Mission Hills Martial Arts
REAL TRAINING FOR LIFE
Welcome To
Mission Hills Martial Arts
Welcome to Mission Hills Martial Arts!
We’re not here to just give you a workout, we’re here to help you grow.
Our Krav Maga, Kali, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu programs are built around real training for real life. You’ll be challenged, you’ll learn skills that matter, and you’ll start to see what you’re capable of.
Whether your goal is self-defense, competition, fitness, or just getting back on track, you’ll find a place here.
We believe in hard work, respect, and showing up—for yourself and for the people training next to you. That’s how a group becomes a tribe.
Competition is something we support, but it’s not the core. The core is helping you become more confident, more capable, and more prepared for whatever life throws at you.
Your First Class is Free!
Take your first step with our introductory offer and experience a free class at Mission Hills Martial Arts. Sign up today and see what our classes are all about!
Mission Hills Martial Arts
Core values
At Mission Hills Martial Arts, we believe we fall to our level of training.
Training isn’t about ego. It’s about preparation. It’s about building habits that hold when life doesn’t. Martial arts, done the right way, finds a strong place inside you – especially when everything else feels like it’s falling apart.
Through consistent training, you develop competence – and competence builds confidence.
That’s what we train for.
This is a place where anyone can start. But it’s also a place that demands something from you:
- Accountability.
- Effort.
- A desire to be better than you were yesterday.
When you know you can take care of yourself, you carry yourself differently. And that ability extends beyond you. It becomes the ability to take care of the people you love.
Who We Are at
Mission Hills Martial Arts
Mission Hills Martial Arts is built around one simple idea—help people grow.
Not just in martial arts, but in how they carry themselves every day.
We teach Krav Maga, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Kali with a focus on real application. It’s not just about learning techniques. It’s about understanding when to use them, why they work, and how to stay composed under pressure.
Everyone who walks through the door has their own reasons for being here. Our job is to meet you there and help you move forward.
We don’t run this place like a business focused on numbers. We run it like a place where people show up, put in the work, and support each other.
Our background comes from years of training and experience, including connections to the American Krav Maga Federation, Team 3 BJJ, Dog Brothers Martial Arts, and the American Tang Soo Do Alliance.
But what really defines this place is the people in it.
Meet the Mission Hills Martial Arts
Team
Nathan Carlen
Owner and Chief Instructor
Martial Artist, Educator, and Founder of Mission Hills Martial Arts.
Nathan Carlen is a lifelong martial artist, educator, and the Chief Instructor and Owner of Mission Hills Martial Arts in Mission Hills, California. With more than three decades of training and teaching experience, he has dedicated his career to helping students of all ages build confidence, discipline, and practical self-defense skills through structured martial arts training, academic instruction, and community leadership.
Mission Hills Martial Arts was built to give people a place to train, grow, and become more capable.
Nathan Carlen started this school with a simple belief—the mat is a place where people learn to master themselves.
Everyone has the ability to push further than they think. They just need the right environment, the right guidance, and the willingness to show up.
Nathan began training as a scared and angry kid under Grand Master Mark Cox, and that relationship continues to this day. That mentorship laid the foundation for everything. That foundation shaped how he approaches training, teaching, and what he expects from himself and his students.
Over the years, he’s earned advanced ranks in multiple disciplines, including Krav Maga, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Filipino Martial Arts, and American Tang Soo Do. But what matters most to him isn’t the rank, it’s what the training does for people.
Alongside his time on the mat, Nathan has spent over twenty years as a health and kinesiology professor within the Los Angeles Community Colleges. That background influences how he teaches—combining practical experience with an understanding of how the body moves, learns, and performs under stress.
Everything taught here comes from real life experience and from the instructors who shaped him. That’s something he takes seriously.
We’re all products of the people who invested in us. This school is his way of passing that forward.
At Mission Hills Martial Arts, students are expected to earn their progress, take ownership of their training, and keep growing, together, on and off the mat.
- 8th Dan Black Belt in American Tang Soo Do (under Grand Master Mark Cox)
- 4th Dan Black Belt in Krav Maga (under Danny Hazan)
- Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (under Sergio Machado)
- Guro in Dog Brothers Martial Arts (under Marc “Crafty Dog” Denny)
In addition to these primary disciplines, Mr. Carlen has cross-trained and holds ranks in Kali, Silat, Shotokan Karate, Hapkido, Aikido, Kenjitsu, Japanese Ju-Jitsu, Sambo, Muay Thai and a number of other arts. You will hear him joke “I have no life.”
Nathan serves in a leadership role within the American Krav Maga Federation, contributing to curriculum development, instructor standards and growth as well as defensive tactics training.
Our School Schedule!
Check out our schedule at Mission Hills Martial Arts to find the right time to train Krav Maga, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or Kali for you.
Explore our Martial Arts
Programs
At Mission Hills Martial Arts, we believe martial arts training should go beyond punches and kicks – it should build confidence, discipline, and real-world skill. Our programs in Krav Maga, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Kali are designed for students of all ages and experience levels. Whether you’re 5 or 85, you’ll gain strength, focus, and the ability to protect yourself and your loved ones. We decided to open this studio to create something special – a community where every martial arts class leaves you feeling stronger, safer, and more confident than when you walked in.
Krav Maga is a practical self-defense system originally developed for the Israeli military. It focuses on simple, effective techniques designed to work under real-world stress. Training teaches students how to recognize danger, avoid threats when possible, and respond decisively when necessary. Students learn defenses against common attacks such as grabs, chokes, punches, and ground assaults while building awareness, confidence, and resilience. Techniques rely on natural body movements, making them easier to learn and apply quickly, and suitable for all ages and abilities. Krav Maga training builds strength, coordination, and mental toughness while preparing students with realistic self-defense skills focused on safety and escape.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a grappling-based martial art that focuses on leverage, technique, and control rather than strength or size. Students learn how to take an opponent to the ground, control their movement, and apply submissions such as joint locks and chokes. A key principle of BJJ is that a smaller, properly trained person can successfully defend against a larger attacker using positioning and leverage. Training includes drilling techniques and live work, helping students develop timing, confidence, and real skill. Often described as “physical chess,” BJJ builds fitness, discipline, and problem-solving while providing highly effective self-defense training.
Kali is a traditional martial art from the Philippines known for its practical, fast, and adaptable approach to self-defense. Originally developed by Filipino warriors, it emphasizes weapons training—sticks, knives, and improvised tools—from the very beginning. This training builds coordination, timing, awareness, and precision that naturally transfers to empty-hand striking, grappling, and defensive tactics. Kali is known for its fluid movement and ability to adapt to changing situations. Practiced worldwide by martial artists, military, and law enforcement, Kali offers a dynamic way to develop real-world skills, sharpen reflexes, and build confidence while exploring a rich martial tradition.
Your First Class is Free!
Take your first step with our introductory offer and experience a free class at Mission Hills Martial Arts. Sign up today and see what our classes are all about!
Contact Us!
It is our honor to bring training to Mission Hills and San Fernando, Sun Valley, Granada Hills, North Hills and Sylmar at Mission Hills Martial Arts. You can find us at the corner of Lassen and Sepulveda in the back at the Sepulveda & Lassen Center!