United Studios of Self Defense – Foster City

United Studios of Self Defense – Foster City offers Martial Arts training that includes Shaolin Kempo, Karate, Kung Fu, and Jiu Jitsu. The program provides private lessons and group training, including Martial Arts Classes for Kids, Martial Arts Classes for Teens and Adults, Self Defense and Safety for Women, and practice drills to hone defensive skills. A complementary private trial lesson with no obligation is available, and the free trial lesson is thirty minutes long.

• Ages: 4–18 years old
• Schedule: Business hours Monday–Friday with afternoon and evening options, plus Saturday morning options; free trial lessons are thirty minutes long

United Studios of Self Defense – Foster City has been the home of Foster City Martial Arts and Self Defense Instruction since 1995, and students have studied United Studios of Self Defense’s unique system of Kempo-style martial arts since 1968. United Studios of Self Defense teaches Shaolin Kempo as a hybrid of Karate, Kung Fu, and Jiu Jitsu, with more than 120 kicking techniques, over 300 hand strikes, more than 100 pressure points, 30 different stances, 6 different blocking systems, 38 required forms, and 108 defensive maneuvers, including techniques against multiple opponents and against club, knives, and gun attacks. Required material is taught in private lessons with goals and rewards, and group training is used to build fitness and understanding through application, with program rituals and routines that promote a sense of security and belonging. The program teaches the principles of Effort, Etiquette, Sincerity, Self-Control, and Character, and states that kids that have self-defense training are less likely to be affected by bullies.

Master Regina Pinpin is the Chief Instructor, and Master Regina Pinpin and her professional staff work with students in the martial arts training. Every United Studios of Self Defense Instructor was first an accomplished USSD student and is trained from white belt within the USSD self-defense system. All USSD Instructors participate in regular training sessions with a Master Instructor, and USSD Chief Instructors and Masters from across the country gather at the United Studios National Headquarters in Southern California each month to train and develop new skills and methods of teaching. The leadership team includes Master Regina Pinpin as Chief Instructor and Professor Charles Mattera with the USSD Instructor Core at USSD Headquarters.

United Studios of Self Defense describes its mission as: “We are here to improve the lives of our students, through the practice of the Martial Arts, in a positive and professional environment.” United Studios of Self Defense is described as “America's Self Defense Leader,” is the largest martial arts school in North America, is the largest martial arts school franchise in the United States, and has over one-hundred locations. Each school teaches the same program as outlined in the Student Manual, and every student receives a Student Training Manual detailing the entire program, along with access to an online video library subscription with techniques demonstrated by Black Belt Instructors. United Studios of Self Defense offers a Private Training Program that allows students to advance up to four times faster than with group lessons alone, with flexible scheduling for private lessons, and students may enroll for one month to as many as four years at a time. One testimonial from USSD.com states that “United Studios of Self Defense is the largest martial arts school in North America. Since 1968, our students have studied USSD’s unique system of Kempo-style martial arts from the finest instructors in the United States,” and another states that “United Studios of Self Defense (USSD) is the largest martial arts school Franchise in the United States.”

Last updated March 18, 2026.