years of training under the CCS Phase Method has built into your body and your nervous system.

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Phase 4 is also the Apprentice Instructor Level — the first of three instructor ranks in the CCS system. It requires a minimum of five to six years of training under Sifu Jeramiah Giehl. It cannot be rushed. It cannot be purchased. It can only be earned on the mat, over time, with consistent commitment.

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What Phase 4 represents:

Full integration of all four systems — Fight Rhythm JKD, Kali-Silat Motion, First 2 Fight Retzev Combatives, and Integrated Ground Fighting Systems — flowing without seams across every range of combat.

The complete application of Bruce Lee's three stages. The return to original freedom. The punch that is just a punch again — but now carrying the weight of everything you have trained.

The honest expression of self through martial arts. Not a copy of Sifu Jeramiah's expression. Not a copy of Bruce Lee's expression. Your own. Unique to your body, your experience, your personality, your strengths.

 

"To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself." — Bruce Lee

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"It is very difficult to do... but to experience oneself honestly, not lying to oneself, and to express myself honestly — now that is very hard to do." — Bruce Lee

Phase 4 is where that honest expression becomes natural, reflexive, and undeniable.

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THE RANGES OF COMBAT

The CCS Phase Method teaches you to flow across all ranges of combat — the complete spectrum from weapons distance to the ground:

Long Distance — Weapons Range: Blunt weapons range (single and double stick, impact weapons), edged weapons range (knife, blade), long range kicks, and projectile weapons awareness.

Mid-Distance — Kicking and Hand Range: Kicking range (JKD low kicks, Muay Thai round kicks, Savate push kicks, stop kicks), hand range (JKD straight lead, boxing combinations, Panantukan Dirty Boxing).

Close Quarter — Trapping, Clinch, and Grappling Range: Trapping range (Wing Chun chi sao, Kali hubud, pak sao, lop sao, destructions), clinch range (Muay Thai plum, wrestling pummeling, Dumog head and neck control), grappling range (takedowns, throws, ground positions, submissions, KinaMutai).

The transition between these ranges is trained until it is seamless — until the weapon entry flows into the hand range flows into the trapping range flows into the clinch flows into the ground without conscious decision. Combat Flow.

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WHAT MAKES THE CCS PHASE METHOD DIFFERENT

Every art in every class from day one. You do not spend months on striking before seeing a weapon. You do not spend years on basics before touching grappling. All four systems are integrated in every session from your first class — building the cross-system fluency that makes Combat Flow possible.

Progressive development, not rank collection. The Phase Method is not a belt factory. Progress is measured by genuine functional capability — the ability to flow, adapt, and apply under pressure — not by memorizing forms or passing choreographed tests.

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Real-world from the beginning. Every technique, every drill, every sparring round in the CCS Phase Method is evaluated through the lens of one question: does this work against a resisting opponent in a real situation? If not, it does not belong.

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Taught by a direct lineage instructor. The Phase Method framework at CCS draws directly from Guro Dan Inosanto's teaching methodology, the Progressive Fighting Systems curriculum of Sifu Paul Vunak, the Jun Fan JKD Grappling Association under Sifu Larry Hartsell and Sifu John Doty, and 30 years of teaching experience across every environment from university recreation centers to law enforcement agencies. This is not a recreation of the curriculum. This is the curriculum.

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WHO THE PHASE METHOD IS FOR

The complete beginner who has never trained a day in their life and wants to build real self-defense capability from the ground up — with no prior experience, no uniform, and no martial arts background required.

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The experienced martial artist who wants to cross-train across multiple systems under a structured, progressive framework that integrates their existing skills with JKD, Kali, Krav Maga, and grappling.

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The security professional, law enforcement officer, or military professional who needs a curriculum built for real-world application — mass attack, weapons threats, tubular environments, force continuum application.

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The fitness-focused adult who wants combat conditioning that develops real fighting attributes — timing, coordination, sensitivity, cardio, and strength — through

martial arts training rather than a gym program.

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The martial artist who has stagnated in a single-system school and wants to discover what happens when all the systems speak to each other.

Adults 18 and over. All fitness levels. No prior experience required.

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READY TO START?

The intro class is $15. That is the only barrier between you and one of the most complete martial arts curricula in San Diego — taught by a direct lineage instructor with 30+ years on the mat and 30 years of teaching.

Book your intro class: Text: 760-575-4389

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RECOMMENDED TRAINING EQUIPMENT

The following equipment is recommended for CCS Phase Method students. You do not need all of it before your first class — your instructor will guide you on priority purchases as you progress through the levels.

Striking:

• Boxing Gloves or MMA Gloves (recommended for sparring)

• Focus Mitts (for partner drilling)

• MMA / Hockey Shin Pads

Kali / Weapons:

• 2 Kali Sticks — Rattan, 28 inches (standard single stick length)

• 2 Training Knives — Rubber or Aluminum

• Hockey Gloves or Lacrosse Gloves (for full contact stick sparring — Phase 3 and above)

Optional:

• Mouthguard

• Groin Protection

• Headgear (required for RAT and full contact drilling with body armor)

• Body Armor / Crash Helmet (required for IPTP and Enigma RAT drilling)

Most equipment is available through online retailers. Ask Sifu Jeramiah for current recommendations on specific brands and sources at your first class.

 

"Research your own experience. Absorb what is useful. Reject what is useless. Add what is specifically your own." — Bruce Lee

 

"There isn't any difference between Jeet Kune Do, Original Jeet Kune Do, and Jeet Kune Do Concepts. Whatever you want to call it, it's the same. To understand the JKD Concept, you have to be trained in the original JKD or Jeet Kune Do that Bruce Lee trained." — Guro Dan Inosanto