How I Teach Filipino Martial Arts to Children
A couple of caveats: This is not about WHAT I teach, or WHY I teach children. This covers HOW I teach Filipino Martial Arts to children, and this post mainly focuses on the 5 to 8-year-old age range. Moreover, I will focus on the technical aspects of teaching children based on…
Fix It Friday: It’s the Stick Buddy!
“It’s the Stick, buddy!” refers to grabbing your opponent’s cane instead of his hand or wrist, as illustrated in the video below. If you are not able to view this video, click here. As pointed out in this video, a common mistake among beginners is…
Your First Filipino Martial Arts Class: What to Expect
This post delves briefly into what to expect in your first class and applies equally to children and adults. For starters, you can expect a hell of a lot of fun! You can expect to start on a fascinating journey through Filipino Martial Arts, which are full…
Fix It Friday: Not Thissss
The “wrong” way to do a snake disarm, as illustrated in the first part of this video, is a common mistake. This kind of disarm tends to pit muscle against muscle. If you are not able to view this video, click here. Why work so hard?…
Get A Move On!
In many private lessons and classes, I have taught over the years, I have noticed that poor footwork will often negate good stick technique. Sub-optimal footwork has reared its head enough that new students are introduced to this topic on day one. I will go through some…
Fix It Friday: It’s A Reach!
In this “Fix It Friday” video, I address a common error when executing the pull-off. If you are not able to view this video, click here. This error involves reaching across the centerline to execute the pull off. Making this mistake leaves one vulnerable to…
How Filipino Martial Arts Influenced Albert Einstein*
In 1905, Albert Einstein published his “Theory of Special Relativity,” stating that the laws of physics are the same for all non-accelerating observers. Further, the speed of light in a vacuum was independent of the motion of all observers. According to Wikipedia, “Special relativity says that every person…
Too Young to Learn Filipino Martial Arts?
I posted “It’s Real and Spectacular” a week ago on a martial arts discussion board. I discussed the topic of teaching Filipino Martial Arts to young children. Some martial artists raised concerns about my students’ young age and liability issues. One writer indicated his belief…
The Stances of Modern Arnis Anyos
Some in the Modern Arnis community give short shrift to the practice of the Modern Arnis Anyos in favour of stick and knife work. I love the anyos! I think that the stances from the anyos have a lot of value. That’s understandable, as stick…
Go With The Flow!
Professor Presas often admonished his students, “Go with the flow!” This quote is foremost in my mind when discussing the flow drills I teach to the Bamboo Spirit students. I have posted previously about these flow drills. I have mentioned that they are not combative. Instead,…
