The Origin

Let’s get to the point, I’m not here to sell you anything.

I’m here to serve.

I have done martial arts my entire life and in all my years.

I’ve witnessed gyms mistreat their clients. Speaking from experience I’ve done the same then changed course immediately.

But that left me with asking – How can I serve people best, and then began teaching in a way that serves all ages.

I’m sure you’ve wanted to work on yourself both inward and outwardly.

Wouldn’t you want to leave a class/ workout feeling a sense of belonging while getting, healthier physically and mentally a place you can be in tune with your body.

Embracing Confidence. One class at a time

A place where the noise of the outside world fades.

That is Phylasso

Head instructor and Owner

I found the word in 2023 after a prayer.
Phylasso means to guard, to protect, to keep safe.

That idea stuck with me.

Because that’s what martial arts did for me at different points in my life. Not safety in the soft sense – far from it actually. It gave me structure, and resilience.

Resilience is a word I’d use in this sense, you learn you can take a hit and keep going. Continue the grueling workouts and push yourself to the limits, along with others.

I grew up in places where good training existed —
if you had money, time, or someone to show you the way.

A lot of people don’t have access to those things.

They get priced out. Or left behind entirely especially if they’re NOT fighters. They get leaped into the fan club.

So I built something different.

It is not a factory for fighters.
definitely not a place for ego.

A “dojo” in a sense where all are welcome.

We train hard. We respect each other. We look out for one another.

Going home better than we came in.

Now some come to learn how fight.
Some come to lose weight.
Some come because life beat’em down and they’re trying to stand back up. Guess what, same here. We come from all walks of life.

I’m Omar — Gus* Aviles.
Head instructor and owner of Phylasso Kickboxing.

I was born and raised in Southern California.
Compton. South Gate. East LA. Downey.

Places where you learn early how to pay attention.

I started martial arts when I was 3 years old at Sang Yi Academy.
My father trained there too.

So I grew up on mats, in uniforms, around discipline I didn’t fully understand yet.

At some point, I started helping him teach.

Before I even knew what that meant.

Like a lot of kids from broken homes, I went through a stretch where I was lost.

Martial arts was always there… but I didn’t really see it clearly until later. It was a gift.

Everything changed after I watched a friend’s first MMA fight in Las Vegas.

Something clicked. I stayed.

I earned my 2nd degree black belt and eventually became an instructor at my father’s gym.
I also worked in marketing there for nearly a decade.

That time taught me something simple:

Consistency beats talent when talent doesn’t show up.

I trained under former UFC fighter Josh Barnett on the UWFxUSA fight team and learned from a wide range of martial artists.

Different styles. Different philosophies. Same truth underneath it all:

You don’t control what life throws at you — only how you respond.

At one point, I made the choice to experience homelessness in California.

Life kicked me down, reality spoke to me in ways I wasn’t ready for and that was a hard wake up call.

And somewhere in that season, I hit a point where I realized I didn’t actually know why I was still fighting – in fact I didn’t want to.

A near-death experience forced a harder question.

What is this all for?

During that time I encountered God in a way I couldn’t ignore.

I resisted it at first. Until I didn’t. There was no where I could go.

And it changed the direction of my life. Forever.

I don’t see myself as the center of this anymore.

I’m just an instructor. A steward of what I was given.

Martial arts doesn’t save anyone. It also doesn’t define a person.

But it can help shape someone strong enough to face their life honestly.

That’s what Phylasso is.

A place to train.
A place to rebuild.
A place to stand up.