Curiculum
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Acknowledgements:
Over the years I have had the good fortune to have met and been trained by well respected Guro’s in the Filipino Martial Art community. My first introduction to FMA was a blend of Techniques and training drills from numerous systems. To better understand the teachings I sought out the systems and Guro’s for their knowledge. Over the course of time I became firm friends with several of the teachers as we were of a similar humor. The systems which assisted me the best were Mata Sa Bagyo Serrada (Guro Carlito Bonjoc) and Astig Lameco (Guro Roger Agbulos).
Guro Carlito’s teaching, humor, friendship and advice continue to inspire me in my training and development of other endeavors.
Gruo Roger much like Carlito in temperament and humor has had a profound affect with my interpretation of FMA and I am honored to represent both of them.
Filipino Martial Arts (Weapons and Impromptu Weapons)
Consists of weapons fencing, empty hand applications Cardio Combat Conditioning, cadence, reflex action & tactile awareness drills.
Weapons Fencing
How does this apply to modern day? Long blades or short blades, we carry no such tools legally for defence. The reason for this is that in a court of law, to do so would entice the argument of premeditation. Laws that are respected by the general populace, are not by those who display far from laudable actions. The outlaw’s prey upon the law abiding and in all probability will use a weapon - edged or not - to gain the upper hand.
An appreciation of how to apply the concepts of the knife, will assist a participant to intercept a possible foe and safely extricate themselves from a possible violent confrontation.
A fundamental principle of FMA is adaptability, which coincidently mimics my thoughts and personal experiences with fitness conditioning.
"In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment."
Darwin
Adaptability refers to the tools being used and the application of the body mechanics. The torsion developed by using the baton also assists with kicking, striking and throws.
The ability to use many different items to strike with such as impromptu weapons allows a practitioner to assess their immediate environment for possible availability. This practice should become second nature as it will assist in scanning drills and awareness of one’s surroundings.
Cardio Combat Conditioning: Train how you fight, fight how you train, such a simple concept but one that is often over looked due to the amount of other skill bases required. The Astig Lameco drills unique to Guro Rogers interpretation assist with conditioning the body in this manner. The added bonus with training in this manner is that it falls into the same modalities of effective fitness conditioning, emotional memory and fight or flight. The commonality is that of high heart rate and an intense perception of reality. So, when in a crisis situation your body will react on an instinctive level, with expeditious body mechanics.
Cadence:
Rhythm, or timing is normally used in the realm of dance and hence the reference to blade dancers as fighters. However these concepts are governed by speed and distance. Speed is governed by a how quick a person can react to cover a distance. The perception of reality can interfere with this principle. Many of the drills found in Astig Lameco assist with developing this desirable attribute by manipulating a person’s perception.
Expeditious Body Mechanics:
Multiple strikes with hands, elbows knees and feet to impede and aggressor with maximum effect and minimum effort.
Reflex Action and Tactile Awareness:
Reflex action drills assist in expanding already ingrained natural instinctive actions. However, we want these actions and reactions to be mechanically and structurally sound for defensive purposes.
Lines of force and applied external pressure:
Unsettling a person’s balance is an advantageous goal. To do this an appreciation of the planes of motion in which the body moves is essential.
To develop power on a straight line, torsion is required. Torsion is developed by shifting body weight and crossing the planes of motion. If external pressure is placed on the same lines of force in an opposite or adjacent direction to an aggressors advance he can be impeded and unbalanced.
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