As many of you know, I like teaching flow drills. I find it a practical and fun way to introduce the concepts of Modern Arnis. I find this a useful addition to a student’s learning cycle. The concepts range from abanico corto, palis palis, disarms, clearing, stick locking, switching hands, footwork, and more.

These drills keep both partners busy and reduce excessive socializing during class. They are more interactive than the one-step technique sequence typical to many martial arts schools.

However, to learn the flow drills, one must learn the basics. Among the basics that one must learn before being introduced to the first drill are the following:

  • the 12 angles of attack;
  • blocking;
  • footwork;
  • block, check, and counter;
  • obstruction removal (aka slap off/pull off)
  • tapi tapi block

Once the students are comfortable with the basics, I introduce them to the first drill, which serves as the template for my program’s remaining 19 flow drills.

My approach has evolved over the years. I impart the basics to teach the “mother drill.” Then I use the drills to teach the fundamentals. It has taken me a while to get to this point, and I still have a ways to go as a teacher. But I like where I am compared to 2008 when I first started teaching here.

One impetus for teaching the flow drills is that most of my students attend one class a week. Such is life in a busy metropolitan area like the Greater Toronto Area, and this impacts their learning curve. Rarely do I see a student attend twice a week; once a week is the norm for most students.

Often, students will miss class due to professional obligations, family life, changing jobs, and other factors. Some have just enough energy to attend once a week. The commute in the Toronto area can be as much as two hours for many.

As a result, I have steadily shifted toward using flow drills as the basis for nearly every class.

Nearly every flow drill that I teach has the same basic template, which is easy for many to remember. The usual progression for a class is a breakdown of the drill’s significant components. Then, do the drill—maybe a variation or two.

The beautiful thing is that I use the flow drills to reinforce the basics, such as a clean post block, correct footwork, and proper form. Some students will have cleaner fundamentals than others, and some will take longer to polish up. That’s okay because not everyone progresses at the same pace.

Applications come into play as well. For example, a couple of weeks ago, I went over the applications of the pulling motion of Flow Drill 3. I transitioned into various counter-pulling techniques and how they can be applied to empty-hand situations. That was a fun class! 🙂

I have used the flow drills to teach sensitivity, as well. Here’s an example from one of my flow drills:

If you can’t see the video, click here.

Many have told me that they love the flow drills. There is so much you can teach from them. They allow me to keep things simple and not have my students memorize 200 techniques.

Keeping it simple is critical for students attending class just once a week. Over time, through the flow drills, they learn the central concepts of Modern Arnis. While I’m still tweaking my teaching approach, I have increasingly settled on this as an effective way to teach my students, and nothing can budge me from this belief.

Over to you, what do you incorporate into your classes to enhance the learning cycle? Let’s hear it from you!

Additional Reading