LONG VERSION

Self-Defense Expert

Arrest and Control Expert

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Expert

Filipino Kali Expert

Jeet Kune Do Expert

Kalis Ilustrisimo Expert

Kettlebell Expert

Jiu Jitsu Answer Man Book

Roy Harris Apps

Roy Harris BJJ

Business

Since 1981, I have been involved in thousands of hours of hands-on martial arts, self-defense, military combatives, arrest and control, defensive tactics and functional fitness training. In those 30+ years, I have obtained numerous black belt and instructor certifications.

To date, I have taught over 700 seminars in 25 countries, written tons of articles, answered thousands of questions on various forums, written a book, produced fourteen apps and have produced a few hundred instructional videos for my students, instructors, clients and on my various websites.

I owned and operated a martial arts academy in San Diego, CA for seventeen (17) years.

After closing my martial arts academy in 2010, I began pursuing contracts with police departments and military units. I also began teaching private lessons in clients’ homes and places of business!

To date, I have personally trained and promoted over thirty students from white belt to black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I have also trained over 100 high-level instructors in Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do, Filipino Martial Arts, Arrest and Control, and Defensive Tactics.

Several of my students have fought and won numerous times in the UFC, Bellator, King of the Cage, Rumble in the Cage, and various other Mixed Martial Arts vents. Some have earned championship belts.

Life

I am a U.S. Air Force Reserve veteran of eight years.

Over the past three decades, I have held a variety of jobs – from associate pastor to truck driver, busboy to police officer, auto body specialist to Kettlebell instructor, paramedic to private investigator, and basketball instructor to bodyguard. I have gained quite a bit of experience in many areas of life and have been fortunate to have met and made friends with people from all walks of life: Athletes to Senators, musicians to foreign dignitaries, Navy Seals to leading scientific researchers, and homeless individuals to vice-chancellors.

I mentor a handful of men and women in San Diego, Orange, and Los Angeles Counties. I enjoy sharing my experience with them, as well as helping them grow, mature, and blossom into their own person!

I am very thankful to have lived the life I have been given, had the family and friends that have been given to me, and had the professors, teachers, and instructors I have had pass on their knowledge, experience, and wisdom to me. I am also thankful to have had the students and instructors within my association!

Accolades

To view what individuals and groups have said about my work with them in the past, please go to this page.

Styles Studied

Since 1981, I have actively studied and spent thousands of hands-on hours training in twenty-seven (27) different styles of martial art with fifty-one (51) instructors. Here are the names of the styles I have studied:

  1. Jeet Kune Do Concepts
  2. Shooto Wrestling
  3. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
  4. Sambo
  5. Bando
  6. Wing Chun
  7. Pekiti Tirsia
  8. Pentjak Silat Bukti Negara
  9. Boxe Francaise Savate
  10. Western Boxing
  11. Greco-Roman Wrestling
  12. Freestyle Wrestling
  13. Pankration
  14. Thai Boxing
  1. Balintawak
  2. Le Canne et Baton
  3. Panache
  4. Sho Shin Ti Karate
  5. Judo
  6. Inosanto Blend of Kali
  7. Chin Na
  8. Aikido
  9. Aiki Jujutsu
  10. Panantuken / Pananjakman / Dumog
  11. Sugar Ryu Jiu Jitsu
  12. Chausson
  13. Kalis Ilustrisimo

Certifications

Since 1981, I have obtained the following ranks and certifications:

• A California Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) Certified Arrest and Control Instructor.

• A California P.O.S.T. Certified Academy Instructor (AICC).

• A Certified Sixth Degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Professor Joe Moreira.

• A Certified Third Degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under the IBJJF Federation.

• A Certified Basic Level Instructorship in Kalis Ilustrisimo under Guro Romeo Macapagal.

• A Certified Green Glove in Boxe Francaise Savate under Professor Salem Assli.

• A former Certified Senior Full Instructorship in Jeet Kune Do Concepts / Filipino Martial Arts under Sifu Paul Vunak.

• A former Certified Associate Level Instructorship in Jun Fan Gung Fu under Guro Dan Inosanto.

• A former Certified Associate Level Instructorship in Filipino Martial Arts under Guro Dan Inosanto.

• A former Certified Apprentice Level Four Instructorship in Jun Fan Gung Fu under Sifu Larry Hartsell.

• A former HKC (Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification) Certified Instructor from Mr. Pavel Tsatsouline.

