MEET THE FOUNDER
SiFu/Guro Adrian Tandez
Founder & Head Instructor - Warrior Combat Arts Academy
MORE THAN 30 YEARS IN MARTIAL ARTS
Adrian Tandez began his martial arts journey more than three decades ago, driven by a desire to understand what makes martial arts effective in the real world.
That journey eventually led him to Jeet Kune Do and the Filipino martial arts, where he discovered an approach built around adaptability, practicality and continuous learning. Over the years, Adrian has trained extensively in Jeet Kune Do / Jun Fan Gung Fu, Filipino Kali / Escrima, Maphilindo Silat, Muay Thai, Wing Chun, grappling and other progressive fighting arts.
In 2005, Adrian founded Tandez Academy of Martial Arts in San Carlos, California. Two years later, the academy moved to Mountain View, where it continued to grow and eventually evolved into Warrior Combat Arts Academy.
Today, Adrian's teaching reflects the same principle that has guided his own training: no single martial art has every answer. Students should learn to think, adapt and develop skills that work across different ranges, situations and challenges.
TRAINING & LINEAGE
Adrian’s martial arts education has been shaped by decades of training with respected instructors across several fighting systems. Rather than limiting his development to a single style, he has pursued complementary disciplines that contribute to the progressive approach taught at Warrior Combat Arts Academy.
A major influence throughout Adrian’s martial arts journey has been Guro Dan Inosanto, one of Bruce Lee’s most prominent students and an internationally respected teacher of Jeet Kune Do and the Filipino Martial Arts. Adrian has trained extensively under Guro Inosanto in Jeet Kune Do / Jun Fan Gung Fu, Filipino Kali / Escrima, and Maphilindo Silat.
Adrian also earned the rank of Full Instructor under Paul Vunak, a noted Jeet Kune Do instructor and former student of Guro Inosanto. His training with Vunak included Jeet Kune Do Concepts, Filipino Martial Arts, Rapid Assault Tactics (R.A.T.), and practical approaches to real-world self-defense.
His continued martial arts education has included training with other respected instructors, including SiFu Francis Fong in Wing Chun and Ron Balicki in Jeet Kune Do, Filipino Martial Arts, and related fighting systems.
Over the years, Adrian’s studies have expanded to include Muay Thai, Boxing, Savate, grappling, and Combat Submission Wrestling, allowing him to explore how different fighting systems address striking, clinching, grappling, weapons, and self-defense.
These influences form the foundation of Adrian’s teaching philosophy today. Students at Warrior Combat Arts Academy are not expected to simply imitate techniques or become confined to one martial art. Instead, they are taught to understand principles, solve problems, and develop the ability to adapt.
Adrian believes that effective martial arts begins with changing how a student understands movement, timing, distance and strategy. Once the thinking changes, the physical expression of the martial art begins to change with it.
“If I can change the way you think, I can change the way you move.”
— SiFu / Guro Adrian Tandez
Adrian Tandez
with Guro Dan Inosanto
Teacher, mentor, and longtime influence on Adrian’s martial arts journey.
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Adrian Tandez with Paul Vunak
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Adrian Tandez with Ron Balicki
Adrian Tandez with SiFu Francis Fong
BEYOND THE MARTIAL ARTS
Adrian’s approach to teaching has also been shaped by his academic work. In 2026, he completed a Master of Liberal Arts degree at Harvard University, with graduate studies in Dramatic Arts.
His years at Harvard reinforced many of the same principles that have guided his martial arts career: disciplined study, critical thinking, communication, creativity, and the willingness to continually challenge established ideas.
For Adrian, martial arts instruction is ultimately a form of education. A good instructor does more than demonstrate techniques—he helps students understand why something works, how different ideas connect, and how to think independently when circumstances change.
TEACHING BEYOND THE ACADEMY
Adrian’s teaching experience has extended beyond the walls of Warrior Combat Arts Academy. He has served as a martial arts instructor for Google in the San Francisco Bay Area, teaching group classes and conducting martial arts workshops through the company’s GFit employee wellness program.
Working with students in a corporate environment reinforced an important part of Adrian’s teaching philosophy: martial arts should be accessible to ordinary people with different backgrounds, abilities and levels of experience.
Whether teaching experienced martial artists, complete beginners, or professionals stepping onto the training floor for the first time, his goal remains the same—to help students develop practical skills, greater confidence and a deeper understanding of movement.
Adrian Tandez teaching martial arts through Google’s GFit program
Corporate martial arts instruction and wellness training in
the San Francisco Bay Area.
20 YEARS OF MARTIAL ARTS & COMMUNITY
For the academy’s 20th anniversary, one of Adrian’s students commissioned this custom figure, individually created by an artist in his likeness — complete with Kali sticks and academy uniform.