Tuan Adrien Rodriguez
A Lifetime of Learning.
A Lifetime of Sharing.
At a Glance
🇫🇷 Country: France
⚔️ Primary Systems: Kali Sikaran • Escrima de Cuerdas • Kali X Silat
🥋 Additional Arts: Japanese Ju-Jutsu • Aiki-Jujutsu • Karate • Pencak Silat
🌍 International Teaching: 30+ years
🏆 Former World Champion: Sport Ju-Jutsu
🎓 French State-Certified Teacher
🤝 World FMA Alliance: Founding member
For over forty years, Adrien Rodriguez has dedicated his life to martial arts.
Not simply collecting techniques or earning titles, but understanding the people, cultures and traditions that shaped them.
His classes are energetic, animated and filled with enthusiasm. One moment you'll be laughing at an unexpected joke, the next you'll find yourself exploring a concept that completely changes the way you see Filipino Martial Arts.
More than anything, Adrien loves sharing knowledge.
Because he believes knowledge only truly has value when it is passed on.
A Lifetime of Learning
Adrien's martial arts journey began more than four decades ago and has taken him across Europe, Southeast Asia and the United States.
Although many people know him today as an experienced Filipino Martial Arts instructor, his background extends far beyond a single system.
Japanese Ju-Jutsu, Aiki-Jujutsu, Karate, combat sports and Pencak Silat have all contributed to the instructor he has become.
Rather than viewing martial arts as separate disciplines, Adrien has always searched for the principles that unite them.
That curiosity continues to shape everything he teaches today.
Deep Roots in Filipino Martial Arts
For decades Adrien has travelled extensively throughout Southeast Asia, studying directly with respected instructors and building lasting friendships within the Filipino and Indonesian martial arts communities.
His journey eventually led him to become a Full Instructor in Kali Sikaran and Warriors Eskrima, and later to establish Kali X Silat, combining years of experience from Filipino and Indonesian martial traditions into a teaching approach that remains practical, respectful and constantly evolving.
Today he also represents Escrima de Cuerdas under Michael Butz and the Kada Anan Martial Arts Association, continuing to strengthen friendships across the international Filipino Martial Arts community.
A New Chapter
Rediscovering the Joy of Teaching
Like many lifelong martial artists, Adrien's journey has not always been straightforward.
Over the years he experienced organisations changing direction, long-standing friendships drifting apart and the difficult process of rebuilding both his network and his place within the international martial arts community.
Rather than allowing those experiences to define him, Adrien chose to keep moving forward.
When Heikki invited him to teach at the very first Kali in Bali, neither of them realised what that invitation would become.
Surrounded by an open, welcoming community built on friendship rather than politics, Adrien rediscovered something he had been quietly missing for years:
The simple joy of sharing martial arts.
Since then, old friendships have been renewed, former training partners have reached out once again and exciting new opportunities have emerged - including helping introduce the Stockton Filipino Martial Arts community to Kali in Bali through friendships with Escrima de Cuerdas and helping connect Celina Duffy with the 2027 event.
For Adrien, Kali in Bali didn't simply become another seminar.
It became home.
The Teacher Who Never Stops Thinking
Away from the training hall, Adrien works as an accountant.
It might seem like an unusual profession for a martial artist, yet it perfectly reflects the way his mind works.
He's constantly analysing.
Questioning.
Connecting ideas.
Searching for better ways to explain movement.
Sometimes the ideas arrive faster than the words themselves, especially when switching effortlessly between French, English, Spanish and Tagalog.
His students quickly learn that every question leads to another fascinating discussion.
Even after decades of teaching, Adrien is currently rebuilding much of his curriculum from the ground up - not because the old material no longer works, but because he believes beginners deserve a clearer path to understanding without sacrificing the depth available to experienced practitioners.
What makes Adrien's Teaching Different?
Adrien doesn't simply teach techniques.
He teaches understanding.
His classes are energetic, interactive and full of movement.
Expect stories.
Expect laughter.
Expect unexpected French humour.
Don't be surprised if tacos, nuggets or coffee somehow become part of a lesson.
And don't be surprised when those jokes suddenly reveal an important principle you've never considered before.
Above all, Adrien creates an environment where questions are encouraged and curiosity is rewarded.
Whether you're taking your very first lesson or have trained for decades, everyone leaves having learnt something new.
A Love of the Sword
Of all the weapons within Filipino Martial Arts, the sword remains Adrien's greatest passion.
Its precision, timing and elegance continue to influence the way he teaches every aspect of movement, whether students are holding a blade, a stick or simply using empty hands.
His sword sessions are among the highlights of every Kali in Bali camp.
Highlights
40+ years of martial arts experience
30+ years teaching internationally
Former World Champion in Sport Ju-Jutsu
French State-Certified Teacher
Full Instructor in Kali Sikaran
Founder of Kali X Silat
Representative Instructor in Escrima de Cuerdas
Instructor in Pencak Silat Concept
Senior member of Kada Anan Martial Arts Association
Founding member of the World FMA Alliance
What You'll Experience at Kali in Bali
Spend a week training with Adrien and you'll quickly understand why students return to his classes year after year.
You'll laugh.
You'll ask questions.
You'll discover movements you never thought possible.
Most importantly, you'll leave with a completely new way of thinking about Filipino Martial Arts.
Every session is driven by one simple goal:
To make sure every student leaves knowing more than they did when they arrived.
A Personal Reflection
From Heikki
Adrien and I have shared this journey for almost three decades.
We first trained together during the early years of IKAEF and IKSA, long before either of us imagined where martial arts would eventually take us.
Life pulled us in different directions.
Organisations came and went.
Teachers changed.
Life itself changed.
But somehow we always found our way back to each other.
Today Adrien often introduces me as his big brother.
I couldn't ask for a greater compliment.
When I invited him to teach at Kali in Bali, I hoped our students would appreciate the incredible instructor I already knew.
What I didn't expect was watching him rediscover his own joy for teaching.
Seeing him reconnect with old friends, build new friendships and help shape the future of Kali in Bali has been one of the greatest rewards of this journey.
More than a training partner...
He's family.
Why Adrien Teaches
Ask Adrien why he still teaches after more than forty years and the answer isn't fame, titles or recognition.
It's much simpler than that.
He's genuinely afraid that one day the knowledge he's spent a lifetime gathering could disappear with him.
Every seminar...
Every conversation...
Every lesson...
Is another opportunity to pass something on.
That generosity defines everything he does.
Train With Adrien at Kali in Bali
If you're looking for an instructor who combines deep technical knowledge with infectious enthusiasm, humour and genuine generosity, you'll quickly understand why so many students around the world are proud to call Adrien Rodriguez not only their instructor...
...but also their friend.
Come to Bali.
Train hard.
Laugh often.
Drink great coffee.
And discover why a week with Adrien is an experience you'll remember long after the final class has finished.
⚔️ Train with Tuan Adrien Rodriguez at Kali in Bali 2027