• An Honorary Fourth Degree Black Belt in Taihojutsu (Police Tactics) under Sensei Tom Snowden.

• An Honorary Third Degree Black Belt in Sho Shin Ti modes Karate under Sensei Larry Kurtz.

Groups I Have Trained

Law Enforcement Agencies

• American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers (ASLET)

• California Narcotics Officers’ Association (CNOA)

• California Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST)

• Carlsbad Police Department

• Chula Vista Police Department

• Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) – Newark, NJ

• Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) – San Diego, CA

• El Cajon Police Department

• Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) – San Diego, CA

• Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)

• Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office

• McHenry County Sheriff’s Department (Illinois)

• Military and Civilian Law Enforcement Association (MACLEA)

• National City Police Department

• San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office

• San Diego Police Department

• San Diego Sheriff’s Office

• San Diego Narcotics Task Force (NTF)

• San Diego P.D. (S.W.A.T. – S.R.T.)

• Transportation Security Administration – US Air Marshals (Chicago Office)

• Trondheim Police Department (Trondheim, Norway)

• University of California, San Diego, Police Department

• US Border Patrol (San Diego, CA and Tucson, AZ)

• US Marshal Service San Diego

• US Secret Service (Department of Homeland Security)

• Various Law Enforcement Agencies throughout Western Poland

Law Enforcement Highlights

 

1. In June of 2020, I was called upon by the San Diego Regional Police Academy to assist their instructors in customizing certain aspects of their arrest and control program due to the recent changes that prohibit the use of any and all carotid restraining techniques. I gave the instructors three scenarios with 4-5 techniques to choose from within each scenario. The training was well received and an evaluation is forthcoming!

2) In early June of 2016, I was hired as a consultant by the National City Police Department to help their officers develop arrest and control skill sets. Thus far, the training has gone well. Officers have enjoyed the new training methods and see/understand how it can (a)  help them go home safely at E.O.S., (b) help them do their hands-on job more efficiently and (c) help them look good on the evening news because so many citizens carry camcorders on their smartphones.

3) In July of 2015, I was hired as a consultant by the Chula Vista Police Department to help their officers develop arrest and control skill sets. The agency’s arrest and control instructors and I have revitalized the older program and are infusing it with a variety of newer and more innovative training methods.

4) While attending the police academy as a recruit in 1991, because of my diverse and highly specialized background and training, I was invited [by the Academy Command Staff] to teach an on-going ground fighting class to my fellow recruits. The evaluations I received were stellar! I am very proud of this accomplishment.

5) In 1993, I was invited to participate in a law enforcement symposium sponsored by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training! This symposium was being held because of the Rodney King incident.

6) In my work as a police officer, I am proud to say that no subject/suspect/detainee ever took a swing at, or assaulted, me. I was able to talk everyone down and get them to comply with my verbal requests/commands.

Police Academies Where I Have Taught

• Rio Hondo Police Academy (I taught classes there for over 3 years)

• San Diego Regional Police Academy

• San Bernardino Sheriff’s Academy

• San Diego Sheriff’s Academy

• Southwestern Police Academy

Military Groups I Have Taught

• Polish Special Land Forces (G.R.O.M.)

• Slovakian Special Forces

• SEAL’s

• US Marine Corps

• Norwegian Army

Local And National Businesses

My knowledge and expertise in the martial sciences have been utilized by various civilian organizations as well. Here is a list of companies I’ve worked with:

