Who is Guro Dan?
Guro Dan Inosanto is an American martial arts instructor, author, and actor. He first studied traditional Okinawan Kempo karate under the legendary martial arts master Ed Parker.
He has trained with over thirty different martial arts instructors in his career. He is a proficient martial artist in the arts of Judo, Jujutsu, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Shoot wrestling, Muay Thai, Systema, many Filipino martial arts styles, many Silat systems, and Jeet Kune Do which he learned under movie icon and martial arts legend Bruce Lee.
Guro Dan holds Instructor and or black belt ranks in many of not all of these different martial arts styles and systems.
After Bruce Lee's death, Inosanto became the principal spokesperson and historian for Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do.
Inosanto is credited for training Filipino martial arts to a number of Hollywood actors including Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris and many others.
He has had minor roles in a number of films, including Lee's uncompleted last film Game of Death (1972), and in Steven Seagal's Out for Justice (1991).
The film I Am Bruce Lee provided Inosanto with an opportunity to reveal a little-known fact about the friendship the two men shared. It was Inosanto that introduce Lee to the nunchaku and staff. Inosanto explained that he introduced the nunchaku to Lee, taught him the basics and some exercises to get him started on his weapons training.
In the movie Game of Death, one of the most recognizable Bruce Lee films, Lee and Inosanto showcase the use of the nunchaku in an incredible duel.
Guro Dan is a martial arts legend
Guro Dan is responsible for bringing several obscure forms of Martial Arts into the public eye such as Silat, a hybrid combative form of fighting existing in such countries as Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Guro Dan has created his own system of Maphilindo Silat combining systems from all three of these countries.
Guro Dan was commissioned in 1977 by the Dallas Cowboys to incorporate martial arts into the team’s training.
Inosanto is featured as the Black Belt magazine 1996 "Man of the Year".
Guro Dan holds annual seminars all across the country and is his own school in Marina Del Ray, California. Strickland’s Martial Arts students regularly attend seminars in Dallas, Wichita Falls, and Marina Del Ray.
A Poem by Guro Dan Inosanto
We are all climbing different paths through the mountain of life, and we have all experienced much hardship and strife. There are many paths through the mountain of life, and some climbs can be felt like the point of a knife. Some paths are short and others are long, who can say which path is right or wrong? The beauty of truth is that each path has its own song, and if you listen closely you will find where you belong. So climb your own path true and strong, but respect all other truths for your way for them could be wrong. - Dan Inosanto