• Anheuser-Busch (The Bud Girls) – 1998 Bud Bowl in San Diego, California

• Balboa Park Recreations – San Diego, California

• Ballistic Fighting Methods – Carpentersville, Illinois

• Body Workshop – Pacific Beach, California

• Century Business Schools – San Diego, California

• Chula Vista Center Mall – Chula Vista, California

• Colorado River Indian Tribes – Arizona

• Holiday Inn Hotel Security – San Diego, California

• Horton Plaza Mall Security – San Diego, California

• International Tae Kwon Do Federation – Las Cruces, New Mexico

• Mercyhurst College – Erie, Pennsylvania

• National University – San Diego, California

• Numerous Sororities in San Diego County

• Oliver-McMillan Law Firm – San Diego, California

• Paradise Valley Hospital Security – Paradise Valley, California

• Radisson Hotel Security – San Diego, California

• San Diego District Attorney’s Office – San Diego, California

• San Diego State University Recreations – San Diego, California

• Scripps Health – San Diego, California

• University of California, San Diego Recreations – La Jolla, California

• Z90 Radio Station – National City, California

Martial Arts Academies

• Aikido of North County – Vista, California

• Small Axe BJJ Academy – Oceanside, California

• Ballistic Fighting Methods – Carpentersville, Illinois

• Blackline Training Center – Carlsbad, California

• Blind Fury BJJ – Columbus, Georgia

• Boxing Inc – Tucson, Arizona

• Elite JKD Systems – Bloomingdale and Rockford, Illinois

• Hal Faulkner BJJ Academy – Eureka, California

• Hawaiian Martial Arts Center – Honolulu, Hawaii

• House of Champions – Van Nuys, California

• Huard’s Martial Arts – Winslow, Maine

• Inosanto Academy of Martial Arts – Marina del Rey, California

• Jiu Jitsu de Brasil – Costa Mesa, California

• Lewis BJJ Academy – Naples, Florida

• Martial Arts America – San Jose, California

• Martial Arts America – San Diego, California

• Martial Arts America – Rochester, New York

• Minnesota Kali Group – Duluth, Minnesota

• Minnesota Kali Group – Minneapolis, Minnesota

• Modern Self-Defense – Middletown, Connecticut

• North County Fight Club – Carlsbad, California

• Nova Fitness – Rochester, New York

• Numerous sororities throughout San Diego County

• Partch’s Grappling Academy – Chula Vista, California

• Progressive Fighting Systems – Greenfield, Indiana

• Progressive Fighting Systems – Rockford, Indiana

• Progressive Fighting Systems – Newark, New Jersey

• Roy Dean Academy – Bend, Oregon

• Sidekicks Fight Academy – Canyon Country, California

• Sagauro Jiu Jitsu – Vail, Arizona

• Saunders Brazilian Jiu Jitsu – East Rochester, New York

• SoCal Martial Arts Center – Bonita, California

• Southbay Jiu Jitsu Club – Chula Vista, California

• Strong Grip Jiu Jitsu Club – Chula Vista, California

• Stronghold Jiu Jitsu Academy – Point Loma, California

• Team Magnitude – Vista, California

International Businesses

• 3D JKD – Naramata, BC, Canada

• 45 Grados Jiu Jitsu – San Luis Río Colorado, BC, Mexico

• Baja California Mexico Jiu Jitsu Club – Mexicali, BC, Mexico

• Bergeron Jiu Jitsu Club – Edmonton, AB, Canada

• Blackflag Jiu Jitsu Academy – Mexicali, BC, Mexico

• Champion’s Creed Martial Arts Centre – Calgary, AB, Canada

• Borret BJJ – Shanghai, China

• Canadian Martial Arts Centre – Lethbridge, AB, Canada

• Combate Dept. – Monza, Italy

• Fighter Fitness – Obertshausen, Germany

• Invictus BJJ Academy – Mosina, Poland

• Kaisho Martial Arts Academy – Helsingborg, Sweden

• Kristiansand Kampsport Senter – Kristiansand, Norway

• Mariusz Linke Academy – Szczecin, Poland

• Nomad BJJ – Sherbrooke, QC, Canada

• Okami Jiu Jitsu Academy – Mexico City, DF, Mexico

• Progressive Fighting Systems – Munich, Germany

• Progressive Fighting Systems – Long Beach, California

• Progressive Fighting Systems – Milano, Italy

• Progressive Fighting Systems – Varese, Italy

• Progressive Fighting Systems – Vancouver, Canada

• RPI Academy – Melbourne, Australia

• Sakura Jiu Jitsu Academy – Mexico City, DF, Mexico

• Sefcik JKD – Harichovce, Slovakia

• Sherbourne Martial Arts Academy – London, ON, Canada

• Shooters MMA – Goteborg, Sweden

• Shooters MMA – Stockholm, Sweden

• Shooters MMA – Copenhagen, Denmark

• Speretti JKD – Asti, Italy

• Strefa Walki – Poznan, Poland

• Sustainable Jiu Jitsu – Perth, Australia

• Team Resurrection Jaguar – Mexico City, DF, Mexico

• Trondheim BJJ – Trondheim, Norway

• Winkler JKD – Langenthal, Switzerland

• Various Karate schools throughout Northern and Central Switzerland

• Various Jiu Jitsu schools throughout Northern and Western Poland

• Various homes, schools and businesses throughout Ireland, England, the Philippines and Indonesia

A Few Notable Students

Below is a list of people who have sought me out for private instruction over the past twenty years:

• Mr. Keith Blackburn, Vice-Mayor of Carlsbad

• Jacques Cesaire, San Diego Chargers (NFL)

• Quentin Jammer, San Diego Chargers (NFL)

• Guro Dan Inosanto

• Mr. Paul Vunak

• Dr. Mark Cheng

• Dr. Jack Yang

• Dr. Paul Haydu

• Dr. Troy Niguidula

• Ms. Diana Moscarda

• Mr. Jason Lambert

• Mr. Lee Mein

• Mr. Jordan Mein

• Mr. Nick Ring

• Mr. Brian Bird

• Mrs. Sheila Bird

• Mr. Israel Camacho

• Mr. Jorge Lopez

• Mr. August Wallen

• Mr. Manny Rodriguez

• Mr. Jeff Clark

• Mr. Roy Dean

• Mr. Matt Stansell

• Mr. Quinn Deveraux

• Mr. Johan Skalberg

• Mr. Björn Friedrich

• Various unnamed people 🙂

Featured

I have appeared on a syndicated television show entitled “Don’t Be A Target: A Television Guide to Crime Prevention”. I’ve also appeared on a local San Diego based news station because of my expertise in Jeet Kune Do.

I was featured in Black Belt Magazine, a few Southern California newspapers, as well as several international martial arts magazines. Back in the mid-1990′s, I was interviewed by Z90, a San Diego based radio station. During the show, I answered questions as callers called into the station to learn about martial arts and self-defense training. At that time, because I had taught 100+ self-defense workshops to the general public, free of charge, I was nominated as “Angel of the Week”.

Additionally, I have been featured in numerous podcasts and video interviews.

Hall of Fame Induction

roy harris hall of fame

 

In August of 2007, I was honored to have been chosen and inducted into “The Masters Hall of Fame.”

I received the “Pioneer Award” for my innovations in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training as well as all of the questions I had answered online since 1994.

Affiliations

I am (or was) a member of the following associations / organizations:

• Executive Security International Alumni Association

• American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers (ASLET)

• Professor Joe Moreira’s Jiu Jitsu de Brasil Association

• Guro Romeo Macapagal K.I.T. (Kalis Ilustrisimo Tradicional) Association

• Punong Guro Tony Diego’s Kalis Ilustrisimo Association (former)

• Guro Dan Inosanto’s International Instructor Association (former)

• Guro Larry Hartsell’s Instructor Association (former)

• Sifu Rick Faye’s Minnesota Kali Group (former)

• Guro Paul Vunak’s Progressive Fighting Systems (former)

Influences

Here is a short list of instructors who have heavily influenced my martial arts teaching and training:

• Sensei Robert Koga – Koga System

• Guro Romeo Macapagal – Kalis Ilustrisimo

• Punong Guro Tony Diego – Kalis Ilustrisimo

• Guro Dan Inosanto – Jeet Kune Do, Filipino and Indonesian arts

• Guro Rick Faye – Jeet Kune Do, Filipino and Thai Arts

• Guro Larry Hartsell – Jeet Kune Do and Filipino Arts

• Guro Michaelangelo Buot – Balintawak

• Professor Salem Assli – Boxe Francaise Savate, Le Canne et Baton, Panache

• Pendekar Paul De Thouars – Pentjak Silat Bukti Negara

• Comrade Pavel Tsatsouline – Kettlebells

• Dr. Mark Cheng – Kettlebells

• Sensei Darrell Bullock – Sugar ryu Jiu Jitsu

• Professor Nelson Monteiro – Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

• Grandmaster Robert Crosson – Sugar ryu Jiu Jitsu

• Sensei Jesse Jones – Judo

• Sensei Larry Kurtz – Sho Shin Ti

• Professor Joe Moreira – Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

• Professor Rorion Gracie – Gracie Jiu Jitsu

• Professor Royler Gracie – Gracie Jiu Jitsu

• Professor Rickson Gracie – Gracie Jiu Jitsu

• Professor Rigan Machado – Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

• Professor Jean Jacques Machado – Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

• Guro Tom Cruse – Jeet Kune Do and Filipino Arts

• Maha Guro Victor De Thouars – Tongkat

• Mr. Paul Vunak – Jeet Kune Do and Filipino Arts

• Mr. A.J. Smith – Lots of things